Critical Cycles Fixed Gear Single Speed Fixie Urban Road Bike: Review

The “Fixie Urban” road bike from Critical Cycles is a single speed meant for commuting or street tricks, and it’s far from ordinary. With a tig-welded frame, horizontal dropouts, and components that work best for city riding, this bike has everything you need to get around town efficiently.

Critical Cycles’ Road Bike is one of the most color- and size-diverse bikes available, with three frame sizes and over 10 hues to choose from.

Brand: Critical Cycles
Type: Fixed Gear, Single Speed Fixie Urban Road Bike

Size and Design

The Critical Cycles Fixie Bike is available in a variety of colors: light blue, matte black, pink/celeste, black/red, blue/aqua, celeste/silver, gray/orange, tan, or white/black. The bike is available in three frame sizes: small (49 cm), medium (53 cm), and large (57 cm).

The Fixie Urban road bike contains a flip-flop hub, permitting the rider to use this bike as either a fixed gear or single speed. This hearty bike can tackle even the roughest Patch with Wanda brand tires that are especially designed for city and street riding.

Most road bikes in this price range do not contain the Protek cranks, KMC chain, Sunrun front wheel, Promax brakes and Well-Go pedals that Critical Cycles fitted this bike with.

Not only does it make for a dependable ride for commuters or city riders but also comes with 700C sized wheels and 23mm tires (ISO size of 23-622).

The Fixie Urban road bike weighs in at 25 pounds, which is the perfect weight for a road bike of this type. A lightweight bike can feel and ride cheaply, while a heavier bike is unwieldy and awkward—but at 25 pounds with higher quality components, this Fixie Urban hits the sweet spot.

Technical Specifications and Features

This road bike has many excellent aspects, including the price, the components, and the variety of color options that can be chosen from—whether you prefer a solid look, a neutral style, or a bright and loud color scheme, the Fixie Urban Road Bike has it all.

The price of this bike is pretty incredible. Ranging from $200 to $300, depending on the size chosen, this road bike was expected to be of lower quality and lesser features. However, this was not the case.

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Design-wise, this bike is streets ahead of the competition in its price bracket. The steel frame and brand name components set it apart from other bikes, while the various frame sizes give you flexibility in your choice. Other notable features include the Flip-Flop Hub, hand-built Steel Fixed Gear Single Speed Track Frame, Flat Top Tube and Horizontal Drop Outs – all of which contribute to making this one of the best road bikes on the market.

The seat, stem and handlebar are all a little wider than on most folding bikes, proving that this bike is designed with comfort in mind; the bars are also slightly higher up as well. You may choose between five sizes, so everyone will be comfortable; and there are ten hues to pick from, as proven in the technology specifications above.

Some of these hues are neutral, such as Matte Black and Tan, while others are very vibrant and showy, such as the Light Blue and Pink/Celeste (which use bright frames and tire colors). With this bike by Critical Cycles, you can discover whatever your personal style is.

Recommendation

I bought this bike inexpensively because I often leave it unattended in public places when I commute, and that way if it gets stolen it’s not a huge deal.

However, I would be pretty upset if I lost this guy because he’s been really good to me so far. I’ve had him for a couple months now and enjoy how sturdy and light he is—easy to pedal, completely adjustable, and fast.

A few things to note: make sure you tighten all the bolts like other reviewers have said. When you’re building it, check and double-check everything–especially the wheel axles–so that it doesn’t loosen over time. It comes with a handy wrench that will come in useful for future modifications or maintenance. Also, the tires aren’t incredible but they get the job done if you’re just commuting; if you’re a serious cyclist, though, you’ll know what to do anyways. All in all, not an expensive purchase and it looks great hanging on my wall!

At first, I thought the unusual slapping noise came from something broken. However, after further examination, I realized it was only the plasticky-rubber brake line slapping against the chassis when going over bumps. A quick fix of electrical tape did wonders and even blended nicely with my black model.

Critical Cycles deserves recognition for creating a fast, affordable commuter bike that does its job well!

Highlights

If you have never ridden a fixed gear bike, you should consider it carefully. I have ridden both Hybrid and Racing bikes; the first one through Germany and the second in suburban paved bike trails. Riding the Critical Fixed Gear Bike is dramatically different–in a good way!–because the fixed gear pedals continue to move regardless of whether or not you’re pedaling. This takes some getting used to but, on the plus side, gives one heck of a workout!

 You are a genuine companion to your bike when you ride it, according to reviewers. There are no words that can prepare you for this when you ride this bike. It’s one of the most effective workouts you’ll ever have on a bike. 

I’d want the fixed gear to be slightly easier, but with my legs getting stronger, that shouldn’t be an issue. I do advise purchasing this bike given the equipment is “fixed,” which implies there’s a lot of strain or push required; on a 10 gear bicycle, it would be level 7/8.

Lastly, the Critical Cycle Bike is manufactured excellently and very sturdy. I have ridden a Diamondback and a Schwinn Racing bike before, and the Critical Cycle Bike is just as tough as either of those two brands. Just be warned though- if you’ve never experienced riding a fixed gear bike, it’s quite different from usual! The first time will definitely give your legs a workout.

Functionality

The components and materials used in a road bike are what make it function properly. For this Single Speed, we’ve used a hand-built steel frame combined with a lightweight alloy chain wheel for the best possible results. In addition, we only use brand name components for the headset, bottom bracket, chain, pedals, brakes, and crank to exceed all other bikes in its price range–even those that cost more money.

This cheap road bike from Cycle Cycles has been designed and built with great materials. The fixed gear operates as intended, and the flip-flop hub enables it to be used as a single-speed bicycle as well.

Pricing

Depending on what size frame you choose, the Critical Cycles’ Fixed Gear Single Speed Fixie Urban road bike can cost you anywhere from $200 to $300 on Amazon.

Overall Impression

The impression that makes the most impact after viewing the components, functions, and features of this road bike as well as the price, is how well-made this bike is for the price. Using well-known and higher quality component parts from Protek, KMC, Neco, Pro-Max, and more, Critical Cycles has put together a great road bike for commuting, city riding, and other single-gear or fixed-riding.

You would not expect to see a bike such as this for under $300, however, the price is low and the quality has not suffered. This bike has been rated very well by riders who have used it for thousands of miles without issue.

Some riders state that the Wanda tires are thin and for more than casual users, it may be a good idea to replace the tires with their preferred type and brand. However, this is the most common issue among all road bikes on the market. The tires that do come with the bike hold up well for hundreds if not thousands of miles of use.

Rating Comments

The rating for this Fixie Urban Road Bike by Critical Cycles was not difficult to come by. The price of this unit is incredible, costing merely $219 for most sizes, and at the about $300. The quality is much better than other road bikes for the use as a commuter and casual bike. The brand name components and steel frame are much better than the cheaper aluminum frames and cheap components used in other bikes.

Summary

The design of this Fixed Gear Single Speed road bike is surprisingly versatile. You can choose from a variety of colors such as a regular matte black or tan; or you can brighten things up by choosing a multi-colored and highly visible option which includes colors such as bright red, yellow, blue, pink, and celeste.

The overall quality of this bike for the price is one of the better ones on the market today and it is highly recommended for beginners and casual riders and commuters to give this model a try.