Customer Reviews

Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE best single speed in price range, flawlessly done, all parts high quality and top notch packaging during shipping.

pros: kendra all terrains, hidden brake lines in handle grips, chain guard removes easily for exposed sprocket look, comfortable seat, low price, unique color, easy flip flop hubbed wheel

cons: a tad heavy for a road bike but easily lighten-able, too many stickers (but they removed effortlessly) toe hooks don't handle extreme stress well (easily replaceable though), tire on flip flop wheel is directional (so it's backwards when in fixed geared position)

Length:: 2:15 Mins

I bought this bike back in Jan 11. Packaging for the bike was as expected, very solid. The set-up for the bike is nice and easy and required only basic tools to get her up and running within 10 minutes. So, with that that said, this is great for someone looking to buy an affordable, high quality, and stylish bike. Flashy colors, big tires, comfortable to ride, though maybe it is a bit on the heavy side, but nevertheless smooth, fast and simple and the flip-hub feature, which gives you the option of riding in fixed gear, is a great addition. I ride this in Austin, TX where there are a lot of hills and it is a little less than ideal, but very manageable once you become familiar with the area. So, maybe if you live in a hilly area and are new to biking then a single speed may not be what you are looking for (but to each their own!). Here in Austin there is a big bike scene so naturally a lot of people ask about the bike. They always seem surprised when I say it was only 220 and I keep hearing how much of a steal it was. And by the way, the colors are a huge hit; I get compliments on that all the time. Also, please take into consideration that you are not getting road bike tires. The tires seem to be cross or hybrid, meaning they are much bigger and thicker than road tires. Though, to be fair, I am not sure what the actual tire type is called. The tires also say 80 PSI max but that, to me, felt low and prevented the bike from catching that speed that I knew it had. So I ride mine at (the not recommended!) 110-120 PSI, which feels great and allows me to catch all the speed I want. Final note on the bike: the tires are a bright mustard yellow while the handlebars are a darker more true yellow.

I bought this bike to commute on a pretty flat campus, I was kind of worried paying only that much ($179) for a road bike but after using it, I just love it.

+: Only one speed means that you don't have to deal with gears (I had trouble in the past with cheap gears which broke quite fast) and riding it is not a pain at all, the gear ratio is pretty good. The style is GREAT, I really like the yellow tires, I got a lot of nice comments about how cool this bike was. Assembly was easy (first time I did it) and a bike store tuned the handle bar for me (I did not know how to do it). Tires are ok, a bit large which is good for chaotic roads but a bit slower than road bike tires, and the yellow side stays quite clean for a while. The bike is light, not carbon light, but very nice for this price.

-: Brakes are really crapy, made out of some sort of plastic, you'd better be ready to stop at anytime and not rely too much on those brakes, I am considering changing them. The yellow handle bar gets dirty quite fast, but the tires stay yellow for a while. Seat is a bit unconfortable but ok. The frame (54cm) was a bit small for me (I am 6' tall).

UPDATE: It just got stolen... proof that people liked it. So after looking for another bike, I decided to buy the same exact one (frame of 57cm this time), it's a bit more expensive now, but I really enjoyed it.

I've received this bike in a promptly manner; I have prime and it came on the date promised. Package was greatly put together, and assembly took no more than 15 minutes; albeit, I had to make few adjustments.

The bike it self rides very smoothly, and comfortably.It's a single speed, so no more messing with derailleur problems The flip-flop hub is a bonus, but I prefer coasting so I live it at that. I'm 5'10", and the 57cm fits me nicely; I suggest any body under 5'9" to get the 54cm and vice versa. Don't expect to turn into Lance Armstrong on this bike; it's on the heavier side. But if you are looking for a great commute bike, with style, and with the price that doesn't induce high blood pressure, this bike's for you.

I've been riding mostly mountain bikes since I've been 10 years old and my trusty old mountain bike gave up it's ghost so I decided to spring for a road bike instead. I found this incredible deal online and purchased it immediately. The price dropped a few days later so I emailed the seller (Makais) and they immediately gave me a refund on the difference (awesome)! Been testing it out for a few days and will adjust this review should anything interesting happen. Shipping was a standard 3-5 day ship, got to me on the 5th day.

The Pros:

Extremely nimble bike, with very eye catching color scheme.

Provides for a very smooth ride on roads and will have you speeding past other people on mountain bikes in no time.

The bike is rather cheap (~$190-250) but rides like a much more expensive bike. I have gotten numerous compliments on this bike and they are shocked to find out it was such a great deal!

Assorted stickers come off easily for a nice clean black finish.

The Cons:

Brakes are a bit on the meh/temperamental side, I would recommend swapping them out for a better set

very heavy for a road bike (25-30 lbs)

Summary:

The bike (I have the 54cm) is made for taller people, so I would say anyone below 5'7" is probably too short for the bike, I'm 5'7.5" and it already feels a bit on the large side.

Brakes were very temperamental when trying to adjust them, I eventually took it to a shop and let the pros do that part, but the rest of the bike is fairly easy to put together.

Doesn't come with any tools, so to put this bike together, you will need: 1) An adjustable wrench, and 2) 5 and 6 mm Hex wrenches (allen wrench) 3) patience should take about 30 minutes to an hour.

