The Foffa Premium is the UK brand’s high-level fixed-gear and singlespeed offering, sitting above their basic £319 range of singlespeed bikes, though sharing the same chromoly frame with an upgraded finish and build kit for those looking for something extra special.
Coming in at a competitive £499, the retro-styled singlespeed or fixed-gear bike (flip-flop hub as standard) is finished in beautiful chrome with looks to turn heads.
The Premium has an attractive choice of components and finishes, making it a real head turner
The standout features on the frame itself are the neat internal rear brake cable routing and built-in chain tensioners, making flipping the wheel and maintaining good chain tension a doddle.
The Premium’s cockpit is a little confused straight out of the box. The bars, inspired by those usually found on a track bike, lack any kind of upper-hand position. That’s despite this being where the brake levers are — which is fine for a brakeless track bike, but for singlespeed town use it would have been much nicer to have seen a road drop bar with road-style levers.
The saddle is basic and a touch uncomfortable. It’s a faux-leather affair, matching the faux-leather bar tape, but looks aside it really offers little and would be a first upgrade in our opinion because it lets down the overall ride of the bike. Our bike came with a short stem, giving nippy steering, but not much confidence at speed.
Back to the highlights… The CNC’d cranks are a really beautiful touch and a finish rarely found at this price point. They really look the business and well and truly inspire this bike’s Premium moniker. The wheels are unbranded, but feature silky smooth cartridge-bearing hubs laced to a chunky polished v-shaped rim — a real high point and a nicer wheelset than you’d expect on a bike of this price.
The threaded headset uses a loose-ball system, but with regular maintenance this will last for years, while the bottom bracket is a cartridge system so should run smoothly mile after mile with little to no servicing. The beefy 28c tyres offer a level of comfort not seen on the saddle, and give the bike a real retro pavé racer feel, though it can feel a touch sluggish.
The Premium has an attractive choice of components and finishes, making it a real head turner, while the wheelset and cranks boost the Premium pedigree, though the bar and saddle choice really let it down. It’s not the fastest of bikes in this category, but for £499 you’d be hard pushed to find a bike both as sturdy and good looking as this.