Retrospec Bicycles Speck Folding Single-Speed Bicycle

When I first purchased this bike it performed great, it accelerated quickly, handled well, and was fairly reliable. If you havent had a folding bike, theyre pretty useful and get many compliments (I had to stop folding it when I get on the bus to avoid them actually). I have flown with this bike, rode trains, and even folds up if the bus racks are full. That part is really cool and why I'm giving this bike two stars.The other three are missing, because unlike some of the other reviewers, I'm not quite a casual rider - I actually used this bike. I chose it for my commute of about 4 miles 3-5 days a week. I would also use it to run to the store and whatnot, and kept the bike stored inside when not in use.Between 3-6 months I started having a few problems.1.) The bolt holding the seat snapped when I hit a small bump at about 13 mph and I was almost violated by the seat post.2.) The screw connecting the torque "arm" to the frame on the rear wheel fell out.3.) The screw that goes in the bottom of the hinge fell out.If you do decide to purchase this bike, make sure to tighten EVERYTHING, and do it hard. These issues I experienced were handed by messaging retrospec and in a few weeks I received some replacement fasteners. But the seat is still constantly coming lose, and those parts that failed resulted in other parts that failed.When the screw for the torque arm of this bike failed, the hub failed shortly after. This has resulted in a "wiggle" of the back tire as I use the bike and the chain constantly derails.I'M PUTTING THIS IN CAPS BECAUSE THIS IS A SINGLE SPEED BIKE WITH COASTER BRAKES THAT RELY ON THE CHAIN TO BRAKE.I HAVE been injured due to this, and could have potentially kept going forward into a busy intersection had I not reacted quickly enough.When I contacted retrospec to discuss this issue, I was told that I was out of warranty (my purchase was less than a year ago) and to go buy the part myself. I inquired as to why the one year warranty they post was no longer active, and have yet to receive any reply.With that said, I regret not spending the little extra dough for that Dahon Speed Uno instead. You don't want to cheap out with single speed folders because the chain derailing can lead to injury or death, and Retrospec takes shortcuts with the quality of their parts. Folding bikes are great, just get a different one.Also if you're considering doing an electric hub motor conversion the rear dropouts are 110mm and most hub motors will be 135mm. You don't want to bend the rear dropouts on aluminum frames because aluminum is brittle and will crack or buckle. I am considering going this route since the hub I have now is still damaged and still needs to be replaced. A motor controller with regenerative braking can also take some of the pressure off the coaster brakes.

After three months of ownership and a lot of riding, I am revamping my review of this bike (upgraded rating). My prior review said, '"You get what you pay for" is proven with this product. This is certainly true. The bike is as stripped down a version as you can get and does not contain the features that are available on the Dahon I bought a year ago; no fenders, single speed, no chain guard, etc. However, what you get is a very functional bike at a good price. It works really well in Florida where the roads are flat. I am 6' 1" tall, and it is a bit small, but adequate. The single speed gear ratio is a perfect compromise; takes the slight grades in FL easily but provides adequate speed (its not a fast bike) on the flats. The bike folds easily and quickly. The weight is a definite plus.The hinge hardware has a safety mechanism that forces the pin to drop (spring loaded). This keeps the bike from folding while you are riding in the rare event that the latch comes loose. The latch must be lifted while folding, which takes some getting used to. The instruction set received with the bike is for a different unit. The product was not packaged well, but was undamaged as received.Space is an issue for me, so I put a lot of faith in the specifications on Amazon. I was disappointed. I bought this bike because the size specification on Amazon makes it the smallest folded package of any of the bikes. Not so. The posted 10" dimension is really 11.5" at best. The reason is that the rear axle is 6" in length and the front axle is 5.5". The axles touch end to end under the best conditions when folded, so it is not possible to reduce the dimension below 11.5". The length when folded is just under 33" vs. the spec of 30". This dimension is by design and has nothing to do with folding technique. The height is 23.5" vs 22". The weight is about 23 lb for the bike I received verses a spec of 22 lb. Not too bad. It definitely feels light and this weight compares well with the competition. Despite the mis-information on the folded dimensions, the folded size does meet my needs. It is easy to fit three bikes in the trunk of my car.All together now, I have purchased three of these bikes. Two on behave of two of my friends. We are all very satisfied.

