My friend wants a Foffa....

...or a Bobbin, or a BLB.

She has been seduced by the eggshell colours, gumwalls, and 'leather' bar tape. I think I understand what she wants (a 'retro', relatively fast geared commuter that doesn't weight a tonne so she can carry it upstairs), but for a budget of up to £500 I really feel we can do better than that.

Instinct would be to get a decent old ratty 531 frame, take it to Armourtex or similar, build with 2nd hand 105 with a 'retro' chainset, and get her some 28 gumwalls, Brooks tape etc. Easy. The bloody problem is that I'm not in the UK.

So...if I you had to point a friend of yours in the direction of one of these places that do bikes like below, which would you go for?

I would much build her up something a little like this...(sorry Gaston)

If you're near Leytonstone, Stayer Cycles does nice retro frame + modern groupset builds around that price point.

"Friend" huh...

She's in Bow...that sounds good, cheers.

I don't suppose it would help if she saw those bikes up close. For instance, most of that style of bike don't have real gumwalls, just the cheapest of crappy nylon tyres which have been dyed tan in one place, black in another Even the BLB bike looks like it has those on it. Rest of the components are also clunky and ugly at close inspection.

My friend wants aventon mataro

Your "friend" still needs to finish the stupid sora/Paul brake biek.

I'd suggest to your friend going to the Hackney Peddler.

In the interests of full disclosure i believe @amey was trolling me, not himself or the forum at large

Your friend should no longer be that.

i'd unfriend those friends wanting a foffa.. :/

Come on. She wants a bike (good!) and has the good fortune to have a friend who'll make sure she gets something nice instead of getting lured by the sirens of marketing (even better!)

I guess we've all been through the phase of the first ridiculous fixie.

Because you emerged from the womb knowing all about bike mechanics and cool aesthetics. Right. You and @wildwest are being entirely unhelpful dicks.

Word. My first bike in the UK was a colour matched red and white SE lager which I wildly overpaid for. It's a right of passage.

Because you emerged from the womb knowing all about bike mechanics and cool aesthetics. Right. You and @wildwest are being entirely unhelpful dicks.

life's too short you know

also: my friends come for asking knowledge and help on selecting a good bike for their needs, not asking for how to get a cool fixie

not that i'm dead serious about unfriending friends but you seem like a guy that gets a joke