jdogg111

Hi folks , new to the world of single speed at the young age of 63 and was just wondering if any of you good people have ever purchased or ridden the 6ku model bikes. I see they have two ss/ fixed bikes, one a hi ten , 24 lbs for 249, the other all alum, 21 lb. For 299.oo . Sounds like pretty good deals for someone to get their feet wet. Any advice is appreciated.

TugaDude

So long as you realize it is a "starter bike" and that it has limitations I think it is a good way to go. If it turns out you love SS/FG riding, then you'll want to upgrade at the appropriate time and you can easily sell the bike and recoup a little bit of your investment, which wasn't much to begin with. There are folks here that spend twice as much as either of those bikes on just a nice pair of wheels. So the initial investment is nominal.

Of those two, I'd lean towards the steel one. It will probably have a smoother ride and weight isn't everything, so any savings there is (to me) of negligible importance on a starter bike.

And I also recommend you not try to upgrade the bike in order to try to make it "better". Other than perhaps swapping out parts for better fit, like a longer/shorter stem, etc., I wouldn't change a thing but just ride.

Hopefully you will love the experience! At that point, come back and many of us can share our experiences with better bikes and help steer you towards your next purchase.

Have fun and stay safe!

Rolla

I'm of the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, but entry-level fixies have their place. Just know that the handlebar looks uncomfortably narrow (although it conforms to the current fashion), and that the tires are very narrow at 25mm, so the ride might be harsh. Also, be prepared to have the wheels trued and tensioned if you're buying online. Good luck!

veganbikes

Not really worth it, for $50 maybe but 6KU is one of those fixed gear boom bikes, nothing of quality but the kids will buy it. I would spend a little more and get a bike of quality like Rolla alluded to. If you are looking to purchase something from strangers on the internet https://www.retro-gression.com is a great place, they have an actual brick and mortar shop but they specialize in fixed gear and single speed bikes and have a lot of knowledge in that field sell generally decent quality stuff. Scrodzilla was a forum member at one point.

TPL

AKA.... Aventon

Doesn't Aventon sell bicycles under the name Aventon ?

Why another brand ( apparently same company ) known as 6ku ? = puzzling ?

IAmSam

No - Aveton sells E-bikes. Which is why you see the couple sw8 phiksies that they still offer under the 6KU name, which used to be for their steel-frame bikes.


To the OP - fellow older guy here who has a couple of pretty nice bikes that I can't ride the way they deserve anymore so now I mostly pedal my heavy-ish 1-gear cruiserly thing around town. And enjoy it. Unless you get pretty interested, and pretty good pretty quick - it doesn't matter.

There's plenty of bicylists in my locale who got "fixed gear(or SS) boom bikes" back when it was kind of a thing that they are still happily riding along on with zero upgrading except maybe some contact points and wear items, and typical minimal SS/FG maintenance. They never got heavy into bikes but still like to ride a little - so they are not very demanding and are quite content with what they have.

I say don't overthink it - grab whichever of those bikes gets you the tingly-est and get to riding. Now. Good luck - have fun...

veganbikes

Aventonton now makes really low quality e-bikes not that their fixed gears were that much better but I will take a crap fixed gear over something with a throttle. E-Bikes are awesome throttles are garbage or belong on motorcycles and mopeds and not on bicycles.

Russ Roth

In general, they suck, but there also isn't a lot that can possibly go wrong with them so they're far from the worst. I've got a Raleigh Rush Hour, if you're in the NYC/LI area I'm looking to part with it, which isn't much different. It isn't the fastest or the smoothest but works well enough and racing it, I'm certain the engine was still 95% of why I wasn't fast enough. Because of their simplicity I didn't see a problem with upgrading the parts and swapping them to a better frame once a new one came along. For general riding the steel will be nicer on rougher roads, the wheels on mine were pretty rigid.

jdogg111

thanks to all here. Now I'm more confused as I also spotted a vilano urbana single speed folder for roughly the same coinage. I was going folder originally as I've has a dahon da for like 30 yrs and still use it on the greenways, it makes the kids laugh so that's a reward, but its dang heavy to lift in and out of the car. The vilano weight is 21 lbs, coaster brake, very minimalist, which I like.

TejanoTrackie 

I had a Vilano, and it was total garbage. Now it’s a stool.

Rolla

I know they have their adherents -- especially for toodling along the beach -- but IME, the limitations of a coaster brake are horrible for anything resembling "real world" riding. Being able to backspin the cranks without activating the brake is a necessity for me.

TejanoTrackie 

+1 on all that. Also, most coaster brake bikes lack a front brake, so braking power is very limited. My SE Draft was originally a coaster brake, and I hated it. It sat in my garage gathering dust until I recently converted it to a fixed gear. Now, I actually enjoy riding it.

jdogg111

I would add a front brake for sure, but for the type of riding I do, exclusively greenways, enjoying nature it would be ok I would think. Our local greenway is 10 miles round trip and I try to do it several times a week . I will be retiring in july, knock on wood and just wanted a little self retirement gift.

SkinGriz

I think you’ll be good with any of those bikes. Especially if the greenway is pretty flat. I think most important thing is just to ride.
I know between work and family I don’t ride enough.

TugaDude

If I were to set up a bike with a coaster brake (and I still might), I'd definitely have a front brake "just in case". Having said that, I grew up riding a Western Auto special with coaster brake and rode the crap out of it and never had any issues. I don't think it was ever maintained properly either. And nothing ever seemed to break. Maybe I was just lucky. But knowing what I know now and the possibility of mechanical issues, better to be safe than sorry.

Rolla

I retired three years ago, and I can say with absolute authority that you deserve to get any damn bike you please -- coaster brake included! Congratulations, and enjoy your new life!

Gr33nFly

​​​​​​Looks a bit wabbly How comfy to sit on is it from 1-10?