Note to Retrospec: put a three speed inhub on this thing.i move boats. just did a 2 month, 6 country trip. i bought this, the lightest weight bike with non-rust (mostly aluminum) parts on the market.i loved this bike. i whipped it ashore, quick unfold and i was off through the jungle. well, usually just quick trips to customs/marina office/parffts acquisition, etc.. but i did a 20 kilometer ride through the jungle to explore a fort and video'd monkeys (facebook.com/captainwoody). the bike was great. i mountain bike, this couldn't handle much off pavement (tho i couldn't resist, was fine). i lost the bike at the airport. note that jet blue does not allow bikes on planes, even tiny ones. if you can manage the stretch, tell them "it's a wheelchair" when they ask.after a brief period of mourning, i will get another, and add some parts. i found an expensive three speed inhub on amazon. i'm adding a lite rack to the back. the frame can handle much wider tires which would be better when i have to pedal thru sand patches. i rode the beach surf edge up and down in nicaragua, as is. they have 20" fenders but i don't want to go too heavy. great bike.

I would not recommend buying this bike. Particularly in Canada.After unpacking the bike and raising the seatpost for the first time there was a scraping sound. The seat post tube had a burr which I filed away and then it worked great. Retrospec was helpful and sent me a replacement seatpost. Two months later I get an invoice of $32.64 from FedEx for border charges! I think I could have bought a new seat post for less.After a couple months of use the seat became a bit prickly. Inspection revealed that two screws that hold the saddle together had penetrated the seat material and the sharp ends of the screws were protruding upwards! Upon removing the offending screws, they were not the same size or length of screw even though they were symmetrically placed on each side of the saddle. I again wrote to Retrospec and asked for a replacement saddle. No one ever responded. Which is probably a good thing, I can certainly replace the seat for less than the border charges on a replacement from Retrospec.The next problem to occur was the most alarming. When sharply applying the brake on a downhill run the rear hub nearly fell apart completely. The reason was a brake arm that had never been attached to the bike. If this bike is purchased definitely take it in to a bike shop for a full inspection. That will be an added cost, but highly recommended as the bike could arrive in a condition that makes it very dangerous.A manual comes with the bike, but there is nothing in that manual that pertains to this bike. So you are on your own. Again...good reason to take it in for professional inspection.We bought this bike to pair up with a seven speed folder that was purchased at Mountain Equipment Coop. The MEC bike has not given us any problems.The Retrospec is a cool looking bike but a very very poor value. I am hoping the problems with the bike are over with but I don't have much confidence in that.

I purchased one back in 2014 it lasted about 6 months. I am only writing this review because I see that other users have had a problem with the seat as well. The bolt under the seat sheered clean in two while I was riding it. I rode it harder then this type of bike should have been but nothing I did would have caused a hardware failure of this type(As I didn't sit on the seat because it was to uncomfortable).The hardware failure that i probably did cause was while riding it like a bmx the main folding apparatus became loose and eventually the bike would occasionally try to fold up while i was riding it. Which was a really fun when you aren't using the handlebars. That said I had a blast on this bike while using it. If you are going to get this bike take it in to a shop before you ride it which I believe it said on the box or in the manual. I also found that riding up hills the pedals eventually couldn't handle the torque being placed on them so walk it up large hills to keep it in tip top shape. Overall I don't discourage you from getting this bike you just have to realize what it is. You will have to take it to a bike shop when you get it, you should probably get a different seat for it for comfort and safety and lastly it is not a bmx but a casual bike used to get from point a to b at a moderate rate. If you follow those guidelines it's a pretty decent lightweight easy to fold up stylish little bike that will fit nicely in any trunk or office. Oh and remember to rotate your tires regularly as it has a reverse pedal brake or coaster brake.

Lo compre en oferta de $2,000.00, y vale la pena totalmente por el precio, buen material y el poste delantero no se mueve nada, los broches del cuadro son muy rígidos y se siente muy seguro el cuadro, lo único malo son los frenos y el asiento, los frenos no son de chicote y gomas, sino del sistema que frena para atrás; el asiento es muy delgado. El color de la pintura es fantástica.

I love this little bike!I got away from cycling for a few years, and tried several different bikes to re-ignite my interest. This is the bike that got me riding again.With its single speed and coaster break, it doesn't carry any expectations or pressure - it's just fun to ride. This is what I've been missing.

Arrived in 1 day. 1 day! The chain gaurd was cracked but I didn't notice it right away. A bit of epoxy sorted it out. Works just fine. Roughly the same weight as my $2000 road bike. I got it because of the weight and the simplicity of the coaster braking. (and cuz it was the only one on Amazon that fits in a tiny spot in my rv) Even on an expensive bike gear shifting is troublesome and needs constant cleaning and adjusting. To get a bike with cheap shifting hardware is asking for headaches. Traditional wheel bearings. I haven't opened up the bottom bracket or the headset yet but I imagine they are similar and can be cleaned, greases and adjusted. 'Modern' bikes are mostly all sealed bearings and generally nfg regardless what you pay for them. I don't see why this bike wouldn't stand up to a good deal of use if not abuse.

