Funked Up Ride Series: bike review | Martin Love

It's a smart urban singled-speed from Dublin - with a difference

The trend for single-speed fixies saw many things stripped from the urban bike that most of us would regard as 'essentials'. Gears, brakes, mudguards, common sense, all gone and in their place an admittedly cool, clean and stripped-down frame. Now Funked Up (what a truly terrible name), a Dublin-based brand founded in 2010, is putting an end to some of this hipster madness. They are forging a third path that yields great-looking bikes which still have the simple geometry and sharp lines of the fixie, but which also boast niceties such as brakes and even gears.

Their Ride Series uses double-butted 4130 CrMo frames, internally routed cables and an 8-speed Shimano Alfine rear hub. They come with Continental Sport Contact II tyres and are available in six colours (funkedupfixies.com).