Ridgeback Solo (2009) or Specialized Langster (2010)

[crumpetman]

I think the Solo is a bit lighter than my bike so it will feel light to me! Why is the freewheel so heavy? What do you replace it with? Another (but lighter) freewheel or a fixed sprocket?

The Solo comes with continental ultra race which get good reviews but I hate punctures so thought I would go for the highly recommended four seasons.

 

[RedBike]

Why is the freewheel so heavy? What do you replace it with? Another (but lighter) freewheel or a fixed sprocket?

Theres nothing wrong with the standard freewheel. It's more or less exactly what you'd find on virtually every other singlespeed bike in this price range and it works just fine. Its just that all those bearings, ratchets, pawls etc (made to a price) obviously result in a freewheel being a lot heavier than a fixed wheel sprocket.

So a cheap way to lighten the bike is to swap that heavy freewheel for a fixed wheel sprocket. (I know you don't want to do this, I should have put a smiley after my comment.)

 

[clarion]

I hate getting punctures, and do 200km a week commuting, so I fitted Marathon Plus 25s. Heavier, but worth it. I also changed the original saddle for a Charge Spoon. Not as good as my usual Specialized Indie XC, but I was grateful for the change last week when I got back from a few days cycle camping with the tandem and had something differently shaped to park my arse on to commute. Besides, for £25 it's a bargain - how can it be wrong?

I geared down to 48x19 when I went fixed (but I haven't removed the freewheel yet - haven't got the tool). Bit low for a lot of people, but fast enough for me most of the time, as I like to spin at around 100rpm most of the time.

Crumpetman, I hope to see you on the road very soon, and we can compare notes.

 

[crumpetman]

Redbike, I had no idea that switching from freewheel to fixed would save weight!


Clarion, I had read reviews of the Solo which mentioned a poor saddle and the Spoon gets fantastic reviews. I got Evans to price match it so it was only £20. Got them to price match the tyres too, £29 each I think.

I just cannot wait to get the bike! I am not riding my bike at the moment as I noticed something wrong with the rear, it kept feeling a bit spongy like there was a puncture. But no, it appears that a couple of spokes are loose and the brake rubs intermittently which I guess could mean the wheel is buckled. I have no idea if it is worth fixing as the whole bike was under £200. Perhaps at some stage I could upgrade the wheels on the Solo and put the Solo wheels on the current bike.

Oh, BTW Clarion, please can you tell me which saddle bag and support you had on your bike in this:

http://www.cyclechat...87#entry1327887

I am planning on getting a Carradice nelson longflap and a bagman expedition quick release.

 

[RedBike]

Redbike, I had no idea that switching from freewheel to fixed would save weight!

Some of the very cheap freewheels are irronically cheaper than fixed wheel sprockets. These weigh a ton!

The freewheel fitted as standard to the Solo is quite good but you're still talking something like 200-250g. A track sprocket will be about 20-50g. So you'd save ~150/200g of rotational weight.

I just cannot wait to get the bike! I am not riding my bike at the moment as I noticed something wrong with the rear, it kept feeling a bit spongy like there was a puncture. But no, it appears that a couple of spokes are loose and the brake rubs intermittently which I guess could mean the wheel is buckled. I have no idea if it is worth fixing as the whole bike was under £200. Perhaps at some stage I could upgrade the wheels on the Solo and put the Solo wheels on the current bike.

I have no idea what your current bike is but I take it that you know that the wheels on the Solo are track wheels and therefore the rear wheel will not fit onto a normal geared bike.

 

[clarion]

Clarion, I had read reviews of the Solo which mentioned a poor saddle and the Spoon gets fantastic reviews. I got Evans to price match it so it was only £20. Got them to price match the tyres too, £29 each I think.

I got my saddle for free! But that was because Evans cocked up and thought they were about to lose a sale.

I just cannot wait to get the bike! I am not riding my bike at the moment as I noticed something wrong with the rear, it kept feeling a bit spongy like there was a puncture. But no, it appears that a couple of spokes are loose and the brake rubs intermittently which I guess could mean the wheel is buckled. I have no idea if it is worth fixing as the whole bike was under £200. Perhaps at some stage I could upgrade the wheels on the Solo and put the Solo wheels on the current bike.

Redbike's right. The Solo's wheels are 120OLN, and your other bike, if it is a recent road bike, will be 130mm, or an MTB, 135mm. If it's an older (80s at least) road bike, it could be 126mm, but that's still a bit of a squeeze to fit.

