Comments on: Final Review: SE Lager

By: Ted

Ted — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 04:34:30 +0000

Hello! I actually just got an SE Draft Lite and love it and I’m glad you are loving your Lager. To touch on the quick release, one advantage you now have is greater loss prevention. I live in the great bike commuting city of DC where bike theft is HUGE and not just the bike, but the parts. It can get annoying taking the wheel on and off as well as the seat when you lock it up and with a wrench release system, you have a much greater chance of a thief stealing anything. I’m sure you have your reasons based on your location but just thought I’d give you a pro on the topic. Enjoy your Lager and ride responsibly da-da-tshhh

By: beck

beck — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:14:18 +0000

i came across an se draft for free so i brought it home and though i would make it a project bike. i stripped the frame and the first thing i wanted to look into replacing was the crank. im reading about needing a conversion kit and that they are hard to find. im not sure exactly what this kit includes (this is my first project bike). can anyone help me find what i need or point me in the right direction?

By: starwarspez

starwarspez — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:58:49 +0000

I’ve had mine for about a year now and I’m still a fan of the poop colorway. I’ve since upgraded to mks pedals, soma straps & cages, easton ea70 stem and risers with good ole ourys. Threw on my own san marco saddle as well as a soma everwear, specialized trisport, dura-ace 15t, and an el cheapo chain tug. Making this list, I see I’ve got more upgrades that I remember. It’s been a good project bike for sure, and more than satisfactory for my short commutes to school and werk.

This week, I’ve met my first problem with the bottom bracket. The thing roars pretty bad, and I’ve been met with the inconvenience of replacing either the bottom bracket or the entire crankset.

The geo is good, a study chromo frame. Stock seatpost is simple, no funny business there. Alex rims to formula hubs arent bottom of the line, the look average, and at 145, I haven’t been able to break em yet. The lager will take a beating, so I love it and recommend it. Make sure you don’t pay retail for it is all!

By: TM

TM — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:27:48 +0000

I’ve seen a few SE Draft Lites around Boston (Mass, not England)… it’s a hi-ten frame, so I wouldn’t expect it to be the most spectacular ride ever, but they look to be a decent bike for a low price. I might be wrong but I think the difference between the Lite and the normal Draft is largely components and wheels?

By: Ringer

Ringer — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:58:20 +0000

Ross,

My LBS has it, and it looks nice. (Actually, “they” look nice–I think there are two different versions.) I’ve been riding the Lager for a year and I love it. Haven’t been on the new Draft, but, if it’s anything like the Lager, I’m sure it’d be a nice ride–and a good deal.

I should say that my LBS is in New Hampshire, so this bike is not exclusive to England. (SE is related to Fuji, and I think they operate out of Philly.)

By: Ross

Ross — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:50:38 +0000

Does anyone have any opinions of the SE Draft Lite 2009 edition?

I’m aware this is an american website, and this may be a bike exclusively to England (?)

But I’d really like to get peoples thoughts and opinions on that bike, as I’m considering buying that.

Thanks for your help.

Ross

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:14:50 +0000

I was thinking about the lack of skewers and I was thinking that this is a commuter bike. And it is likely to be parked and locked in public. I think the bolt on wheels is to prevent theft. There is plenty of torque applied to skewers with lower gears. I have looked at other commuter bikes and many of them use bolt ons.

By: Southpole

Southpole — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:26:41 +0000

I bought the Lager in SFO on a trip to the US last week for $400. Not the lowest price as I can see now from some comments. Luckily it was still low enough so it was below the toll threshold or I would have been f*cked on reentry to Germany with a toll penalty roughly the same price as the bike.
The bike is very nice and fast, but some parts really look cheap. Some pimping is in order (i was actually told this already in the bike shop).
A big advantage of the Lager that has not been mentioned here is that all the logos are decals and peel of nicely for that silky-smooth look.
immediately threaded on a 17T track cog and tried
riding fix… great, but needs some practice.
my second (technical) mod will be trying a chopped short flat bar. then i’m the coolest dude riding in my city.

By: Ringer

Ringer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:42:55 +0000

I’ve been commuting on the Lager for a couple months now, and I love it. I added some lights and fenders, and, once the fall rains come (gets wet here in the seacoast region of NH), I’ll get some new tires (probably good Continentals). I don’t mind where the brakes are at all, and haven’t found the need to add a second set of levers. I’ve gotten lots of good comments from other riders (and non-riders), too. I’m sure there are better SS commuters out there, but this one’s solid for the value.

By: schimschone

schimschone — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:37:48 +0000

I like your review, but there are a few things I’d add:

I’ve been riding this bike for 6-months, as a commuter, with an average distance of 15-20 miles a day.

I’ve made quite a few changes, some as personal preference, and a few do to what I feel is necessity..

First the plastic clips on the pedals suck, and should be switched to something more ridged.. I went with Shamano clip-less myself with a Sidi shoe.

Second you should absolutely make sure you set the pursuit bars at a comfortable angle so your wrist sit straight with your hands, initially they are set almost parallel to the ground.. which looks better than it feels. Eventually I actually switched out for a narrower set of pursuit bars, and given the fact I have a pretty broad set of shoulders, the stock bars that come with the Lager are way too wide and forced my shoulders to support my weight at an angle greater than 90-degrees.. which is bad for any length of time. However for hill-climbing I absolutely recommend pursuit bars.

Third and most important, the rims suck ass. If you want to ride single speed the weave of the rear spokes are set with rear spoke running under front spoke.. which simply means that my heavy 230lbs frame was breaking a spoke every week-and-a-half. Additionally the Alex rims wouldn’t hold the Armadillo tires, and instead would cause them to peel off as they heated up.. catastrophic blow-outs suck, especially 4-times in a row at speed. So instead I use Continentals now, and they suit me fine. I had Cycle Analyst in Denver build me a custom wheel.. Mavics with a Surly hub and DT spokes.. and I highly recommend the switch.

And fourth.. get a new saddle.

As for QR.. I like the bolt-on hubs, wrenches are cheaper than wheels the last I checked, and the minute longer doesn’t much bother me.

But I’ve rambled quite enough..

Rubber side down gi’s and bo’s.