SXL Expressway Aluminum Urban Single Speed - Fixie Bike

Delivery: The bike got delivered very fast, 3/4 days. It arrived in a nice box, where I learned the size of each frame (Small - 49cm, Medium 53cm and Large 57cm), this is good info if you ride a road bike.Assembly: There are no instructions to assemble the bike, but if you did this before, this should be very easy. You will need a hex key set. Make sure you remove and re-install rear wheel so that the chain ring works. Brakes will need adjustment, if you haven't done this, make sure you watch some youtube road bike video.Bike: Going to the bike, this is a very cool looking, well designed bike. I commute every day (35 miles daily) and wanted a fun cheap bike to ride single-speed. This will do the trick.. but will need some upgrade if I keep using it. Crank set looks very weak, plastic arms, and cheap chain ring. Wheel set looks nice, but spokes are weak and need better hubs. Handlebar is okay, but brake levers look weak. Brake calipers are nice, brake well and will last. Seat and seatpost (opposite to own sxl review video) are fine! No complains after a long ride today.Upgrades: I will upgrade handlebar in a couple of days to a drop style one, and also switch the brake levers, housing and cable (needed for drop handlebar). I will then focus on the crank set, I will update this as I progress. Tires and probably wheels will need to be upgraded... but will do that later. Feel free to ask me any question.Summary: BUY! You are getting a decent aluminum frame for a very low price ($180). The bike will work, but will need some upgrades as you understand what works better for you.UPDATE:So far, 120 miles ridden on the bike, I upgraded the handlebar, cable, housing and brake levers (around $36). Everything keeps working perfectly. I still love the bike and encourage the purchase. Climbing the Washington DC - Virginia trails is not hard with this gear ratio. Don't think I will change this soon. The seat post / saddle clamp is noisy, it keeps doing a very strong plastic noise when I hit a pothole or bump. Maybe (as suggested in the SXL website) I will upgrade that next... Feel free to ask any question.UPDATE 2:After many more miles... today the front wheel hub broke down. I just contacted the seller and will let you guys know how this goes.UPDATE 3:I am sorry I took a long time to update this. Support team was great, I got a new wheel that worked fine. I did extra 2k miles with the bike since then. It is now my daily commute bike in the DC area. I decided to buy some better wheels... (used campagnolo wheelset for $50). Best decision ever, bike now flies and it is a cheap upgrade.I will no longer provide new updates. I strongly encourage you to buy this bike and upgrade some stuff as they ware out or needed. Best fixie I had... fram is excellent.

This is a great value. It's fully useable for commuting -- its purpose -- as is. It's even pretty fashionable, except the graphics are kind of cheesy, but not too bad.UPDATE: All the positives I saw in this bike I still hold for me, but after the first ride with this bike in the rain I'll say that the brake pads are awful. Horrible. Totally unsafe for rain. I'd replace them as soon as possible. I think Koolstop Ultegra compatible pads would fit, and are kick ass, especially in the wet. I went ahead and replaced the brake calipers, pads, and levers. Which again, is a compliment to the bones of this bike that I'm happy to upgrade it. Stops well in the rain now and I think the upgrade in the levers in particular make for smoother and more nuanced braking, which I like. It was probably overkill to replace the brake calipers, but I didn't want to skimp on brakes.Nother update: The grips also don't work with rain. After they got wet they were sliding off like crazy. I replaced them with some locking grips, all good now. Still very happy with the bike. But I would recommend that if you're going to ride in the rain at all to replace the brake pads right away and maybe the grips. I'm thinking I'm done with upgrades until something breaks through normal wear and tear.I'm a biking enthusiast, not an expert. But I'll say the geometry is good for a city bike. It's nimble/squirel-ie. Meaning it's nice for small maneuvers, it's not made for high speeds going straight. Which I think is great for a city bike like this. You wouldn't want this bike for really fast mountain descents, it would be prone to flip out under you. But it's great for getting up onto a little spot on a sidewalk or something. Again, it's great for its intended use.I really like the aluminum frame and fork. They seem well made and well designed. They also will never rust. I wouldn't worry about the fork being aluminum, it's not the material of a fork that matters so much as the design and execution, and this seems quite good. Some smart people were behind designing this bike. If you're worried about a harsh ride, I wouldn't worry. It's got 25x700 tires on it, plenty of air to even out the road just fine. (By the way, for comparison my main bike has a carbon fork designed by the great Sky Yaeger; yeah, it's better, but this bike is again great for the price.)The fork and rear stay have eyelets for fenders or a rack. Nice touch! You couldn't easily do a rear rack and a rear fender (only one set of eyelets), but there are ways to cope with that, like a rack with a built-in fender.I'm not crazy about the brakes. They're clearly no name, bottom of the barrel. They work, I'm not worried about safety with them, but they don't inspire confidence in me and they don't feel good. Again, they do stop the bike. I'll upgrade the brakes and brake pads come winter, no hurry. And I think it's a compliment to this frame that I'm happy to upgrade.My guess is the tires won't last very long, but again, no complaints, they're fine. And again, I'll be happy to upgrade to something of my liking, with probably better flat protection, road feel, etc.The wheels are also clearly bottom rung, but again, just fine.The bike has no reflectors, but that's the style. I've put lights on and I'll put some reflective stickers from Rydesafe on.The rear wheel can be single speed free or fixed gear. I like that it has front and rear brakes. The cable routing through the top tube is a nice touch.The bike even looks good aesthetically. Again, really good design for this price. I got the white frame (better visibility at night) and just about everything else is a nice black that all works well together.Assembly was good, packaging was good, although I needed to have a mechanic do the rear wheel, I've never had a true single speed with no tension device, I couldn't get the chain tension right and finally gave up, but I really didn't want to put much time in on it. Btw, the mechanic had no red flags about safety for the bike.What else? The handlebars are pretty straight, not my style, I like some curve (I actually lock drop bars), but this is the fashion these days and it's kind of fun.I like the saddle, I don't love it, but those are very personal. But it's certainly not crap.The aluminum and single speed keeps it light, which isn't a big deal unless you're racing in the mountains for money, which probably no one reading this is. But it's very convenient for picking it up, going up stairs, etc.I'd say this bike is a great value for its purpose as a fashionable and simple up to 5 mile one way commuter, and again, has surprisingly good bones. I intend to keep it for the long term and upgrade it as I want/as things break. More riding, less cars!!

Was riding this bike perfectly down the road and then a car pulled out and hit me. I’m somewhat got hurt but the bike held up real good! Just a little front rim bend. But other than that it rides perfectly and is a really great bike I totally recommend to everyone

Bike is excellent! super light, easy to handle. company is very generous and sent me a new tube when i damaged mine. The bikes most beneficial feature to me is how easy it is to handle. The light weight of the bike makes handling super smooth and easy. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable way to get around in a city or town.