Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Best Custom Single Speed?

what is a good place (online, store, etc) to get a single speed custom?

i have a 350 budget. im a student and work part time. i have 1 road, 1 folding, 1 hybird/commuting converted into single speed, but i want a really clean looking single speed.

anyone?

i have seen mixed reviews on here about bikesdirect.com

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/clockwork.htm

i was looking at this...

sell the hybrid and folding... and expand your budget for a fixie (more fun than a ss, i switched over from riding ss for 8months to fixie for the last 2months and its wayy more fun!)
i use to ride a folding bike when i lived in tokyo, it blew balls, the convenience of folding it up so i could take it on the train wasnt even worth it, since i would rather ride everywhere than take the train.

I don't know exactly what you mean by "custom". For 350 you arent going to get anything custom.

At any rate, for your budget its going to be had to beat Bikesdirect. The upside of mail order bikes are that you get more bike for the money. The downside the lack of LBS service. However, judging by the number of bikes you own, you probably have a good understanding of what size to get and how to do a basic tune up.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/trackbikes.htm


I suggest keeping the other bikes as long as you have room to store them. I have seven bikes....variety is nice.

A custom FG/SS will cost you WAY more than your $350 budget. That would be the frame alone for most custom builds.

What specifically are you looking for? Trails, urban, chillin'? Theoretically, a beach cruiser falls under the term "Single Speed" so tell us your intentions and we'll go from there.

the folding is nice for trips and quick rides when i have to drive.

i will sell the hybrid/commuting.

i found one site (a link from here) that had custom single speeds for under 500.

i will use it in a relatively flat area.

what do they mean by "custom?" most "custom" bikes imply building a frame from scratch, that has a custom geometry for the buyer. there is no way you are going to get that for under $500.

however they might be using "custom" loosely to imply that you can order a build with your choice of wheels, bars, cranks, etc?

I have two Motobecanes from BD (Messenger and Outcast 29er). BD gets a lot of slack on the forums, but I have had no quality issues with the frames and I replaced some of the parts for personal reasons (pedals, etc.).

The Messenger (mine is fixed) is a great bike for speed, and I use that when I'm going hard and outdoing personal best times on certain loops. It's steel, so it rides like a dream and has great acceleration. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being super comfy) I'd rate it a 7. But that also has to do with personal fitting. This is geared 48/16 and I have a 18T cog flip-flopped on the other side of the rear wheel.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs001.snc1/4143_1100745171962_1626676832_231493_5957898_n.jpg

The Outcast 29er has MTB geometry built for 29'er rims (basically wide 700c wheels). I was using this for single track riding, but I wasn't doing a whole lot of that type of riding, so I slapped on some wide 700c urban tires and called it a day. I love this bike - it's very comfortable (especially with the 700c X 35 tires) and you can ride it for hours and still have plenty left in the gas tank. I have this geared at a very comfy 42/16. Blue tarck chain for poser points.

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs108.snc1/4622_1107661424864_1626676832_250035_7278688_n.jpg

Custom for $350 bucks? That might get you through the fit session and water bottle.

i found one site (a link from here) that had custom single speeds for under 500.


Perhaps you are referring to IRO, which lets you semi-customize your bike by offering a few different component options.

http://www.irocycle.com/

But thats still going to be above your budget.

Just go the BD route. For $350 bucks you are basically begging to get a Kilo TT.

http://www.sannercycles.com/Track 20and 20Fixed.htm (http://www.sannercycles.com/Track%20and%20Fixed.htm)

With all the ss/fg frame options on the market, the only reason to go custom is because you have odd body proportions. Or you have money burning a hole in your pocket, which it sounds like you don't.

I don't think it's unreasonable to want a custom frame if you enjoy the artistry and craft of frame building though. I wouldn't consider that to be a situation of having too much money on your hands.

Obviously though this doesn't apply to the OP.

You might be thinking of Republic Bike... they let you choose stuff like colors and parts, they're $394... I was about to purchase one, and found this site, where people felt that BikesDirect was a MUCH better option (Motobecane, Windsor etc). I went with a Motobecane Fantom Uno personally and LOVE it, it's a CycloCross setup with a flip-flop rear hub. I also can't say enough good about my experience with BD.

i guess not really custom. more of custom paint.

the bike i saw on BD pretty is what i want as far as color scheme.

i dont think i ever want a bike with flat bars, so the drops a plus too.

hmm...guess i'll be getting the BD bike next week.

Custom paint? Just get the bike you want on BD and then have it powdercoated.