Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Opinion Anyone?

Anticipating an early and warm spring (hey, a guy can dream). Looking to add another horse to the stable (ATB, Roadie, SingleSpeed) and have a hankering to go completely fixed.

Wandered up to this neat little shop and the pro was giving me the grand tour of tracks and fixers. I'm stuck now. A nice 03 Fuji, entry level (~$400)

http://www.epinions.com/bicycles_2003_Fuji_Track/display_~full_specs#

Or do I go in big....GT Pulse with a full blown Dura setup. Bout 3x the Fuji.

Any opinions, good/bad on the Fuji? Realizing its entry level.

Well, I'd say it depends on your budget, and whether or not you actually plan on riding the bike. I see a lot of high end track bikes on eBay with descriptions like, "Ridden only 10 miles," "Used twice," etc. If you aren't sure whether you are into it why spend the money on a crazy bike? If you are sure that you want to ride fixed, and can afford the more expensive stuff, I don't think you will regret going for it. The Fuji is very adequate, but Dura Ace stuff is pretty darn nice, as is the GT frame. If you do go that route, the only thing to be aware of is that the Dura Ace cranks use a splined bottom bracket, so if for some reason you wanted to throw Sugino 75 cranks or something on later you wouldn't be able to. Also, the GT frame is aluminum. Some people prefer steel, that is up to you though.

-Jason

i was going to say somethign about the aluminum being a bit of a rougher ride on the street...

about dura ace: it is very nice. if it's older dura ace, or keirin dura ace, the BB will not be splined...but the odds of getting '02 or '03 keirin dura ace track components anywhere outside of japan are kinda slim.

Looks good. I like. Nice light bike... what frame size was that figure for?

I see the fork is drilled for a brake... definate plus. No eyelits=nice clean frame but not as versatile.

Is the gearing appropriate for the hills in your area, if not tack on price of a new cog unless you can get the shop to swap for free.

Also, 1/8" chain... if you can find them around your area, I guess it's no problem. I wouldn't be able to find them here, so I'm going 3/32" on my project bike... I know I can find a chain in any bike shop. Then again, I can't find a road bike let alone a track bike in a shop around here!

You mentioned wanting to have it to ride in spring, have you considered a winter buildup project with an old $20 or $30 frame? Advantages: you get to select your parts, [BROOKS SADDLE.. BROOKS SADDLE] it will wind up cheaper if you have good luck scrounging (shouldn't be hard if you allow a couple months of gathering), You can strip the frame down and paint it however you like without having some company's decals all over it [they probably clear coated over them so they might leave marks if removed... unless you like decals]... Disadvantages: More work, pain finding some parts (ebay is your friend), paint job depends on your patience skill and luck, spousal unit not always friendly toward a mess in the corner of the basement.

AL frames kick the platypuss' ass!

But really, find a junk bike and build it up. Cheap, fun, learning experience.. It's kind of addictive too.

I've got an '02 fuji track. its a good ride. Really light. I got it second hand a few months ago and it looked like it'd hardly be riden, but now the chainring is really out of round. Other than that, I like it. The saddle can be kind of an a**-hatchet for commuting on. The paint job on the new ones is much better than the puke/lime green and black thats on mine.
BTW, where are you getting a GT Pulse? Is it new? I've been looking for one for a while.

Tim