Out of the Box: SE Lager

This post will be the first in a series of posts that will serve to give my review of this commuter offering from SE Bikes. In this post I will provide you with the overall specs of the bike and my thoughts on the bike straight out of the box.

SE Bikes is known primarily for their BMX offerings, however I was pleasantly surprise to find that they also have three models available for street use and a 29 inch mountain bike (currently being reviewed at our sister site, twentynineinches.com).

The three street models (with prices) they offer are:

• Draft – $275
• Lager – $520
• Premium Brew – $1050

For this review I opted for the midrange priced Lager.

SE’s BMX background gives them considerable experience in making strong, tough bikes and that is obviously what they went for in the Lager. The frame and fork is made of Chromoly steel which is known for it’s strength and durability. It also gives a much more comfortable ride than a comparable aluminum frame.

The bars on the bike are of the bullhorn variety and this will be my first time riding this type. The wheels on the bike are made up of Alex R500 double-walled rims and 14 gauge spokes. As with most of these commuter bikes, the rear wheel comes with the flip-flop option of riding single speed or fixed. However, the bike does not come stock with a cog on the fixed gear side of the hub.

Out of the box, the bike looks nice with it’s darker brown paint and silver highlights. And the weight of 21.5 pounds isn’t the lightest you’ll find, but isn’t over the top considering the steel frame/fork.

The things I find lacking on the Lager are the “options” often looked for in a commuter bike. It will accept fenders, but does not come stock with them. There are no braze-ons to make a front or rear rack an option. And the tires are your basic Kenda 700 X 28c, but have no reflective attributes or claim any puncture resistance. With more and more commuter bikes hitting the market, I’d like to see SE step it up with more commuter specific options on the Lager.

I made a couple customizations to this box for my riding. First, I pulled off the toe-clips that come stock. I’m not a fan of clips so I’m just riding with the flats. Secondly, I added a set of Reelight lights, so if the black strips you see on the spokes and the front and rear lights do not come with the bike, I added them myself.

Below are the full specs for the SE Lager and stay tuned for my First Impressions post.