Realmente es una bicicleta muy práctica. El sistema de cinta de velcro para asegurarla cuando está plegada no es lo mejor y contrasta con el resto de la calidad. El manual nada que ver con el modelo y el empaque no es tampoco el idóneo. Pero prácticamente está toda ensamblada y lista para usarse.Mido 1.92 y peso 105 kg, y aún así se extiende para poder usarla sin problemas. Solo extraño el poder hacer cambios de velocidad y los frenos delanteros.Plegada cabe perfectamente en la cajuela de mi auto compacto.

Je viens de le recevoir, j'ai vraiment hâte de l'essayer en ville. Il se monte et démonte rapidement et facilement. Je pensais que c'était un pignon fixe, mais non, c'est encore mieux : c'est du rétropédalage ! :)Très beau, a l'air très solide, plutôt léger.Moins une étoile :- deux boulons perdus (réflecteurs avant et arrière)... mettez-les dans un sachet ! Un miracle que les deux vis soient là.- livret d'instruction... inutile. J'ai feuilleté rapidement : presque aucune illustration et quand il y en a, ça concerne un autre vélo.

Been using this regularly since purchase 2 months ago and have no regrets whatsoever. Easy to fold & light enough to throw into the trunk quickly without hassle.The ride is decent on smooth flat terrain, but large hills are a challenge with the single speed gearing. I'm 6'2 195 lbs and use it comfortably yet can adjust the seat and handle bars for my kids to use.Manual is garbage, look to YouTube for folding instructions, and remember to tighten EVERYTHING down before use.

Me gusta mucho el diseño de la bicicleta, además que la calidad del producto es notoria. Hasta el momento, he usado la bicicleta intensivamente y no he notado ponchaduras, y eso que mis rutas involucran caminos de automóviles y también terracería. El tubo del asiento merecía un acabado de mejor calidad, puesto que se desgasta la pintura muy rápido.Para ser plegable, es una bicicleta un poco pesado, pero la rodada queda de maravilla.Puntos a mejorar: El acabado de algunos tubos. La guía de uso (No vienen diagramas visuales para aprender a plegar, tuve que figurarlo por mi cuenta). La procedencia extraña (La importé de EU, pero la caja decía que venía de China). Recomiendo hacer un seguimiento para aprovechar alguna rebaja del precio nominal.

Lo mejor es el peso de la bicicleta respecto a otras similares; funciona como se esperaba, tengo poco tiempo usándola como para emitir un juicio sobre todos los aspectos de la bicicleta; hasta ahorita lo único que me ha llamado la atención es que se siente que se arquea ligeramente el tubo de los manubrios (se entiende porque son dos piezas, un tubo mas delgado que se guarda dentro del principal) cuando uno hace un esfuerzo o apoyo mayor sobre ellos cuando la manejas, es mi primera vez con una bici plegable entonces no se si esto sea común en este tipo de bicicletas, o sea algo que al poco tiempo cause problemas, fuera de eso excelente diseño y cómoda para utilizar considerando que no trae velocidades y que es una rodada chica

Other than a mix up with manuals that might have come with the bikes ... that might have given some additional instructions, the assembly was easily figured out.... a request for a missing rear reflector was quickly and efficiently handled by Javier Gomez, however the reflector that was shipped ... not J's fault does not fit the seat post ... otherwise 99% ... will put these bikes to good use over the next while ... reflector or no ...

Forget the naysayers and try this for yourself. Shipping was fine and my product arrived safe and sound. Glad I saved a few hundred over my original target, the Dahon Uno since it isn't available at a competitive Canadian price yet.Combing reviews, seems like for the heavy user, the seat post on the frame is a failure point so try not to overextend your seat too high.

Nice little casual bike if you just want to get around. I wouldn't recommend biking faster than 15-20 km/h as the back pedal breaks aren't as effective as handbreaks. Didn't come with the right instructions: but who needs them anyways? Bike a little difficult to fold, but I hope it loosens up with time...

Amazing light weight bmx style bike. I get a lot of compliments. No gears but thats okay because this is a portable bike and not a bike you would ride across the city on or go off road. Yes, you can do tricks since there are no gear/brake wires.

The best Gift i gave myself, the Bike is amazing, and the shipping was rocket! I ordered standard shipping, and the product was at my foor in 2 days! Unbelievable! Strongly recommended, Love the Bike, Loved the service.