Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - looking for a starting fixie/singlespeed

im going off to college in the fall and i wanted a bike that was going to fun to ride and fast and i wanted to try out a fixie. preferably with a flip flop hub so i can switch sometimes. does anyone know of any good reliable starting bikes <$400?

i was looking at this bike:http://sgvbicycles.com/Retrospec-Fixies-Track-Bicycles/RETROSPEC_LANG_LANG_FIXIE_TRACK_BIKE_C10.HTML

it would be great if i could some replies about if this bike is good for starting out.
thank you!

this bike sucks

get a kilo

http://sgvbicycles.com/Retrospec-Fixies-Track-Bicycles/RETROSPEC_LANG_LANG_FIXIE_TRACK_BIKE_C10.HTML

Are those rims seriously as Non-machined as the look?!

That website has such bad English and the parts are mostly unknown, spec'ed from who knows where.

A better bet is to hit the bike shops for used bikes or spend the summer going to garage sales and getting a bike. $400 would buy a very nice used bike that will still be rolling long after that Retrospect has fallen apart and rusted away.

thanks guys. guess it was good that asked before buying that then!
are the bikes from bikes direct decent?
i was thinking like the windsor hour or a motobecane track?

The LANG LANG model... Gee I wonder where it was born.....:roflmao2:

thanks guys. guess it was good that asked before buying that then!
are the bikes from bikes direct decent?
i was thinking like the windsor hour or a motobecane track?

I own the Windsor Hour, and it's a wonderful bike.

I would get the Kilo TT, or if you can find a deal like i did, I got a 2009 Schwinn Madison brand new in box for $369 shipped two weeks ago on ebay. The 2009's are higher spec'd then the newer ones and have more name brand stuff on it (FSA crank, cane creek headset, formula hubs, san marco seat, etc) I know its still an entry level bike, but I get a little more peace of mind when its all name brand rather than generic...even if its the same quality, it just feels like its safer lol.

EDIT: Looks like he listed a new one just like mine, for the same price. http://cgi.ebay.com/2009-Schwinn-Madison-single-speed-fixed-gr-sz-large-/140539906866?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item20b8d4cb32#ht_500wt_1151

Its an amazing bike for the money.

You probably won't even flip the flop once you figure out which side you prefer.

Seconding the old/new Madison idea. I just got a 2010 for $300, and love it (similarly spec'ed to the ’09's hubs/crank/seat). The ’09 seems a bit better out of the box, imo, given the drop bars and more subtle coloring, but that's all a matter of personal taste. All I know is it's a great ride, entry-level or no, and made urban commuting fun again after being on a hardtail mtb for way too long.

Honestly, i read this forum every day, and although i rarely post, enough is enough. There are LITERALLY 14 BILLION threads on this exact topic. Why is there a new "what n00b-ass bike should i buy" every day. GODDAMMIT. sorry for the rant.

The website in the first post is hilarious. All rainbow navigation and background animation. Even if they had a good deal I wouldn't trust it, but I have an odd sort of love for ugly websites.