Longbikes Slipstream review

By Warren Jones
May 20, 2008

I received my Slipstream from Longbikes in May of 2008. Greg and Therese worked with me to get the bike done quickly so that I could ride it on a 4-day, 330 mile fund raising ride. I built up the bike myself the first night after receiving it and was running errands around town the next day. When I received the bike I had a little less than a week to tweak the seat & handlebar positioning, and get used to the under-seat steering before the ride (I had been riding a Tour Easy previously). For me the Slipstream’s stock seat is actually more comfortable than the Rans seat that I had on my Tour Easy. I especially like the mesh-bottom that keeps my bottom from getting hot. I could go on and on about how fun it is to ride this bike. I can’t wait to use it for self-supported bike touring but I find it to be a blast for zipping around town as well.

On the four-day fundraising ride people would constantly ask me:

Q: Does it climb well?

A: I got to the top of every climb at mid-pack or better (It’s not about the bike).

Q: Is it fast?

A: I finished everyday in the top 5-10 riders (It’s not about the bike).

Q: Is it comfortable?

A: Yes (It is about the bike!).

The Slipstream is much easier to ride than I expected, even at slow speeds, and climbing stability is not an issue. It tracks incredibly through any turn and descending hills at any speed is a blast — the bike feels like it is on rails.

My favorite comment from the ride came from another rider who said That bike is so Mad Max! I love it! To me it’s more like Purple Rain than Mad Max.

Anyway, buy one … even if you can’t test ride it first. You will like it!

— Warren Jones

(Click any of the images to see a full-size version.)