Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Advice for a new fixie?

Hi, i just joined the forum today and i need some help about a new fixed gear bike. I'm probably not going to get one until Christmas (the earliest), but i want to have a good opinion about my wants and needs.

i don't exactly want a SUPER colorful fixie, but i do want one that's not a normal color (black/blue/silver).


i've been looking on roadbikeoutlet and saw the vilano zulu fixed gear
http://www.roadbikeoutlet.com/single-speed-fixed-gear-fixie-bicyles/vilano-zulu-freestyle-fixed-gear-bike.html

it has an option for green (which i'd love), but i read in the archives of this forum that it's all a hunk of junk, but will it last for a noob like me? i think i'd ride it daily for a total of 30 minutes, not including the time i'd practice with it (trackstands, backwards, you know, the works). i'm learning on my brother in law's fixie for now, but i want my own sometime soon.

i also read that i SHOULD get a fixie here:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/trackbikes.htm?gclid=CMGEgsmWjpYCFRoSFQodFHYNFg

they seem to have much more positive reviews from people of this forum and have more legit reviews online. but, the only color that i would love is orange in one or two of the choices

my budget is around $300. i don't think i'm able to handle a DIY fixie project anytime soon, so buying a crappy frame + repainting it would be out of the question, especially since i go to college in a week (ucdavis).

so should i just go with the crappy (but eye catching) neon green vilano bike?
or should i get a much more durable bike from bikesdirect?
oh, and how much would a fixed gear cost from a bike shop in SF?


all opinions are appreciated :)

For $300, you probably want the Daws SST or the Windsor Clockwork because both of the bike have the sealed Formula hubs with a decent set of rims. You could always stretch your budget by $60 more and get the Kilo TT, probably the most common/popular bike from BD. Don't get the Vilano.

Are you really deciding on what bike to get based off color..

yeah. i'm a teenager =/. can you blame me?

any opinions on this site for custom FGS?

http://www.bigshotbikes.com/

Get the kilo TT.

Red bikes are the fastest.

Something like this?

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/ugly.jpg

those wheels are like livestrong bracelets of speed on that super sonic paint job

Rasta!

Rasta!

Yo mon!

Red bikes may be fast, but I had a blue bike that did great bar spins. So you need to weigh those factors.

Do you want black tires? Or something better?

Go with BikesDirect. Vilano is utter crap unless you are going to use it as a beater of a beater of a beater. Go with what Vixtor said, those two bikes are within your range and pretty decent for their price.

If you buy the Vilano or the Big Shot, you're going to hate your bike.

Just get a BD bike and buy a can of spray paint and a can of clear coat, if color is that big of a deal for you.

I recommend stretching your budget for the Mercier Kilo TT.

Something like this?

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/ugly.jpg

oh heavens no, that is WAY too colorful :lol:

okay guys, i get it, the color shouldn't matter too much :p
but no red/blue for me! i think i'd go with your suggestions about the windsor clockwork or the mercier kilo TT (either in orange, of course :))

and when i thought about it, i do want to keep this bike for a good number of years (maybe even a decade), so you're probably right about the vilano/bigshots.


REAR FLIP/FLOP HUB comes with freewheel side and on the other side you can add a fixed gear cog. (from the details on the windsor clockwork)
so i'd have to buy a fixed gear cog? how much is that?

and the mercier kilo TT doesn't come with any brakes (i'd want a front brake...just in case :p), so how much would that cost also?

so i'd have to buy a fixed gear cog? how much is that?

You'll also need a lockring. A good cog such as a Soma can be had for about $20 and a good lockring such as a Dura Ace for about $10. Anything cheaper, and you risk stripping and ruining the threads on your hub.

Another possibility for you to consider is the Windsor Hour, which costs only $280 and is already set up as a fixed gear. The downside is that the hubs are lower quality, although they are the same as used on the standard Kilo TT.

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