Retrospec Beta Series Single Speed with Flip Flop Hub

Prior to this most of my experience has been with mountain bikes, primarily the Trek fuel series. I bought this as a commuter, taking me back and forth from class. At $300 It was a decent deal, but at that price, I also expected a certain amount of quality. It came quick (i have amazon prime) and was pretty easy to assemble. Within about a week the brakes had loosened up, so I tightened them back down, and about a month later they were loose again. Maybe this is normal, i'm not sure, all my Treks have had disc brakes. The bike all together feels a bit wobbly, it creaks and groans when I use my legs to break (one of the benefits of a fixed gear), one of the pedals has developed a clicking noise/feeling when I apply force to break, which after today's events now has me worried that the pedal is going to come off, but it does ride fairly smooth in a straight line, and I will say, I love the look of it. Today however clinched it for me...I was on the way to the gym, cruising down the sidewalk as I always do, and the next thing I knew I was sliding across the pavement on my shoulder, into the street, a busy street, a major four lane road. One car swerved to avoid hitting me as I quickly gathered my bike and dragged myself onto the sidewalk. I had no idea what happened. Looking at the bike I noticed the seat was gone. WTF? After a quick search I found the seat along with a handful of parts and a BROKEN BOLT in the grass. The bolt that held the seat on had completely sheared off, throwing me off balance and launching me into a busy street. How does that happen? This bike has never been off pavement, has never been abused, and is less than a year old! Its not like im overweight at 170lbs either.So now i've missed my gym appointment, I have a bike with no seat, almost got ran over, and am covered in road rash. Retrospec, you might want to up the up the shear tolerances of that bolt.

My Retrospec Beta Series ('Highlighter & Blue') arrived yesterday. The Prime overnight shipping was a success (shipped by FedEx). Box wasn't damaged; all contents look perfectly fine. I haven't assembled the bike yet (I will, and will update this review later), but I wanted to point out a few things I noticed about ordering this bike through Amazon:1. Amazon's picture of the 'Highlighter & Blue' bike shows BLACK tires. Looking online (mainly Flickr and Instagram), I noticed that other 'Highlighter' bikes have BLUE tires (to match the blue wheels). I was a bit confused, so I went ahead and ordered some 23c blue Duro's with my purchase just in case. I assumed that Amazon had a stockpile of, perhaps, OLDER versions of the 'Highlighter', and that explained the black tires. I'm happy to report that the bike arrived with BLUE tires (not black). :)2. Amazon's default description for the Beta Series bikes mentions the tires being 23c. I'm kinda chubby, so I knew I wanted to step up the tire size to at least 25-28c in the back. Fully expecting 23c tires on my 'Highlighter', I ordered a 28c blue Duro rear tire replacement (and tube). To my surprise, the 57cm 'Highlighter' shipped with 25c tires all around! I still want to swap out that back tire for a 28c, but I was glad the larger size bike came with slightly larger tires.So, yeah, if any of you are new to single-speeds / fixies, I hope this review was helpful. I guess based on the size you choose, expect there to be slight deviations in tire sizes and be sure to research your bike online (at the very least check the Retrospec website) so you know EXACTLY what you'll be getting.

great bike, easy to assemble. the only bad thing is that even though the bikes have size to height recommendations for me it wasn't correct. I'm 5'1 but decided to get the XXS even though it said 4'7-4'9 height. the height of the bike was ok a little on the high side so I'm glad I went smaller than what was recommended. Before buying I would recommend you measure your inseam & go with that when deciding what size & not your height. Other than that the bike was well packaged & no broken pieces. great bike to go riding and the fact that it has a flip hub is definitely a plus if you're not a strong rider.

Bought this bike after doing some extensive online research. Had a small issue, due to on the package was handled, but the guys at Retrospec were more than helpful. Once I put it together (fairly easy if you have basic bike knowledge), I took it for a spin around the block. Due to schedule and weather I wasn't able to ride for a couple weeks. However just last week I put it to the test! Spend 7hrs on it riding all throughout Manhattan and The Bronx. Handled great and got many compliments, the bike not me, lol. The components are entry level which I don't mind since it makes the bike less appealing to steal. I will upgrade them as they go, perfectly happy with them for now. All around good bike, def recommend and may even buy another.

UPS was a little rough with the packaging because there were some damage to it. The front wheel hub was exposed and I believe there was a protective cover on it but it was long gone by the time it arrived in my hands. A few scratches on the frame but overall the bike looked in pretty good shape. It took me about 20 mins to put the bike together after unpacking the bike. The bike looks awesome, the shipment came on time as promised and I can't wait to test ride the bike later. I'll be updating my feedback with details of my riding experience with my brand new El Diablo Fixed Gear Single Speed Urban Road Bike.

