Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What should I get?

I want a road bike, but, I dont have a lot of money to spend and I want something new. I got to thinking on what i should get and I thought about a SS or a fixed gear. I went to one of my LBS's and looked at the specialized langster and I thought it was a good price at $640ish. What do you guys think I should do?

irofixedgear.com! love mine.

the langster's a good bike, but you can also get a road bike for about the same. they have a whole section on the road subforum dedicated to sub-$800 bikes, i believe. (just saying that if you want one, you don't have to rule it out.) that having one gear is great.

what type of riding do you want to do?

edit: here (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=268941)'s the thread. it's sub-$750 road bikes.

Why do you want a road bike? For racing or training, or transportation (or other)? Once you have determined whether you need gears or not, then decide which bike to get.

We can't really help much without a given price range. For near that amount of money you could get something off BikesDirect with gears.
Then there is always the used route. If you are patient a very nice old steel road bike could come your way.

I.e. we need more info.

I want a road bike, but, I dont have a lot of money to spend and I want something new. I got to thinking on what i should get and I thought about a SS or a fixed gear. I went to one of my LBS's and looked at the specialized langster and I thought it was a good price at $640ish. What do you guys think I should do?

A langster wouldnt be MY pick for a ss/fg whip, I dont much like the sloping top tube and they ride a little loose and sloppy for my taste. For about the same cost you could look into something from IRO, the Mark V is really nice, and the angus is nice if you prefer a more classic frame though its a bit more, around 650 I think. Another option is a Bianchi pista, I think those are about 600 and are a very popular choice. any of the bikes direct bikes are in your price range and would leave you some serious change to upgrade parts with, the kilo tt being the crowd favorite at about 350. Schwinn madisons are out in 08 at about 550 and look like solid rides...I'm sure I've forgotten something, but those are some suggestions and my opinion regarding the langster.

All the Langster owners I have spoken with cannot wait til they can sell theirs.

steamroller complete, or an iro. Really cant beat the two. You could buy a kilo tt but imo nothing on the bike is worth money except the frame, all the components look like ****.

All the Langster owners I have spoken with cannot wait til they can sell theirs.

word. i say iro.

these type of threads are so easy to solve. simply browse bikes on the pictures thread and keep track of the ones you like. then research those for reviews and info to figure out which ones are a good buy and which arent (sparton). finally research their prices. there u go. we cant tell u what bikes you like. personally i like IRO and Lemonds.

hi

i test rode the langster and was not too impressed. i test rode the charge plug, genesis flyer, bianchi pista, le mond fillamore and in the end went for the genesis as it was the best value and also did my frame size - 52.

hi

i test rode the langster and was not too impressed. i test rode the charge plug, genesis flyer, bianchi pista, le mond fillamore and in the end went for the genesis as it was the best value and also did my frame size - 52.

Langsters are the cadillac deville of fixed gear bikes, but without the comfort. I got better response out of an old road conversion than I've ever experienced on a langster.

I want to get a road bike to cross train for XC mtb racing. I was also looking at the giant bowery too...what do you think of that one?

Langsters are the cadillac deville of fixed gear bikes, but without the comfort. I got better response out of an old road conversion than I've ever experienced on a langster.

I'd say the Langster is more the Toyota Camery of the fixed gear world.

To the OP, just get an IRO.

so, what is a good fixed gear bike for 800 or less?

Angus (http://www.irofixedgear.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1)

Mark V (http://www.irofixedgear.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=7)

which one would you say is better?

bianchi pista

Angus is made of 631 steel. That's nicer.

Mark V takes a 1 1/8" (modern) headset. (arguably nicer)

Mark V Pro (http://www.irofixedgear.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=101) combines both features, but all they have left are 62cm (X large.) It's a limited run.

Personally I like the look of the old style 1" stems so I'd go with an Angus.

For full disclosure, I'm expecting the Pro tomorrow via UPS. :D So I guess this advice is based on my own pre-purchase research, and not experience with these bikes.

bianchi pista

hahaha

is this a good bike?...the IRO LC fixed gear?

specs:
• IRO Silver Handlebar
• IRO Stem
• FSA Orbit DL Headset
• IRO Silver Seatpost
• IRO Saddle
• FSA Vero Crankset with a 46 tooth ring
• KMC 610 Chain
• IRO 18 tooth Cog and Lockring
• Wheels: Formula black sealed bearing flip flop fixed/free Hubs, silver Spokes, and black machined WeinMann lp18 Rims
• Duro Hypersonic 700X23C Tires

Yeah, and guessing by the weight, It's nicer than plain old cro-mo steel as well. Likely the Reynolds 631, since aluminum would have thicker tubes.

Bed time, cya.

bianchi pista

jokes! I get those!

i'd say iro.. i have an iro mark v pro.. its awesome and it's pretty much all stock

i think ill add a coda onto this thread if thats okay:
i doing my first conversion right now, and i got an only okay frame, so i was thinking of snagging another old bike down the road and just switching the components over. what are some good old skool frames to keep an eye out for when bargain hunting?

I know alot of people on here don't like them much (due to the sloping top tube and such), but I just got a Giant Bowery. It"s a very solid frame with ok entry-level components, but at around $400 bucks it seems like a good first fixie with the freewheel option. I know they are listed for more on some site, but if you look around I'm sure you can find a good deal. I'm not the biggest fan of the looks of the sloping top tube either but I rode 6 or 7 different bikes and the Giant rides great.

I bought a Bowery too - right price for the kind of bike I wanted. Now I'm just waiting for the bike to come in - so no review yet.

IRO I just got a Jamie Roy it's sweet and it has road geometry.

I'll third the Bowery as well. As no name said, it does have a sloping downtube, but I have a short inseam, and it fits me. It is a solod bike at a solid price that gives you the oprion of running fixed gear or sigle speed without adding anything. I bought this as kind of a knock around bike. I have a road bike, but I wanted something simple and fun. I'm very happy with it so far.

For edbikebabe, I rode mine twice (short rides) before we got dumped on with snow last weekend. It rides nicely. I'm looking forward to adding some bullhorns this summer.