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Out of the Box: SE Lager
November 8th, 2007 by Tim Grahl 
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.
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Frame
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100% Cr-Mo, Euro Bottom Bracket, Water Bottle Mount | |
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Fork
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Triple Butted 100% Cr-Mo w/ Fender Mounts | |
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Headset
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Ritchey 1-1/8″ Threadless | |
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Handlebars
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Alloy Bullhorn | |
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Stem
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SE 3D Forged Alloy, 7 Degree Sweep | |
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Grips
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Velo Cushion Wrap Foam | |
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Brake Lever
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Tektro RX4.1, Alloy, F&R | |
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Brake(s)
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Tektro 510A Dual Pivot Caliper F&R | |
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Seat
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SE Super Light w/ Custom Cover | |
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Seat Post
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SE Micro Adjust Alloy 27.2 | |
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Seat Clamp
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SE Alloy | |
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Crankset
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FSA Vero3-pc Alloy, 170mm, Euro Sealed Bearing, 46T Alloy | |
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Chain
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KMC Z410 Silver | |
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Pedal
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Wellgo Alloy w/ Cage & Toe Clips | |
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Rim
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Alex R500, 32H, Double Wall w/ CNC Sidewalls, w/ Stainless 14Ga. Spokes | |
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Front Hub
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Formula High Flange Alloy, 32H, Sealed Bearing, Nutted | |
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Rear Hub
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Formula High Flange Alloy, 32H, Sealed Bearing Nutted, 16T Freewheel/Fixed Flip Flop | |
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Tires
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Kenda K176, 700 X 28c | |
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Extras
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Front & Rear Fender Mounts | |
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Colors
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Brown | |
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Weight
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21.5 lbs. |
November 8th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Last year’s Lager was a cream color that looked very sweet. One of my buddies in the area rides one. It’s a nice looking bike and indeed is a good ride.
Say hi to Allen and his SE Lager:
November 8th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
My LBS is an SE dealer, I have gotten to ride a lot of their bikes (Stout, Lager, OM and others), the Lager is the most comfortable road bike I have ever ridden. and the bullhorns especially.
Oh and, my LBS sells about 3 fixies a yr(previous yrs), they sold 7 ‘07 Lagers.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
When I saw the spoke magnets I got excited and thought the Reelights were part of the bike. Not that I need another one, but I like the look and included Reelights might have been the tipping point. I have them on my commuter (’74 Schwinn 3 speed) and love them.
November 8th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I like what I see but a link would be helpful.
November 8th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Marrok: SE Bikes Lager web page.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Thats awesome that you are reviewing the SE bikes. I have seen them before but have been skeptical. The Se Draft comes in at under $200 at most stores. A new bike at that price seems to be a bad decision, so I am excited to se a review of the Lager.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:41 am
The Draft is cool if you want to pedal a 27 lb fixie.
November 9th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Yeah Quinn, but at $200 I think the fear is a bike breaking over the weight. If SE built a solid commuter bike for $200 then I think it’s worth the 27 lbs.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Bear in mind that the Lager is a faaaaaaar better bike than the Draft.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Steve-
Draft- Hi-ten
Lager- Chromo
Chromo Please!!
November 13th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I’ll take ummmm, Cromo with room for cream and one of those cranberry thingies. Thanks, doll! Draft- single-wall rims Lager- double-wall. The list goes on. The Draft is a beater, no question. Hats off, though, for bringing it at under 200 duckets. Apples and Oranges…
November 26th, 2007 at 11:35 am
I just purchased the 2007 Lager from Performance on Saturday. So far I love the feel of the bike, especially for the price. $335 after clearance price and the 20% holiday sale. This leaves room for some minor upgrades.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I also purchased the 2007 lager from Performance on clearance.. i got mine for $280 after all of the discounts!
the bike is a really nice ride, although I have changed almost every component on the bike minus the headset and BB… still, $280 for this nice frame/fork was a bargan in my mind.
My girlfriend got the Draft for $180! - and has only changed the bars on it (added bullhorns). she loves it, and i have ridden it, it is a very nice ride. It is significantly heavier than my lager, but she rides it with the freewheel (i ride fixed) and its a great little commuter/beater bike, especially at that price.. also, its a good looking bike..
December 14th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I own a 06 lager (cream color). Its been a great bike since I bought it about 6 months ago. I upgraded/changed things around though. Changed the crank set to a white industries ENO. Got rid of the freewheel and screwed on a 17 tooth surly cog. ditched the rear brake and lever. Been through many sets of tires, but the kendas that came with it sucked. Right now I have a soma everwear on the back and a vredestein on the front. The somas are GREAT for skidding because hey are so thick (5mm).
The only thing about this bike that doesn’t make any sense at all is the seat post size. 26.0. Try finding a decent new 26.0 seat post besides a 100 dollar thompson.
If you want a quality frame, the lager is where its at. If you expect to be satisfied with the components that come with it… then buy a different bike, or better yet build your own.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I bought the ‘07 Lager in tan from a guy on CL who only had it a month and got a vintage fixie he liked better. Good for me because I don’t have the time to hunt down parts to build up a bike that I would like nearly as much as I do the Lager. I’m sure I will change a few things down the road when I get some spare cash, but for now this bike is way better than I could have hoped for the $300 I spent.
