Unipack / Create / Sports Direct singlespeed track bikes?

I'd just ask for my money back if I were you.

buh ive already fallen in lurve with it :( and for 69quid its cheaper than most dates.

if you're willing to put down a little effort;

I paid £40, stripped it, shorten chain, add old stuff (saddle, handlebar) etc. that was lying around, sorted it out and bingo - cheap little runabout, for 1/4th the cost of an Unipack (lighter too), and a million time reliable;

you can do that easily if you're willing to put a small effort, a very small effort.

Ed i wouldnt call that a small effort, you make it sound too easy. I mean finding the frame etc. takes time.
A small effort would be to buy a Unipack (unfortunately)
With yours you'd need some bike assembly experience rather than none required to purchase a Unipack.

*Disclaimer*I am in no way on the Unipacks side.Disclaimer

I'm happy to think of the uni-pac as a gateway drug to a better bike, but on the other hand, you can get a bike that will last longer that's second hand for just as cheap, then when you ready to spend more money you'll know more about what you like/don't like about your current ride.

Don't just enter into mindless consumerism, spend some time thinking about what you really need from a bike, then find a bike that suits you.

The great Unicack! I was at BL market yesterday morning and I saw a woman fall over with a one after one of the pedals fell off. They were selling like hotcakes (It's so depressing to watch people snap up these machines but if you don't know what you're buying, they must look like great value.) £160 for a death trap - what a bargain!

ed, the saddle you have 'lying around' looks strangely like a £70 brooks....

I'm happy to think of the uni-pac as a gateway drug to a better bike, but on the other hand, you can get a bike that will last longer that's second hand for just as cheap, then when you ready to spend more money you'll know more about what you like/don't like about your current ride.

Don't just enter into mindless consumerism, spend some time thinking about what you really need from a bike, then find a bike that suits you.

i fully agree with the begining of this and the rest. some people have not got the time nor the resources to do any different. if they buy a uni. and like it, repair it as and when they see fit. it can only lead to a better bike for them. i know friends who have bought a complete load of shit. then having struggled with it......start to yearn for something better.
at the end of the day
it puts more cyclists on the rd. is that a bad thing?
i say "buy a unipak"*

*disclaimer........not off here. :)

x

Ed i wouldnt call that a small effort, you make it sound too easy. I mean finding the frame etc. takes time.
A small effort would be to buy a Unipack (unfortunately)
With yours you'd need some bike assembly experience rather than none required to purchase a Unipack.

*Disclaimer*I am in no way on the Unipacks side.Disclaimer

I didn't pay for the frame, I pay for the whole bike, removed the wonky gears, shorten chain, a bit of twinkle and it ride like a dream.

It's that easy with a little effort.

It's students. They just see the 'uni' bit and off they go.

They'll regret it in due course, and then they'll either give up or get their BSc in Bike Engineering, Build Planning, Assembly, and Effortless Stylishness from the Ed Scoble School of the Best Bits.

that the beauty of student, I can sell this bike for £150 easily to CSM student!

for 259€ on the german ebay now

I'm happy to think of the uni-pac as a gateway drug to a better bike, but on the other hand, you can get a bike that will last longer that's second hand for just as cheap, then when you ready to spend more money you'll know more about what you like/don't like about your current ride.

Don't just enter into mindless consumerism, spend some time thinking about what you really need from a bike, then find a bike that suits you.

yesss! i agree with this, i once upon a time bought a unipack not knowing anything about it, but then joined the forum summertime last year and realised that it was shit, and at first i just wanted to upgrade it to one day have something better and now under a year on and i've almost got my ideal bike! a happy story :), and i dont regret having the unipack it was part of the learning curve.

It's easy though when mum pays for your parts eh.. ;p

These unipacks might get more people on the road but like anything that's too good to be true, it most likely is. Reading the kind of failures mentioned above I reckon it is only a matter of time before someone gets either seriously injured or worse, killed when their unipack has a catastrophic fail at the exact wrong moment. Any product that is commercially sold must be 'fit for purpose' by law, these things look not to be an could indeed be deemed illegal. Who knows, maybe there will be lawsuit on this one day.

IMO Rubbish like this is simply a crass waste of precious natural resources.

Yea totally.
You're right Donut, and i'd do the same too, but to date i hav yet to come across a bike service which drops everything to sort out the problem and then uses top quality parts to replace the shit ones with. He's given me a new WTB road stem (wich i reckon costs about 15quid at least), decent chain and replaced the bearings with a solid pair...so basically ive got most of the dodgy parts that everone here warned me of, replaced FOC, so i guess i can forgive him as no harm was done.