Oh, BTW Clarion, please can you tell me which saddle bag and support you had on your bike in this:

http://www.cyclechat...87#entry1327887

I am planning on getting a Carradice nelson longflap and a bagman expedition quick release.

That's a Super C - massive bag (though slightly smaller than the Camper Longflap) which takes everything I need - toolkit, FAK, spare clothes, work clothes, personals etc. It's sitting on a Carradice Bagman Expedition QR. I'd recommend using a QR, as it makes putting a saddlebag on & off your bike an absolute doddle.

For information, since that photo, not only have I changed the tyres for the ones being carried, and swapped the shiny new bottle cage for an old battered one, but I also fitted a rack so I can occasionally carry panniers. It spoils the looks slightly, but I'm sat on the bike and I'm not interested in impressing anyone else, especially not potential thieves.

Because the rack now supports the bag, I just use a Bagman QR bracket without the steel support. Works well.

A Bagman fits securely to the saddle rails with just one allen bolt. Dead easy. And, when the bag os off the bike, it can barely be seen.

 

[crumpetman]

Current bike is a year old carrera subway zero single speed (42/16 I think) which is why I thought I might be able to just swap the wheels over. It won't be for a while anyway and I shall do some proper research into if it is worthwhile.

Thanks for the info on the Carradice stuff. I have a pannier at the moment and fancied a change to the saddle bag system. Bike should be here tomorrow or Monday!

 

[clarion]

Remember to post photos!

 

[crumpetman]

It arrived today while I was at work, just been unboxing it and taking the bubble wrap off. It feels quite nice and can definitely feel it is lighter than my current bike. Not sure if I will have a chance to try it tonight as not much light left and it's raining. Also got to take the pedals off my other bike as I don't like the look of the ones supplied.

Some minor niggles, not sure if this is usual for Evans Cycles, despite the bike having supposedly been fully assembled and tested prior to delivery it seems that front and rear brake pads are rubbing on the rim, the rear mudguard is rubbing on the tyre and the front mudguard does not look straight but it does not seem to be rubbing. I also asked them to fit the new tyres as it says on their website that they will fit for free any accessories purchased with the bike but alas they did not fit them. Perhaps tyres do not count as accessories?

I'll take some snaps tomorrow and hopefully get out for a ride if the rain stops for a little while.

 

[crumpetman]

I have been out for a few little rides on the Solo and made some adjustments to bars and saddle, and swapped over the saddle for a Charge Spoon. I am quite liking the bike so far. The real test will be tomorrow morning when I ride to work.

I was wrong about the brakes and rear mudguard rubbing, they're not. The front guard does rub a tiny bit when turning right but I cannot see an easy way to adjust it without taking the whole thing off and fitting it again. There is also a little rattle coming from the left brake hood. If I have my hand on the hood it does not rattle but with my hand on the bar near the stem, or on the drop (or anywhere other than directly on the hood) it rattles. I shall leave investigating that further until next weekend.

 

[RedBike]

One of the things I liked best about the Solo was the way it is completely silent. The only noice it seems to make is the rumble from the tyres (Not that slicks rumble much). It took me ages to get the sprockets lined up perfectly an the chainring fitted centrally so the chain was always taught and completely silent.

 

[clarion]

If you find out why the brake lever is rattling, let me know, because that's exactly what I have on my Woodrup, which has Shimano 600 aero levers.

I've had a couple of scrapes & rattles with my Solo, but they've been solved. The guard clearance under the fork is a bit tight, so you need to have your stays carefully adjusted. And I had to bend the front of the guard up a bit. It'll all need readjusting when I stick a Cyo on the front, but it's OK.

 

[crumpetman]

Rode into work today and am really enjoying the new bike. So much easier to ride than my hybrid, it just rolls faster down hill and is easier to heave up the few inclines. Having the drops helped today as it was so windy. I did the 12 miles a little quicker too (between 5 and 10 minutes!) for no extra effort.

Only downside is a very sweaty back as I could not get my pannier rack to fit. It should fit but I just didn't have a suitable tool to get the screws out of it to make right adjustments. Not to worry, I have placed my order with Carradice just now.

I notice that Evans do a free first service (or inspection service) and that they have opened a store that is not that far from me so I might take the bike to them in a week or two (how many miles before the first inspection?) and have them fiddle with the mudguard and rattling brake lever.

Thanks again to everyones comments (particularly Redbike and clarion) which helped me choose the Solo.

 

[RedBike]

I boxed mine up and posted it off this morning. I was very sad to see it go

 

[clarion]

Any more news, crumpetman?