Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Buying a first bike

Hello, Im new here and to fixed gear and im going to buy my first bike.

My first choice is the Samurai from State bicycle http://www.statebicycle.com/product_p/samurai.htm

Anyone have any better suggestions?

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

The Kilo TT is a very popular choice.

http://www.irocycle.com/angusbuild-a-bikewstandardwheelset.aspx

However, the bike above is a much better deal in my opinion.

yeah you can do better than that state for that amount of cash.

i'll second the iro mark v that vixtor posted. nice budget bike.

That MIGHT be the worst "professional photo" of a bike I've ever seen. BF posts better pictures than that.

I wouldn't go with this bike based off of this paragraph from the site:


All of our bicycles come partially assembled and configured to FIXED GEAR. Although assembly is possible to do yourself, State Bicycle HIGHLY encourages having a professional assemble your bicycle. Slight imperfections in assembly can cause the chain to slip off, the handlebars to slide, or cause the brakes to malfunction. If you want to get the most out of your bicycle, have it assembled by a professional; it’s an easy investment to have your bike ride smoothly, last a long time, and OPERATE SAFELY! You wouldn’t try to unprofessionally assembly your own computer, transmission, or house, so don’t do it to your bicycle!

+1 to the iro build aswell! awesome bikes :thumb:

+1 for IRO make sure it fits.

Do not buy a State Bicycle Bike. Do not. Do not. Do not. The IRO is at least 3 times the bike for less money.

i'll second the iro mark v that vixtor posted. nice budget bike.

me too, but it's an Angus, and they are out of 56's if that is his size.

I wouldn't go with this bike based off of this paragraph from the site:


All of our bicycles come partially assembled and configured to FIXED GEAR. Although assembly is possible to do yourself, State Bicycle HIGHLY encourages having a professional assemble your bicycle. Slight imperfections in assembly can cause the chain to slip off, the handlebars to slide, or cause the brakes to malfunction. If you want to get the most out of your bicycle, have it assembled by a professional; it’s an easy investment to have your bike ride smoothly, last a long time, and OPERATE SAFELY! You wouldn’t try to unprofessionally assembly your own computer, transmission, or house, so don’t do it to your bicycle!

The same goes for any bike. I always recommend buying locally and having the shop build it up or at least bringing it to the LBS is you do buy online. Anyone can build a bike but its best to at least watch and learn from a pro the first time to make sure you don't screw it up.

also mate, it being your first bike, why not start with a second-hand one that wont cost as much as a brand new one...

that way you will get a better quality of bike (theoretically) for less money, so if you end up not liking riding fixed gear your outlay wont be as bad and you can always sell it on for roughly what you paid for it on the other side

or get a vintage frame and convert a bike yourself and that way you'll have an intimate knowledge of the working of your own bike, if anything goes wrong you'll know how to fix it and you can build it up the way you like

+1 for that. buy a beater second hand. realizing it's faults will help you fine tune your specific desires for your new bike. then you won't be on here, you'll know what you want.

Just get a Bikesdirect bike. There are a few sub-$300 options that will serve as a good starter bike. Ride it around for a bit to see what you do and do not like, and then upgrade.

If you have the money, go with the IRO. It's a great bike for a great price right now. Just be aware that you should factor pedals/brakes/shipping into all your costs.

If you have near $600 to spend and are really tall (can ride a 61), then take a look at the Wabi Classic.

But really, you probably shouldn't spend that much on your first bike.

to be honest i got one of those 200 dollar ebay completes for my first and i'm still riding the frame to this day.

I second (or third?) the motion to get an old frame to convert. I did it for less than $250 with mid-range products. Kept all the original stuff I could and now I still have a great beater bike. Plus the process taught me some fine tuning things (saddle height, adjusting bar angle, chain removal, overall maintenance, etc.).

I'm not sure where you live, OP, but peruse Craigslist. It'll be fun and rewarding to get an old bike, strip it, clean it, salvage some parts, throw on wheel and cranksets and hit the streets.

Just curious not thread jacking, does a angus have track geo?

yes it does haz track geos.

Crosslake have two frames with track geometries.

http://cgi.ebay.com/55cm-Track-Bike-Fixed-Gear-Chromoly-Frameset-W-Fork-NEW-/130479477369?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e612ed279

http://cgi.ebay.com/Track-Bike-Fixed-Gear-57cm-Road-Frame-Single-Speed-NEW-/400191204629?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2d412d15

+1 for IRO.

Angus is on sale now for $399 complete.