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Road Rat is the obvious choice, but really struggling for any other options. Ideally wasn't looking to spend as much as £900.
Loads of drop bar options but not flat, needs to be flat bar as can't use the front mounted kids seat on the drops.
Ideally I did want a belt drive too, but that really is moon on a stick.
Saw this the other day and thought it was incredible value, not singlespeed though but otherwise good for the money.
Second hand pompetamine frame.
Not sure SS and front kids seat is a great combo. I found that the seat gets in the way of out of the saddle peddling, not ideal for a SS.
http://www.chargebikes.com/grater/
This is mine on this mornings commute.
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Great bike. Cheap, reliable, low maintenance, can fit mudguards and rack if I want, and lock it up to a rack in town without worrying. Gearing is enough to get me up most short, sharp hills without worry either.
Ok, so it doesn't have disks, but I don't miss them that much. I stay off main roads as much as I can, and I'm never going that fast compared to say a road bike.
Not sure SS and front kids seat is a great combo. I found that the seat gets in the way of out of the saddle peddling, not ideal for a SS.
No concerns here, been running a front mounted seat on my SS for the last 2 years. Just getting to time to replace the bike.
tenacious_doug - Member
Ideally I did want a belt drive too, but that really is moon on a stick.
The best bargain is a Pompino IMO, and it is a relatively easy job to convert on to a belt drive because of its flat dropout.
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(The belt was a bit long on this one, misjudged my calcs, but easy fixed)
Easy enough job to get the drop-bar bike of choice and change over to flats. Handlebar, brake levers, grips and possibly a slightly different length stem.
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/vitus-bikes-dee-29-city-bike-2016/rp-prod135365 ]Vitus Dee?[/url]
I built myself an SS inbred for commuting in the winter last year for peanuts, perfect for the job.
Scott Sub 10? Admittedly it's Alfine but belt drive and £100 less than the RoadRat. Flog the Alfine kit and stick a SS wheel on?
Kona Humuhumu! But perhaps swap out the cable disc for hydraulics.
Do Trek still make a beltdrive bike? I always thought it was the perfect commuter, because it came with roller brakes and mudguards.
Virtually nothing to maintain.
Edit: can see it on the USA site, but not here.
@epicyclo
Awesome, thanks!
The old belt drive bike they had in the UK was exactly what I'm after, I didn't realise they had an equivalent in their US range still. Have contacted my LBS to see if special order is available, the above is basically exactly what I'm after.
IKEA bike due soon at £350 apparently. Flat bar, belt drive, SRAM 2 speed hub, mudguards, etc. Racks and trailer available too.
Not singlespeed or cheap, but if you really want the belt drive, a Cube Hyde Race ticks some of your boxes and comes in under £900.
Edinburgh Bike COOP did some belt drive bikes.
I've got the single speed one with rim brakes.
OK bike I guess. Fork had mudguard eyelets but the frame was too tight at the back. You could fit road racers in though as long as 23mm tyres.
I find the handling a bit funny too - doesn't feel too stable. Tried a fork with more rake and new tyres, didn't make much difference.
Was called the Belter. They also did the Shadow with an 8 speed hub gear and hydraulic disks.
The Trek ones were called Sohos. Roller/hub brakes, hub gears, integrated mudguards and rack. I've been eyeing them up on eBay. They also did the District which is a more stripped down singlespeed
Belt drive is great btw - perfect for a commuter.
@yourguitarhero
It's a Belter I currently have!
It's starting to get to the point where enough stuff on it needs replaced that it's becoming uneconomical. Plus I have the same issues as you on clearance. I did actually manage to get mudguards in there, but they rub hellishly as soon as anything larger than a grain of sand gets stuck to the tyres, even with 23s. It's fine as a pub bike but not much good for anything more. Love the belt drive though!
You can get 38s in a Pompino with mudguards, as seen here:
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...but you can't use the whole of the dropout (which hasn't proven to be a problem). They work well with straight bars.
The other advantage for your purpose is that they are a pretty stable bike.
Doing the belt drive conversion is really simple. If it interests you just get in touch and I'll run you through the process (can be done with hand tools) and is stronger than many of the OEM solutions IMO.
However, if you can get one of those Treks, grab it.