54cm Fixed Gear Bike - Single Speed Urban Road Bike for Men & Women (Black, 54 cm) - Perfect for City Commuting, Exercise & Street Riding

I bought this bike as a cheap commuter for college. I read through many of the comments before purchasing the bike, many of which said that bike required a few upgrades or changes to ride smoothly; they were not wrong. However, as a broke college student that purchased the bike cheap for a reason- I only changed a few of the essential things I found needed which I will post below. However, the only thing that really needed changing, if anything, was the brakes. I think it's the brake levers and pads that just suck, but the ones that come with the bike barely do its job even after extensive adjusting. In addition, I think the rim of the wheel is another issue with the bike's brake system as it doesn't really give a lot of friction to the brake pads- but for a fairly flat campus- it will do for now.Things I replaced:- Bike pedals: REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. The original ones weren't made/installed correctly because it keeps skidding when riding, which is really dangerous. I got these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013G6PLS/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1- Strapless Pedal clips; unless you plan on going fixie which in that case I suggest you buy something from Purefix on Amazon as it comes with a voucher for free pedal straps or handlebar.- Seatpost: I had an extra one sitting at home, but the one that came with the bike is just a pain in the ass to adjust the seat with. Works though.- Seatpost clamp: the original one works fine, but I just got a different one for a change in color- Seat: the original seat is sorta ugly not to mention really uncomfortable and so I got this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00858T9C4/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1- Bar Tape: the original tape isn't bad, but I changed it to a different color anyways- Stem: I didn't like how high (angle) it was when it first came (looked really dorky) and so I flipped it for a more track like style.- Stickers: for funzies.Nice to invest in:- I'm saving up for a Deep-V wheelset because they just look too sexy.- Crankset: planning on replacing it after a year or 2, but the original works just fine- Tires: the stock tires have been holding up for a few months now, but once they wear out I'm getting new onesI bought this bike and couldn't wait for it to get to my house. I bought it with my tax rebate like the regular American. Don't have a lot of money. I do bike a lot though and when I got this bike there is nothing wrong with how it functions. At all. I bike on a mountain at least 40-60 miles per week with a mountain bike and I used to have a bmx but I wanted a fixie because I bike so much that braking will become an impulse. I also skate and there are no brakes but your feet can act as brakes. Once you get used to cadence braking will become obvious because your feet are in constant motion it won't surprise you. Found the handle bars have almost no control at slow speeds which can be a problem given you are most vulnerable at slow speeds especially when braking. Got used to how it worked and decided to go on a 15 mile bike ride and the tire blew out 8 miles in. Btw the tires take a special pump to fill the tires which I had to put more money because I thought a standard pump would work. This bike also has parts that need to be adjusted so have a set of Allen wrenches cause the brakes may not work. Everything I thought was cool about fixies kinda just went out the window. Mountain bikes are 10x more efficient and cheap. I still give it a good rating just because it really does work but yeah... no. I'd rather have a bike that can get thrown around and is tough sacrificing speed cause it is reliable no matter condition.here's the straight dirt. as others have noted, this is an entry level bike that is really not worth a penny over $200. it arrived in a timely manner, has no brand names or logos smeared all over it and took very little skill to assemble. that's where the good review stops! for the bike to be comfortable you need to automatically replace the entire handlebars/saddle/and brakes. they are all pretty worthless. the brakes DO NOT STOP YOU. i had two bike shops professionally adjust the brakes and neither could get the bike to come to a safe and full stop. you just slow down...eventually. not safe. the handlebars are large, bulky and ugly as heck. i immediately went and got some riser-bars with better grips. the saddle will do but it's pretty lame and the cheap-o plastic pedals are worth replacing if you want any worthwhile ride. i have had many comments on how heavy the bike is. this and it's tiresome ride combined make for an all around unpleasant bicycle. i have had the bike for about two months and already the free wheel is totally broken. it is attached to the wheel so my only options are to spend more money (about $100) to replace the wheal and the free wheel, or flip the wheel and ride it "fixed gear". i have replaced the handlebars, grips and brakes and now need to replace these parts? i will write an email to the company to see if they will replace the defective free wheel. look, if your bike sucks, you won't wanna ride it! and this bike sucks. pay a couple bucks more on craigslist to get a better bike that you don't have to pay shipping on. phew! ok, enough ranting. i just had to warn you people.I bought this bike about six months with the intent of customizing it to my liking. So far I've changed out the drop handle bars to bullhorns along with reverse brake levers and new pedals. The pedals are the worst component to this bike out of the box. Everything else is functional and might need replacing/upgrading down the road. I read complaints about the cheap tires and I will change those out eventually. But so far haven't had any problems with them. The brake levers that come with it were kinda cheap feeling. Other than that, I love this bike. It's my first project/road bike so I'm having a blast customizing it.I have had a very good experience with this budget bicycle.To give it fair consideration - this is not a Cervelo or Colnago. It costs about 1/3rd of the price of 1 wheel from one of those bikes. In fact it is cheaper than the saddle or pedals on a high end road bike.It came well packaged with no missing components. It required assembly, and from reading some of the negative reviews, much can go wrong here. If you aren't well versed in bicycle mechanics, you will want to have this done at a bike shop or by a knowledgeable friend.Component wise, there is nothing remarkable on this bike. Everything is very budget focused. The frame is low grade steel and heavy. The wheels are also heavy with cup/cone non-sealed bearings. The pedals are plastic and the crank is very basic. The saddle is padded and vinyl. The breaks are single pivot, with very basic levers and plastic hoods. The bars are thin steel with plastic and foam tape. The tires are stiff. There is obvious room for upgrades here, and as components wear out and need replacing, there are lots of chances to make incremental improvements that will make a big difference to how the bike rides (wheels and brakes!).Out of the box and onto the repair stand, it took me a couple of hours to get the bike right and rideable. The most time consuming part is truing the wheels and setting up the brakes. Single pivot brakes are an exercise in frustration, but once these are set up, they work well enough.In five months, it has never been back on the repair stand. It has been a trouble free commuter. Over 5 months, that is $40 a month - which is cheaper than a bike share membership and more convenient. It isn't a Cervelo -- but it rides better than a Bixi and is cheaper.Just don't have unrealistic expectations. It's not a high end Cro-moly frame, the brakes are weak and the tires are not the greatest. Even with these issues, for the price, you can't go wrong! Packaging was great and set up was easy, although the brakes can be finicky. It rides well and has been comfortable on 40+ km rides.Great purchase i'm very satisfied with it so far. I paid 50$ at a local bike shop in Ottawa to get everything set up and i've been riding a good 100k/week ever since. Don't expect the best but honestly a great bang for the buck!It came pre built. I had to screw the wheel, tires, and saddle and it was ready to go. It runs really well.Perfect for the city streets