Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - New to Fixed, looking for info on parts and upgrades.

Hello Ladies and Gents, I just finally purchased my new Fixie a few days ago. I love it! I live in downtown Chicago and have been riding a Cannondale F800, Lefty Shock with Street Slicks for the past few years. I have a few friends that own track bikes and I have always been intrigued by them. I sold my bike for a good price ($800) and used that cash to buy my new bike.

After alot of research I decided to go with the Cannondale Capo with a few adjustments/customizations in mind. I dug the Frame, Fork, and Matte Finish. From stock I went to a flip flop (using the fixed side), carbon saddle, removed rear brake and both stock levers (left front brake with center mounted lever). Im not sure if I really like the drop bars and definitely need to upgrade the pedals asap!

And now to my questions,

1. What bars do you recommend? I'd prob be sitting tall most often. mustache? bullhorn?

2. What pedals do you recommend? I own shoes but not sure if they are the best idea for me yet.

3. Where's a good place to buy online?

Anyone from Chicago got any recommendations on good shops?

Thanks in advance for your input. When I get it near finished I'll post some pics.
Charlie Five

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Bars: bars are like saddles. they are very personal, each person will say they like something different.

Pedals: if you are going clips and straps, a something like the mks gr-9 is supposed to be pretty comfortable.

Buying: Go to a local bike shop in Chicago. There are a lot of member of this forum from Chicago, they can probably help you with exact shops. Its nice to be able to hold and look at exactly what you are buying, plus you support a locally owned business.

Also, there is a resource thread stickied on the homepage. That should be a good place to start.

i'd say for sitting tall, try risers. i got some today. hellllooooooo comfort.

For Chicago info, try chifg.com (http://www.chifg.com).

Bars - I can see the preference part, I'm not a huge fan of the drops (which I have right now) I might try risers but im interested in the moustache or bullhorn type. Anyone have any input on these styles? If you own, got a spot you recommend buying at?

Pedals - I checked out the mks gr9's. Really good priced. I'd like to get a set of black pedals for a decent price though.

bullhorns are fun, moustache is very comfortable. buy both, and a set of risers, and then you'll have 4 different sets of bars that you can swap out depending on your mood.

Found that Yojimbo's looks like a good shop in chicago. Ill check it out today.

Thanks for the Chicago Fixed Gear Link!