Review

I've now ridden the SL2 for about 200 miles and now I feel that I can give an honest review on the bike. I'm going to have to break it down into sections (like the top gear fiesta review) in order to cover all the parts of this amazing machine.

How does it feel?
It feels amazing.

How does it accelerate?
Like a bullet.

How does it handle?
Better than anything I've ever ridden. I took it down US 58 without touching the brakes... and never got to the performance limit. I'm actually worried about how fast you need to turn this thing to have to fight to hold the line, because I wasn't even close coming down the mountain.

How does it climb?
Well, it climbs so well that it makes me a better climber. This bike got me to the top of the climb only a second behind Greg... Greg raced pro for 10 years. This bike is great.

Is it pretty?
Yes!

How are the wheels?
They make the bike better. They're not featherweights, but they're stiff, fast, and have ceramic bearings and carbon parts to make them look really pretty.

How do you like Red?
I'm sold. It's lighter than anything on the market, shifts with sniper-like precision, and feels great at the same time. Pulling the lever back into sprint mode gives you the ability to shift by simply tensing your hand. It would be hard for me to imagine a better set up than Red for me. The brakes stop really quickly, the cranks are stiff, and even shifting up front is quick and responsive.

What if the Royal Marines ask you to take part in a beach assault?
I'm not getting salt water on this bike.

Good things come

I think I may have a problem. I bought another bike recently. I'm beginning to think that perhaps after another two or three bikes I should stop purchasing new ones without giving up an old one so that I don't run out of space.

If I'm going to have all of these bikes though I'm going to be a good citizen of the community and inform the rest of you how they ride so that you won't waste your money on a bike that's wrong for you.

Today I'm reviewing the Raleigh Rush Hour. It's a steal framed urban bike with track geometry. It comes with breaks, but the rear break cable run comes off completely to leave the bike with some beautiful clean lines.
I've made some minor changes to make it fit my riding style, there are no reflectors, the rear break is gone, the front break lever has been moved to the drop, and there's a mount for a tail light. None of these really make any changes to the way she rides though.

I'm going to be honest here, I've only ever ridden one other fixie and it was the Giant Bowery which is a nice bike, but it has road bike goemetry.

The first thing I noticed riding the Rush Hour was how twitchy it is. With the track geometry the gravel on our driveway almost caused my untimely death. Once on pavement I was quite happy with the way the bike rides. Climbing is not the most enjoyable thing ever, as the only way to stand is to keep your hands in the drops and the twitchy steering really comes out when you stand, but if I wanted to climb I would have bought a road bike.

Over all it's stiff, fast, and handles faster than most people would find comfortable. If your looking for a track bike to ride on the road I would recomend it. If you're looking for a real track bike I would have no idea why you were talking to me. If you're looking for a regular single speed for every day use and you don't have a lot of experience with a bike under you I would recomend something a bit more forgiving, like a unicycle.