Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike

I'm a 32 year old male who bought this bike as my first effort to try out road biking. So far I have put about 1000 miles on the bike in the three months that I have owned it and now feel the need to give a full review of my experience with this bike so far. For your information, I purchased the 57cm bike, am exactly 6'0" tall, and weigh about 200 lbs.First, I would like to address some common things that come up in the other reviews of this bike. There is much misinformation with regards to the right pedal making a clicking noise at the top of the pedal rotation. One reviewer, claiming to be a bike mechanic, has stated that the problem is due to a faulty crank. I'm an auto mechanic, not a bike mechanic, but I'm quite certain the problem has nothing to do with the crank. I have fixed and reduplicated the problem four times now to be certain that I have pinpointed the problem accurately. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE PEDAL NEEDS TO BE TIGHTENED MORE TIGHTLY THAN YOU MIGHT INITIALLY THINK. If you happen to own a torque wrench, as I do, you should apply about 40 ft/lbs of torque when tightening the right pedal. If you don't own such a tool, just tighten it with quite a bit of force. In my experience, that will completely eliminate the 'clicking' problem with the right pedal. You might as well tighten the left one a little tighter while you are at it.Some reviewers are unhappy with the brakes. As I have said above, this is my first jump into road biking and so perhaps it is because I don't know any different, but I have found the brakes to be perfectly capable of stopping me whenever I have needed. I have had to stop very quickly (a deer ran right in front of me the other day) and much of the terrain I cycle on has very steep hills. I have never had a problem with the brakes being inadequate. Yes, they needed a little adjusting at first, but I have not had to mess with them since after the first day of use.Before I forget, I should warn anyone buying this bike that EVERY SINGLE NUT AND BOLT ON THIS BIKE NEEDS TO BE TIGHTENED WHEN YOU GET IT. I thoroughly went through the entire bike and found that several of the hex-nuts were slightly loose as were some of the other fittings as well. Be safe and take the time to tighten everything well.Perhaps the seat is hard and not ergonomic compared to others ones, but to be honest the discomfort was only noticeable during my first few longer rides. I am currently cycling about 30 miles a day, four to five times a week and the seat has been perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned. Some of the other reviewers seem to forget that this bike cost them close to $200 and not $1000 like most of the bikes I was looking at in my local bike shops. For the price, this seat is perfectly fine with me. I purchased the Pearl Izumi biking shorts on Amazon and they provide a little added comfort.The tubes that these tires come with are total crap. Other reviewers have also said the tubes are awful; they are absolutely right. After the first two days of use and repeated blow outs and flats, I replaced the original tubes with Avenir Schrader 48mm Valve Tubes (700 x 28-32C), which can be purchased right on Amazon, and so far I have not had a single flat or blow out. I weigh just around 200lbs and have been putting exactly 105 psi in them without any problems so far. I check the pressure before every trip and must admit that I usually need to put about 5-10 psi in it each time; in other words, the tubes do seem to slowly leak over time. I'm a novice and don't know if this is typical of other bikes or not, but I don't really mind filling them up each time. I should also mention that, just to be safe, I also purchased rim tape at the time I put in the Avenir tubes. There were a few rough spots on the rim that the tape helped cover.In conclusion, I am completely satisfied with this bike for the price. The single speed makes me work my butt off on the big hills, which gives me a good burn, a good interval workout, and has so far made my weight drop in the last few months from 210 pounds to just under 200. I was hesitant about buying a single speed because the main bike trail I ride on here in Nashville is full of hills and steep inclines. So far I have been able to ride up every hill I have encountered without needing to get off and walk the bike. I'm rather happy I didn't pay the extra money for a bike with gears, which would have been more maintenance (especially the cheap ones I was looking at). For the money, I think this bike is an excellent buy for anyone thinking of trying out the sport for their first time. I plan to ride this bike to death over the next year or so and then think of getting something a little nicer. But for now, this is holding up just fine and is helping me achieve my fitness goals with a lot more fun and enjoyment than I had anticipated. I hope this review is helpful to someone.UPDATE: April, 2013Still enjoying this bicycle and it has held up great. I am only cycling once or twice a week now for about 15 miles each time. The bearings in both wheels are still going strong, the brakes have never given me any issues, chain and crank are fine, and tires are still good (original tubes are crap as stated above). For the price and the wear and tear I have put on this bike, I am even more convinced now than I was several months ago that this bicycle is a bargain.UPDATE: August, 2014A year later and still cycling about 15-20 miles one time per week. I have not had to repair a single thing on this bike except for a brake lever handle that broke because I wrecked. About every six months I am sure to spray lubricant into the gears and to keep them lubed up. About 8 months ago I decided to upgrade the seat on this bike. I upgraded to the Adamo Full Gel Road and absolutely love it (hated it for the first month! it is dreadfully hard to get used to). I was getting numbness in the groin region after my rides and did a little research to find a seat that wouldn't have that effect. I will never go back to the original seat that comes with the bike now that I am in love with this one, but the original held up just fine for as long as used it. Oh, and I am yet to have a flat tire on this bike, but keep in mind that I ride on a greenway, which is much smoother and cleaner than roads around the city.

A few days after riding I inflated the tires to their max but still within the rating on the tire. Rode 2 blocks and back tire blew. Was riding down Main St. in downtown Dallas and the outdoor bars were filled with people. Many screamed because the tire sounded exactly like a gun. Fortunately it is a straight street and therefore I did not fall. If I had been on a curve I would have wiped out. The bike shop thinks the inner tube was installed improperly where part of the tube was under the bead. At any rate not only did the tube blow but it ripped a gash in the side wall. Spent another $110 and got good 23 high pressure tires and tubes. The tire went flat again the next day because the liner was not made for high pressure. The shop changed the liners from the vinyl to cloth. I have to fail this bike because it was dangerous. On a separate subject: It was difficult to get the brake pad to have clearance from the rim on both sides. Adjustments with the wrenches did not work. The instructions say to use a hammer. I did not want to use a hammer but finally did and it worked. The bike shop said that using a hammer is an old fashioned method that they would not use. The shop says that the original tires (which are 35) are closer to a hybrid than a road bike. They are quite wide. They also have tread which makes a moderate amount of rolling resistance that made the bike too slow for me. But this is just an interim bike to help me understand and appreciate the fancy road bikes before I buy one. You will probably have to true the wheels if you are a perfectionist, but it will work if you can tolerated a slight wobble in the wheels. I like the bike for what it is, and would recommend it if you are fine with adding another $100 for new tires. But if materials/workmanship send you to the hospital before finding out what needs to be done then its no good at any price.

I've had this for quite awhile, and have changed out nearly every component, though I've just left the original fork on it. Whether it's worth your money depends on the price point, as there are sales on this item from time to time.While heavy, the frame seemed okay until I tried to change out the bottom bracket, only to find the fixed cup on the wrong (non-drive side). From the looks of the threads, I think they welded the bottom bracket shell in backwards, so that the left side is reverse threaded. I'll know more soon when the penetrating grease does it's job and I can actually get the fixed cup off. It should still work, but it's very poor workmanship to put everything together backwards.If you just want this as a commuter or bridge to another bike, keep in mind that it will fall apart. For as cheap as it is, this is ok - but since it costs as much as a decent frame, if you know what you are doing you should just buy a frame and build it up, because you are going to replace all the parts on this anyways.