Specialized Langster? Do I?

[khumbu8000]

I really fancy a fixed to cycle to work on. 15miles each way. I have had several track sessions where I fell in love with fixed. A friend of mine who owns LBS says he will give me a reduced price put single speed freewheel and make sure it is how I want. Possibly going to wait for 2016 version...as no 52s available. BTW I will be doing in on cycle scheme so 40% off. He also stocks Williers.

People seem to like Langsters...any advice

 

[Colnago Master]

My son has an Ali one which is ok but hasn't done many miles. I bought a steel one cos it looked really nice.
I originally switched from fixed to SS as I was grounding the pedals out. Then the freewheel started playing up and my LBS replaced it, soon it happened again so I went back to SS. The bottom bracket only lasted a year and the hubs need servicing quite often as the seals seem to let water in. It needed more maintenance than any other bike I've owned and has now gone.
I think Specialized used too many cheap parts and mine certainly wasn't worth the money.
It's only my experience and I'm sure most people love them.

 

[Citius]

The standard Langster is fine as a road bike, but as it is basically a road frame with track ends, the BB height makes it unsuitable for some tracks. If you want a bike for dual use (ie road and track) then I would look at something like a Dolan Pre-cursa with a fork drilled for a front brake..

 

[MrGrumpy]

I had a 2008 one , well I still have it but its a bit like triggers broom the only original parts are the seatpost and handlebars lol. Longevity was not its middle name, wheels were sh...t and the frame cracked but that was replaced under warranty. Oh and the tektro brakes lasted one winter. IMO aint`t worth the £500 odd they are now, I paid less than £400 on C2W. Now in saying that they are not bad, decent enough commuter but if i was buying a fixed now,I`d go for one that can take full mudguards ( dont bother with crud raceguards ). In fact for me I`m at a crossroads, ditch my langster and buy a CX or at least something that takes proper guards,

 

[potsy]

I had a 2008 one , well I still have it but its a bit like triggers broom the only original parts are the seatpost and handlebars lol. Longevity was not its middle name, wheels were sh...t and the frame cracked but that was replaced under warranty. Oh and the tektro brakes lasted one winter. IMO aint`t worth the £500 odd they are now, I paid less than £400 on C2W. Now in saying that they are not bad, decent enough commuter but if i was buying a fixed now,I`d go for one that can take full mudguards ( dont bother with crud raceguards ). In fact for me I`m at a crossroads, ditch my langster and buy a CX or at least something that takes proper guards,

I had the Langster on my shortlist when I was looking for a fixed/single-speed bike for commuting.
The styling of the Langster was great but I wanted the ability to run full guards too so went with the Genesis Flyer.