Viktor

This is the exact case when less is more: awesome city bike without any unnecessary extra for urban riders! Mike, the owner of the shop, provided the best service! I felt like a royalty! When I need a new bike, I'll come here again. And Viktor will always be my first choice.

My first experience with Schindelhauer bikes was several years ago when I saw them in a shop in Munich. I was really impressed with the bikes and the shop layout; I wanted to buy one right then and there but it was not convenient to ship. I was very pleased to find out that there is now an outlet for Schindelhauer bikes in the US: the Superior Bike Shop. Viktor, the ride… Simple and to the point: this bike is fun! If for nothing else you should always buy a product that puts a smile on your face! The Viktor does that handily. The feel: I have had the bike for several weeks now and have had a good opportunity to evaluate how it rides. The Victor is lightweight, stiff, and agile. It has a very short geometry and rides very much like a track bike [albeit with cushy, 28c wheels]. When I compare it to my other rides, it has by far the shortest wheelbase, by about 50mm. Unlike a track bike, it has a higher bottom bracket so that you can corner and pedal with less risk of scuffing your pedals. There is a fair amount of crank/ wheel overlap [at least with my smaller frame] and if you are not used to that, be prepared to have the toes of your shoes sanded off a little. The frame is rigid: if you ride on really rough roads you will suffer more vibration but I typically ride about 30-50 miles per day on a combination of city streets and bike paths. For longer rides I will usually pick a more relaxed frame, but honestly the Viktor is blast to be on; worth a few rattles. Sizing. One of the stressful decisions when purchasing a bike via email or phone is the sizing; it’s critical to get a frame that fits well. Michael was extremely helpful in making my choice. He can walk you through the options as they concern the various frame sizes. In my case, I am 5’6" and purchased the XS frame - I would not recommend going any bigger for a person of similar height. For my body, the XS is just a hair on the large size - I barely clear the top tube. This has perhaps more to do with the elevated bottom bracket - normally I ride a 50cm frame but the entire bike is raised since the bottom bracket has more clearance. One suggestion for the Superior Bike Shop website would be to post sizing charts: in lieu of that, you can find charts on the Schindelhauer website [Germany]. Shipping and the out of the box experience: Nothing is worse than ordering a new bike and then finding out that it is out of stock or delayed somewhere. Michael was able to tell me what frames were available and when they could ship. I had my new Viktor 4 days later and live on the opposite side of the country! The bikes are shipped via freight, and in my case, it was less hassle to just to go to the distribution center and pick it up - there would have been another day of waiting if it was sent out. Out of the box, the Viktor was more or less set up and fully assembled. The bikes ship with the wheels on and in an overly large box. Not much was required in the way of setup: the handle bars needed to be turned and locked down, pedals installed and the seat height adjusted. I was very impressed with the seat tube machining: it was silky smooth; none of the usual scratches that you find on cheaper bikes [nothing worse than a brand new post with ugly gouges in it]. If you are using the bike for commuting, you may want to consider swapping out the bolts on the front wheel for a standard quick release - this will allow you to lock your front wheel to the frame - the minimal defense against bike thieves. Better yet, if you can take your bike inside it’s best to do that - these are just too nice to leave out. Schindelhauers cost a lot. So what. You only live once and one of the best things you will ever buy will be bicycle. In my opinion, there is nothing like the experience of moving around on wheels under your own power. There is nothing like riding a bike to help focus the mind and put things in perspective. So, go buy one, you’ll be glad you did ….