Conclusion:

Definitely a great bike for the price! If you are even looking at this bike, odds are you don't care if it doesn't have the latest carbon fiber body and kevlar lined tires and you definitely aren't going to use this in a professional capacity. This bike is for riding around town and getting to work or school in the city on less than ideal roads. I highly recommend this bike to anyone around 5'8" looking for a great and cheap road bike!

Update:

Been riding it every day to and from class rain or shine for about 2 months now, had a slight issue where the pedals would "click" after every cycle, apparently some dirt got stuck in my pedals cause after a cleaning of the pedal bearings everything was buttery smooth again. The yellow grip gets dirty very easily but the bike itself is a solid and reliable way to get to class. Still loving it!

Update 2:

Still riding it everyday and some new things have come up. The yellow treads have worn out, hit a MASSIVE pothole that tore a huge gash in the treads and decided to replace them both. I got real racing tires for this bike and found that you can actually fit 700x 25c tires on this bike (thinner, but lighter and faster)! My times have improved and the bike just feels faster and more nimble than ever (though the occasional pothole isn't very pleasant).

I've also gotten a new seat because the old seat was rather uncomfortable for me (it's a unisex seat aka it won't satisfy anyone), this bike now feels like I'm riding on a cloud, amazing what you notice when you begin experimenting...

I needed a new bike after my old but faithful mountain bike for 10 years finally died. I brought it because it was 20 percent off and I was attracted to the bright yellow tires. I'm 5'6 and this bike is a bit tall for me. My groin is literally on the top tube so I recommend it for people over 5'7" for the 54 version.

The yellow handle is more of a mustard while the tires are more of yellow. I agree with the other review. Pretty much everytime I am out biking, I got ask where I got it and shocked it was around $200 dollars. The yellow is subtle yet it will catch the eyes of people you will be zooming past.

It is a pretty sturdy bike, I love the hybrid tires. It is a mix of the road (fragile) tires and mountain thread tires so I do not have to worry too much about getting a flat but do not expect to go offroad.

The brakes felt a little cheap since they are plastic. Will be planning to change those soon. There are alot of stickers but if you take them all off, its pretty much a black frame with yellow tires. The rims are also black.

I had this bike for 2 weeks now, probably put a good 100 miles on it and loving it so far.

I agree with the general view that this is a well-made, affordable bike. It rides smooth and fast and is made without overcomplicated components, just what I needed after months of hassles with the gears and brakes on my mountain bike. Riding the Takara takes some getting used to...I'm 160 lbs and the skinny tires and profile are a challenge on turns or windy rides; bending down and gripping a narrow handlebar can cause shoulder stress; having to reach over for the brakes is also very different than just having them right in front of you. I do feel it's worth the effort of getting used to though - I cut 20 minutes off of my old 2 hour time during my first major ride!

I had a few problems in putting the bike together. The main problem was the brakes, as the right arm of the front one wouldn't move (the pad also kept touching the rim) and the rear one was out of alignment out of the box. The instructions say to use an adjustable wrench (which is good for the tire bolts) but I had to use a socket wrench instead (see pic). How else are you supposed to pinch the brakes to the rim while tightening the adjustment nut at the same time? And for brakes out of alignment, you have to tap a spring with a hammer/screwdriver to move the one that's farther out back inwards, which is not a good design. I do admit that it seems to work though.

One notable negative is that the reflector mounts were very cheap. I tightened them to fit on the seat post and handlebar stem but the nut stress-popped through the plastic housing on BOTH (and no, I don't think I overdid it). Luckily I had bought two dedicated lights beforehand.

Aside from that, the right pedal strap has come undone more than once while riding (a clip system might have worked better than the sliding hook they used). It's been a minor distraction so far, and the left one hasn't given me any problems.

Some other notes:

+ It comes mostly assembled (see pic). You have to mount the front tire and a few other parts onto the frame.

+ It comes with a kickstand! It's crazy how many high-end bikes don't come with this simple feature.

+ The seat is more comfortable than I thought it would be.

- The handlebars are wrapped in that yellow cushion tape, but they'll still hurt your hands since your body leans into them.

- The middle treads on the tires get dirty fast (obviously). Mine had some marks right out of the box.

- The black parts of the frame (outside of the stickers) had some scuffs and a plastic chip out of the box.

EDIT: I've ridden this bike pretty roughly in the last few months, including over sticks and rocks and one turn right into a concrete curb, and it's held up very well. I haven't had the strap problem in a while, and the one flat I had was easier to fix than on a mountain bike (thankfully not having to mess around with a gear housing!).

This is a Really good Bike for the money. Looks really good and rides smooth. One of the best bike i've ever bought. Would recommend for new riders or delivery services. The bike is also very rigid and can stand a beating. And being one gear, putting down the power on the pedal is great.

Only bad thing about the bike is that the brake is weak. Even after adjustment the brakes is still not as great as more expensive road bike. But again for less than $230-- can't beat it.

This is one of the most solidly-built bikes I've seen in the SS/Fixie market. Everything was in proper order when I received the bike (only extra work I had to do was stripping off the stickers) and the freewheel on the single speed side of the hub is whisper-quiet. Unlike most bikes in this bracket/price range, instead of coming stock with a "flip-flop hub" (I.e., without an actual cog on the fixed side), this one comes with a freewheel AND fixed-gear cog on each side. The tires can be easily replaced with slicker/skinnier tires for slightly more speed, but I've decided to stick with the 32C Kenda's. For right around $200, you just can't go wrong with this bike, so long as you're looking for something simple and sturdy (and VISIBLE). I highly recommend it.