You have to consider the amount of failures you've had and luckily it not been while you've been in heavy traffic (imagine not being able to turn at a turning next to a van or if you cranks fall off etc etc)

Mick sounds like a top bloke but honestly, him coming to you and helping you with a stem, chain etc is cheaper for him than to refund the bike and face possible lawsuits for sale of faulty items. If I bought a product and it failed to do what its meant to or broke, I would not hesitate about refund.

You love your bike, fair enough, most of us here are enthusiasts of bikes so dont like the unipack for a variety of reasons, but in essence its a unreliable and poor bike.I know of 3 people (yes 3 people) who have injured themselves with these bikes. All of which are friends of friends - one of which his stem, like yours just failed and at a turn he went straight into a van.

These are shoddy products which will not last you at all and will cost more money at time in the long run - spending a bit more equates to reliability and longevity. I was in BLB the other day and a guy was looking at upgrading his headset to a chris king on his unipack....wow.

They should sell these as 'toy' bikes or not at all.

I warned a friend off the Unipack Folder, she didn't listen (she said it was reduced in price so must be good value). I think she paid £95.

It fell apart straight away. In-fact it arrived missing bolts, and when she sent it back they charged her for the missing bolts as if she'd kept them!

£25 buys a better bike than a unipack. Gumtree, skips, friend's sheds etc are full of 531.

These unipacks might get more people on the road but like anything that's too good to be true, it most likely is. Reading the kind of failures mentioned above I reckon it is only a matter of time before someone gets either seriously injured or worse, killed when their unipack has a catastrophic fail at the exact wrong moment. Any product that is commercially sold must be 'fit for purpose' by law, these things look not to be an could indeed be deemed illegal. Who knows, maybe there will be lawsuit on this one day.

IMO Rubbish like this is simply a crass waste of precious natural resources.

It's also anecdotally known that if people have a bad experience with a poor-quality bike, they are less likely to continue cycling than people with good-quality bikes who don't experience failure and don't have to buy another one.

exactly, that's my main concern, it may got people riding them, but also increase the likehood that they'll never ride again just based on their experience with the unipack.

I'm happy to think of the uni-pac as a gateway drug to a better bike, but on the other hand, you can get a bike that will last longer that's second hand for just as cheap, then when you ready to spend more money you'll know more about what you like/don't like about your current ride.

Don't just enter into mindless consumerism, spend some time thinking about what you really need from a bike, then find a bike that suits you.

+1 Not sure how much unipacks go for, I think it's about £200 not sure though, I got my Langster for that price, and it's a fantastic bike, and for £200 it's a great bargain, as it's a pretty popular bike you can find out just about whatever you want about it if you're new to riding fixed (as I was) which is one downside of going for the conversion for your first fixed. Though as many people are more than happy to point out =P they aren't the most asthetically pleasing bikes, which I guess is why people go for the unipack. Hopefully if they do have a bad experience with them it'll make them want to upgrade rather than make them hate riding.

OTP FTW!

+1 Not sure how much unipacks go for, I think it's about £200 not sure though, I got my Langster for that price, and it's a fantastic bike, and for £200 it's a great bargain, as it's a pretty popular bike you can find out just about whatever you want about it if you're new to riding fixed (as I was) which is one downside of going for the conversion for your first fixed. Though as many people are more than happy to point out =P they aren't the most asthetically pleasing bikes, which I guess is why people go for the unipack. Hopefully if they do have a bad experience with them it'll make them want to upgrade rather than make them hate riding.

OTP FTW!

Like mmccarthy, I bought a cheap Langster 07 for £150. I've bought a second hand stem, handlebars, pedals and saddle and will change the wheels, powder coat the frame (I don't like the rust/brown colour) and add my own decals. Despite the slaughtering the bike has had from some quarters, I have to say that I've found the Langster to be a great first ss bike - I will be moving to fixed soon...

In a choice between a new Unipack and a 2/3 year old Langster with dodge wheels there is only one winner.

http://www.gumtree.com/london/11/37161211.html

...

the mind boggles

As I've admitted in another thread, late last year I came to own a Unipack. It's a strange story actually, as my friend bought it but when the rear wheel broke he offered it to me for free as I had just got my bike stolen.

I replaced the rear wheel with a new Mavic build, and for the most part it has served me well. A couple of months ago the bottom bracket got a crack in it, but I have since replaced it and the pedals. Next on the agenda is the chain, the cranks and the freewheel but that will wait till I've decided on a new ratio and have more money to spend.

If I had read this forum in the first place I would have just converted an old bike, but to be honest if I had never been given that Unipack I probably wouldn't have discovered this forum.

see one of these bikes the other days.... I must say it looks great. (helped that the rider was a cute girl)

Anyone seen one close up yet ??

I went for a walk earlier, and walk passed the unipack from my neighbour which was locked on the gate.

20 mins later both wheels were gone, as it was only locked on the frame.

I am not sure whether to be sad or cheerful.