ryan0402

Just got my custom made commuter bike. 700c wheels, 11-speed electronic Alfine Di2 hub with Gates belt drivem, Shimano XT Icetech hydraulic front brake. Smooth like butter!!

Sullalto

Interesting frame.

I'm interested in the Di2 alfine system, but my bike came with a nexus 7. =\

alexaschwanden

Nice bike.

wolfchild

Sorry but I am not impressed.. Not my style...Way too complicated.. How does a person service such a complex machine at home ??... and why electronic shifting ??..What happens when the batteries go out, how do you shift then ??..What's next power assisted steering ??.. The way technology is going with bikes, it looks like in the near future they will require a special dealerships for routine maintenance..

fourknees

That is a unique look. Who made it and where?

Don't forget to get a nice lock for it.

linus

I don't think it's practical or well engineered, but as an art, I like it.

BTW, having only front brake is stupid idea when you have freewheel rear. Also good luck with stand over height.

Sirrus Rider

I'm with you on this one...

acidfast7

i saw these before when i was in Tallinn.

where do you live and whom did you order through?

acidfast7

Not at all. I run only a front brake on my SS bike and hardly ever use the rear on my MTB.

wolfchild

Yeah I've seen that a lot, it's very HIP and trendy to run front brake on fixie frames that have a freewheel instead of a fixed cog. If all you have is a front brake and the cable breaks , then you're screwed... unless you're riding fixed gear which is easy to stop without brakes. Brake cables sometimes snap right at where they go into brake lever. It's rare but it can happen, I've had it happen to me. It's best to have two brakes on a freewheel bike.

NormanF

The late Sheldon Brown wrote you should really have a front brake on a fixed gear bike on the road. I love fixed gear riding and with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed gear hub, you can select the gear on the road to keep smooth form.

ryan0402

Actually the Alfine Di2 hub is pretty maintenance free. Just have to change oil and that's not even that often. I'm pretty sure most people would be capable of that. Batteries can last for 2-3 weeks worth of riding, so it is really no issue. I typically charge it once a week anyways.

Also the front hydraulic brake only because that's all I need and also to mainly to keep as clean look as possible on the bike and handle bars without cabling. Finally it's actually more comfortable than it looks. I'll post a little riding video.

yote223

What in the heck is that? You're kidding right?

GriddleCakes

The bike isn't a joke (which is to say that it's real), but this thread probably is.

I'm pretty sure that I saw this bike on Bike Snob's blog sometime in the last year; one of these "re-imaginings" of the bicycle by some art design major with zero engineering experience or education, who also has apparently never ridden a bike.

Twin top tubes I've seen, and even ridden, but twin down tubes, because the bike was maybe too light? Down tube clearance that's lower than the bottom bracket, for no discernible reason? A punishingly high standover height? A minimal amount of saddle height adjustment? No way to adjust or alter handlebar fit or stem length? Barely any room on said tiny handlebars for lights, mirrors, or bells, and no way to install racks or fenders?

I just can't see any practical use for this bike. Is there a niche for heavy, aero bikes, that you might or might not fit, depending on your body type? I know that some urban cyclists utilize narrow handlebars to fit through traffic, but anything narrower than your shoulders is just a fashion affection. The only thing this bike is made to do is turn heads, on account of it being so strange and unique, much like a lowrider car or monster truck. Unique, yes; practical, no.

The OP has only posted twice, solely in this thread. Without a video of the OP riding this bike, I'm calling hoax. And if this isn't a hoax, I seriously hope that the OP has a very short commute with secure parking for what I imagine is a pretty expensive, and definitely eye catching, bike. Lastly, you can't put a rack on it to carry loads, you can't put fenders on it to keep you dry, you can't adjust to the bike to fit your body, but you could at least put some grips on it to keep you from slipping when you ride in the wet, if you ride in the wet. And if you don't ride when it's wet, is it really a 'commuter'? Or is it just a pleasure ride that you take to work when the weather's nice?

acidfast7

To be fair, I have seen these bikes IRL when I was in Estonia over the summer.

Your rack hype is also overrated.

fietsbob

Where do you carry the locks, to keep it?

wear a full face helmet... since when you panic stop with a front brake only, you will go down face first.


Have all that space in the middle ... sell it to someone for advertising signage.

monthly payments.

acidfast7

backpack / belt

fietsbob

I wanted the OP , Ryan, to answer where they mount it, oh young hipster..



I have them on the bike , being able to ride the bike without always hauling a back pack .. I didnt see a practical place ,, will a U lock slip between the 2 tubed top?

Mr IGH

LOL, another new member chased off by the brigade of old Freds. You guys must have been born 80 years old.

I kinda like it and if he can afford it, why should I care how he locks it? Maybe he doesn't leave it outside. Not every commute is just like mine.

fietsbob

We get Practical after a number of bike thefts.

TransitBiker

I am hugely into creativity and ingenuity and things that are quirky. That said.....I appreciate the imagination of this thing, but i do not feel it belongs in "commuter" forum. Maybe in "concept art" forum, if there is one.

There is no utility to this thing, no ability to do anything but ride it. No water bottle mounts, no racks or anywhere to carry anything, and if you ride in wet, the frame & rider will get splattered all over. Lack of rear brake to me means lack of respect for safety in my personal opinion.

- Andy

mconlonx

Di2 is da ballz and I would gladly build a customer bike using it. Personally, I don't have the cash for that setup and if I did, would probably spend it elsewhere. But kudos to the OP for getting a swank custom.

Only daft thing about it is front brake only. We have a lot of sand and gravel on the road here after Winter and I'd feel a lot more comfortable on a bike with the option of using a rear brake instead of front only. That said, if OP is commuting on clean streets most of the time, no worries.

Nice bike!

fietsbob

Reading negative reviews on the cable shifted ones, IDK if they sorted all that out on the Di2 11 speed Alfine version.

I-Like-To-Bike

I also don't think it's practical or well engineered for the numerous reasons posted by others, as an art object, I don't like it. The stand over height is crazily stupid as well as hazardous to the rider's well being. This is a case of neither form nor function being admirable.

andyprough

I just scanned a few thousand images from Bike Snob's blog for the past couple of years and saw NOTHING that even closely resembles these pictures. Tineye.com returns zero hits from anywhere on the internet for any of the photos. Seems like you should have to cite a specific image if you are going to call someone out as a liar like that.

Yup - Fixed Gear Bicycles for the Road - by Sheldon "Coasting Is Bad For You" Brown, revisions by John "Track Stand" Allen - Ride on, fixie lovers, ride on...