I’m currently running with a fixed cog 42/16 and it works quite well for Austin, TX. I have yet to remove the freewheel and the rear brake because I feel like as soon as I do I’ll want to ride it as a SS for a while, but I doubt that will ever happen.
I guess my only complaint with the bike is that the crankset is kinda funky, so that will be the first thing I replace. I was skeptical about the bullhorns at first, but now I have to say they are the best bars ever.
I highly recommend this bike if you want a good solid ride without getting drained of your cash. I did a good bit of homework… I rode the Redline 9-2-5, Swobo Sanchez, SE Draft, Specialized Langster, Raleigh Rush Hour, Bianchi Pista, & the Masi Speciale Fixed all before I rode the SE Lager and when it came down to it the Lager was the best bike for the price in my opinion. I had two more on my list to test ride: Surly Steamroller and the KHS 100, but after finding this deal I couldn’t imagine that I would want to spend an extra $200 for either of those. It goes without saying that I don’t know how they ride comparably, though.
Hope that helps anyone who might be shopping around.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I had purchased the Draft in the fall, and converted it to fixie, I was pleased at first, but the bottom bracket is American (the think kind) not European and now the one piece crank is wiggling around, not a good buy, I though cool $240, thats an easy convert too. Now I regret it as I purchase a new frame with European bottom brackets so I can replace the crank with a good track crank and chain wheel. Just be aware of it if you plan on upgrading.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I bought the Draft last year. One of the best most solid bikes i’d ever ridden.(mostly i always rode mountain bikes). Anyway, it fit me great and rode nice. My only complaints were some noise from the freewheel and that the brakes didn’t seem to work that great(could have been the tuning). Anyway, I recently broke a spoke on the back wheel and decided to change to a coaster brake set up and drop the hand brakes altogether. The ride is quieter, and the look of the bike is way more streamlined and even simpler to ride and maintain(best set up I’ve ever had)
My crank set up has been fine. One small problem with noise initially which the shop worked on and it appears to be solved now.
In the Lager review they stated no braze ons for rear rack, but on my Draft there were two small holes to screw a rear rack onto right by the dropouts. I fit a rack on it with minimal work. only complaint would be that they should set up the bike with a chainguard….if you ride to work, or ride out to lunch while at work, it would make things easier and cleaner. i would like to test ride the Lager to see the difference in ride. Looks like component set up is better.
Worth $250 I spent. I would just recommend really riding the one you are about to buy and look for any small defects in the ride or set up.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I purchased by first single speed over the weekend and I got the 2008 SE Lager, 48″, dark brown. The bike is retailing at Valencia Cyclery in San Francisco for $520 (Valencia and 22nd). From last I checked, there were still a few 2007 SE Drafts (blue/gray) and Lagers (matte black/cream), but they’re going fast.
If you’re looking a single speed in a SE model, the Lager is the way to go. It is BEAUTIFUL, efficient, simple, and FAST. Also, if you enjoy the comfort of bullhorn handlebars, you’ll love riding this bike.
Ask for Galen or Babs and tell them Conrad sent you. They’re great help!
Hours:
Monday - Saturday 10-6
Sunday 11-5
April - September until 7pm Thursdays
Sales Showroom: 415-550-6600
1077 Valencia
Repair Shop: 415-550-6601
1065 Valencia
(Both stores between 21st & 22nd Streets)
March 18th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I bought an 07 draft based on a test ride last year, the bike just fit me so perfect i had to have it (i have always been riding bmx and mountain bikes before this).
I rode the bike all summer in 07 and had a blast on it, i thought it would be nice to upgrade it (or downgrade depending on how you look at it) to a fixie for this coming summer. I got my hands on a new set of deep-v’s at a decent price and i havent been able to stop since.
My biggest problem was upgrading the crank. The bottom bracket is old school bmx size, so i had to get my hands on a conversion kit which proved to be quite difficult as most people had no idea they even existed. But thanks to eric at bicycle habitat i was able to get a 3 piece crank on there.
Another issue i encountered was when i attempted to upgrade the seat post to a lighter one with bottom bolts, its current post is 25.6mm which is not a common size and is limiting my options.
Next upgrade: carbon fiber fork maybe? An aluminum head stock?
Although this bike is nowhere near perfect it is becoming quite the project bike for me and its loads of fun.
This is what it looks like so far:
http://www.chickensandrobots.com/draftmod.jpg
March 18th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Ed your bike looks amazing, I think I’m going to get the black lager tomorrow. How much did the wheel set cost you?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:02 am
[...] bike. If you haven’t already, check out my first two posts I did as part of this review (Part one and part two). Also be sure to read the comments on those posts as several readers left their [...]
July 8th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
How is that bottom bracket conversion kit working out for you?
Kevin/
August 25th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
ah black SE Lager I miss you. Awesome fun.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:35 am
What year is the black lager?
September 1st, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I think 07 Lagers were available in black and cream. 08s are brown.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I just bought the Lager and so far I am very pleased.
September 14th, 2008 at 12:20 am
[...] ride the SE Lager single speed. I also found two reviews for this bike written by Tim Grahl. 1st and 2nd [...]