The ambiguity of the name - "Betty Leeds" can also be heard as "Betty leads" - is part of the programme for Recep Yesil and Holger Patzelt, the founders of Fixie Inc. In this case, the name comes from the world of racehorses: "Betty Leeds" was a famous English broodmare at the beginning of the 18th century, who gave birth to a series of fast offspring by the no less famous stallion "Darley Arabian". Yesil and Patzelt's guiding principle for their new steel racing bike, which was to radiate power and elegance, led them to horse racing - and thus to "Betty Leeds", which now joins the small range of other Fixie models called "Black Jack", "Peacemaker" and "Pure Blood". Fixie's idea has always been to set itself apart from the racing bike mainstream. "We don't compete with technical values, but with individuality," says Holger Patzelt. The manufacturer's first product, which caused a stir at various bicycle trade fairs a few years ago, is a perfectly crafted, beautiful steel-frame racing bike with just one gear and a fixed hub - a "Fixie".
The steel frame is the common feature of all fixies, but these customised racers are now also available with gears and brakes. The frame of the "Betty Leeds", which is welded in Taiwan, is characterised by voluminous tubes; the down tube, head tube and seat tube have round diameters of just under 40 millimetres, the top tube is slightly ovalised and connects perfectly to the seat tube. The "powerful" main frame is continued in the rear triangle, whose thin chainstays and slightly curved seat stays appear rather delicate, while the dropouts are minimalist in shape and barely visible. The frame tubes are connected without sleeves by neatly executed weld seams. References to classic steel frame construction can be found in the small bridge behind the bottom bracket between the chainstays, in the star-shaped reinforcement plates of the bottle cage threads and in the beautifully crafted cable stops.
Despite the cancellation of the technical competition, "Betty Leeds" makes up ground in the race for points. 1,700 grams is a decent weight for a steel frame, and simple aluminium frames are no lighter. The steering head stiffness of 75 Newton metres per degree is responsible for decent riding stability. However, the impression of comfort conveyed by the curved, thin seat stays is clearly contradicted by riding impressions and lab results: the thick seat tube and thick seat post prevent bouncy swinging on bumpy surfaces.
The steel racehorse has a strikingly inconspicuous design. The black paintwork dominates, while the rarely seen DT Swiss wheels of the type "RR 1450 Mon Chasseral" with white hubs and white and black painted rims provide a clear contrast. The insides of the Reynolds carbon fork blades are painted white, while a black ornament curls around the left handlebar as a hidden eye-catcher. Such attention to detail is clearly visible on the fixie from every angle. Gears and brakes are provided by the Force groupset from SRAM. This does its job well and contributes to the racer's low overall weight of 7.5 kilograms.
The "Betty Leeds" presents itself as a powerful and elegant racer. The design is convincing, the technical values are good, only the price of 3,400 euros limits the range of buyers. By the way: The riding position on the "Betty Leeds" is very race-like and emphatically stretched - but thoroughbred jockeys like it sporty.
PLUS: Unmistakable design, technically good steel frame MINUS: High price
Price: 3,399 Euro
Reference/Info: Fixie Inc, phone 0721/1567244, www.cycles-for-heroes.com
Frame sizes*: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Seat/steering angle: 73,5°/73,5°
Seat/top/head tube: 535/560/145 mm
Wheelbase/caster: 990/51 mm
Frame height/camber**: 585/161 mm
EQUIPMENT
Fork: Reynolds Ouzo, 1-1/8 inch; full carbon fibre
Steering bearing: FSA Orbit, classic
Brakes/gears: SRAM Force
Bottom bracket: SRAM Force
Wheels/tyres: DT-Swiss RR 1450 Mon Chasseral/Schwalbe Ultremo
Handlebar/stem: Truvativ Team/-Rouleur Aerobar
Saddle/seat post: Selle San Marco Aspide/Truvativ Team
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel: 7.5 kilos (without pedals)
Frame/fork/steering bearing weight: 1.680/399/97 g
Standardised weight frame set***: 2.211 g; 4,3
Steering head stiffness: 75 Nm/°; 3.3
Lateral stiffness fork: 39 N/mm; 3.3
Bottom bracket stiffness: 54 N/mm; 2.0
Comfort frame: 313 N/mm; 2.7
Comfort fork: 82 N/mm; 3.3
*The tested frame size is bold.
**Projected dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the upper edge of the head tube/saddle/head tube rise at a seat height of 75 cm (centre of saddle frame-upper edge of head tube).
***Adjusted weight for frame size 57 and fork steerer length 225 mm.
**** Total and partial grades are rounded to one decimal place. However, two decimal places are decisive for their calculation. The individual grades are included in the overall grade with different weightings, only some of which are given for reasons of space.
Photos: Daniel Simon
