The Subrosa Letum is a fixed wheel bike which takes inspiration from both a classic fixed whell commuter bike and also bmx style components, hoping to give an enjoyable riding experience for those who want to pound away around a city centre.
I would have to start my review by saying I really could never really be happy riding a bike that has pictures of weird looking people on the saddle and downtube. Maybe this is the height of cool and good taste, but I’m a rapidly middle-aging man – more at home with nice clean colour combinations than Skateboard style designs.
Unusual headset and bmx style handlebars.
The bike will really appeal to those looking for a more practical bmx style riding experience with bigger frame and wheels.
Firstly, riding around on a fixed wheel, with just a front wheel brake does take a greater degree of skill and awareness. Because I’m not so used to using fixed, I did find myself clutching at a rear brake that wasn’t there. The problem was that the front brake wasn’t overly responsive. I wasn’t overwhelmed with confidence at the bike’s braking capacity.
On the plus side it is fun to ride, it goes up and down curbs quite easily (not that I would ever use a bike for riding on a pavement) There is also a degree of flexibility to the components. It comes with BMX style handlebars which can easily be upgraded should you want to. The riding position is also quite comfortable with a nice frame geometry. The chunky Kenda 700c x 32c tyres help absorb the shock of the road.
One concern about the Subrosa bike is that some reviewers have questioned the durability of Subrosa parts such as the hubs and bottom bracket. This was just a day review, so I’m not able to test it’s long term performance, but it would be a shame if the bike proved problematic because of cheap components (see: Subrosa Letum Review 2011).
Overall. It was fun to ride and felt quite manoeuvrable around the city. In the long term I would have concerns about the durability of the lesser known components. £500 is still expensive for a fixed wheel bike and being cool is not enough to justify buying. However, I may not be the best person to test this bike as I instinctively can’t feel much empathy for the design, I think it is really marketed for a younger audience.
- Letum Fixed frame – chromoly TT and ovalized DT – 74 degree HT / 75.5 degree ST
- Fork:Subrosa chromoly steer tube, 1020 hi-tensile steel – 28mm offset with tapered legs and integrated bearing race
- Chainset: – Classic style 165mm alloy with sealed bearing euro BB
- Chainrings: – 44t Alloy 130 BCD
- Cassette: – 16t Fixed cog and freewheel
- Chain: – Taya 410
- Pedals: – Shadow Ravager Plastic with plastic clips
- Front and rear brakes – Tektro Caliper
- Weight: 11Kg
Buy Online
- Subrosum Fixed at Evans cycles
Related
Subrosa are a BMX company and the Letum, to my knowledge, is their FGFS (Fixed Gear FreeStyle) model, hence the BMX stem and wide bars.