This is a great city bike. I said to someone the other day it is like driving a Porsche compared to my previous mountain bike, a Subaru. With the fixed gear the bike gets you up and going very quickly. The wheels are worth the price of the bike alone. I ride my bike to work most days and this bike gets me there at least 5 minutes quicker. It was easy to assemble if you find the directions on Youtube. The bike is very well put together and includes all the allen keys and sockets for assembly. I have to ride about 15k to work and it is perfect for that. You may want to add the bullhorn handlebars for more stability and if you want to go longer distances. I am an older male and am not ready to ride totally fixed gear(aka fixie)so I switched the back wheel to a free wheel so that I can coast. I may plan to try fixie at some time in the future. The bike is very light(13 kilos) so it is no problem carrying it in one hand or on your shoulder. I myself live in a condo, so I have to take it through a couple of entry doors and it is very easy to transport. Using the toeclips is another challenge if you haven't got them on your current bike, but it just takes a little practice. Very quick shipping and I cannot say enough good things about this purchase.

This is my fourth bike. I own a mountain bike, road bike, triathlon bike, and now (finally) a fixie!This is a great bike for the money! Super easy to put together right out of the box as tools are included and all the "hard" stuff is already done for you. Just put on the wheels, seat, pedals, handlebars and attach the cable to the front brake and you're ready to roll. If you're not sure how to do that, there are helpful videos on Youtube. I'm 6'4 and got the 60cm frame and it fits me perfectly. I've read other reviews saying it fits big, so if you're worried, going a size down is an easy solution. Colour is as it appears online.Very impressed with the quality. Although a tad heavy, the bike rides super smooth and super quiet. I've had it about two weeks now use it as my daily driver. Frame is nice and stiff and components seem solid. This bike is an absolute blast to ride and it looks great. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a stylish fixie or a daily commuter. Hope that helps.

Well packaged and easy to put together. Ride regularly and find the bike performs well with no problems so far. Parts are all of above average quality, except for brake pads which should be changed out if you are more than a casual biker. Get loads of compliments and a lot of surprised faces when I tell them the price. Worth while purchase for the beginner to intermediate looking for a great base to get started.

When you purchase online, you expect at the minimum that the product will look exactly like on the photo. The color of the saddle and handles of the bike delivered is different of what shown on the Amazon photo. Also, the bike arrived with no assembly instructions and a noticeable scratch on the frame and the break wire clamps are too large for the frame diameter... Where is the quality control at Retrospec bicycles? Like most manufacturers today, they only design and market their products which means they don't see what their Chinese partners put in the boxes. Disappointing out of the box experience. It's a chance I chose the chrome color, I can easily buy a can of chrome paint and fix the scratch... and ho yeah, also purchase break wire clamps the right size. Other than that, I like the bike.

One of the things I liked most about this bike was the fact that it came in a 45 cm frame. I'm 5'2 and it's nice to ride a bike that actually fits. It also has a front and rear brake unlike some of the other cheap FG/SS (critical & pure fix). I found the bike to be fairly light and really easy/fun to ride.Unfortunately, I don't have much else to say because it was stolen 4 days after I received it. The rims are kind of flashy - and the bike actually looks more expensive than it is - so lock up well.

This product was okay for either your first bike or a beater bike, for me, this was my first bike and it did the job. The thing that was not so great was that when they were building the bike, they put on the breaks on the wrong side of the bars so I had to just deal with it.

Solid bike. Easy to put together. Although, I only had it for a couple of weeks, it got stolen.

Really impressed. The value for money is excellent. I have set it up as a single speed and it makes for a very comfortable low maintenance commute. I'd give it 5 stars except the stock break pads are garbage. I had to replace them after 3 weeks... Other reviewers here had warned of that so it wasn't a shock and the bike still ends up being good value even with this extra expense.

Very easy to assemble. Simply watch the retrospect assembly video on YouTube. Bike is high quality and rides very smoothly. A perfect bike if you want a great workout and looks very stylish!For anyone buying their first bike, I would recommend buying an air pump with a gauge so you can properly fill the tires; makes a world's difference :)

Perfect

Wonderful bike. Great colors and gets tons of looks, however the breaks wore out within a month of my husband using it.

Good bike, great price. Really easy to assemble, and everything works as, or better than, expected. Well worth the price. It's my fixie of choice.

I wish they didn't use ups though. They left my box on my door step, out in the open on a busy street. It could have easily been taken if I didn't send someone over to put it in the house... Inconvenience

Lots of fun! Converts easily from fixie to a "regular" bike in minutes.Easy to put together.Would highly recommend it!

Stock Toe clip pedals are poor quality... upgraded to bmx style with feet straps (Retrospec) that are much better. Otherwise, the bike is great.