James Daley: The cycling column

My plans to buy a new expensive road bike were thrown off course last week when Specialized sent me one of its new special-edition Langster London bikes – and I fell in love with it. The Langster is Specialized's single-speed road bike – but unlike the old, rather boring-looking brown 2007 model, the London Langster is stylishly designed in the colours of the Union Jack, with London's skyline painted on the crossbar, and a map of the Underground painted on the down tube. It even has "God save the Queen" painted on to the chain stay, as well as very cool chrome-plated handlebars.

I asked to try out the Langster as I was keen to see what riding a single-speed bike would be like – and I have to confess that I was rather sceptical about the concept. Why would anyone want to sacrifice their gears? It seemed rather backwards – like insisting on lighting a fire by rubbing sticks together, rather than just using some matches.

But it didn't take long for me to change my mind.

The Langster is pure joy to ride. Although you don't have the luxury of a low gear for starting off, once you're going, the gear proves to be just about the right size. I had no problem making it up any of the London hills on my commute to work – but given that the cog is much bigger than one I would normally use for climbing, it forced me to work a little harder.

On the flat, or going downhill, I'd be putting in many more pedal turns per minute than I would have done on a bike with gears, but the fact that I had to work a little harder all round really appealed to me. One of the main attractions of cycling to work for me, is that I combine my commute with my workout. But when I'm feeling a bit tired, it's very easy to take it nice and easy on my mountain bike. Single-speed bikes don't really give you that option – certainly not if there are any hills on your journey.

The bike also has the option to have a fixed wheel, meaning the pedals never stop turning when the wheels are going round – which gives you more momentum. This is pretty lethal, as its quite easy to go flying out of the saddle if you stop suddenly, and I haven't felt brave enough to give it a go in London yet. But when I do, I'll let you know how I get on.

The other attraction of the Langster is its weight. With an aluminium frame, carbon forks and the absence of a derailleur and cassette – it's light as a feather. For £400, you won't find a lighter-weight road bike of this quality.

But what really won my heart over was the design: the Langster London is a genuine head-turner. When my friend rode it on the London Critical Mass ride at the end of July, she had dozens of people coming up to her and asking her about the bike. Plenty more had near crashes as they tried to get a proper look as they passed by.

For me, aesthetics are the one thing the bike industry is not that good at these days. Most bike companies simply settle for one or two colours all over, stopping short of investing in a real eye-catching design.

Specialized has also designed Chicago, New York, Boston and Seattle models of the Langster (alas, not available in the UK) – and all of them are a cut above the regular designs that you see on most road bikes. The London model, however, is by far the most impressive.

I've decided that I'm definitely going to buy the Langster London for myself – although I think I may need a frame size down from the one I'm riding. Alas, I think that means I'll have to put plans for a proper road bike on hold – as I really can't fit three bikes in my apartment (two will be a struggle).

I'm a total convert to the world of single-speed. I feel like I've joined some covert club. If you haven't tried it out, you must.

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