Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Online "custom" build fixies

So I already own a fixie and I love my Gold kilo TT but my friend who is trying to get into riding is insisting he needs to customize his bike right away. He's looking into a fixie brand called Big Shot. I was wondering if they were any sort of decent? From my perspective I'm a little iffy considering that you can customize it exactly how you want deep V's and all under 400 dollars. Customizing a bike that cheap just red flags me for cheap parts and heavy bikes.
Does any one know about this brand?

If you read through the threads here that bike is not advised and for the money why doesnt he just get the Kilo TT frame from Bike Island and build it up himself? http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1084

Eighthinch has a sale on the V3 and you can build it http://www.cyclingcloseouts.com/Products/EighthInch-Scrambler-V2-Complete-Bike__Scrambler_Complete.aspx

Eighthinch has a sale on the V3 and you can build it http://www.cyclingcloseouts.com/Products/EighthInch-Scrambler-V2-Complete-Bike__Scrambler_Complete.aspx
And these bikes are worth the price right?

The V3 is a solid bike, from what I've heard. Eighthinch knows what they are doing and don't sell ****ty knockoffs like Bigshot, at least.

And these bikes are worth the price right?

Yes. A kid who works for me just got one and it's a decent bike.

try Red2 Fixed Gear, the frame is Cr-Mo, built by Yeah ( Dahon factory ), the parts are nicer.

God I hope the OP is a troll...

I think the Kilo TT might be the best for the buck. Those Truvativ Cranksets are amazing.

I think the Kilo TT might be the best for the buck. Those Truvativ Cranksets are amazing.
Yeah they are but the gear inches run a little high for beginners though, 81's a bit rough!

I think the Kilo TT might be the best for the buck. Those Truvativ Cranksets are amazing.

A lot of people talk smack on the Truvativ Touro and I can't really understand why. I liked them enough to keep them when I sold my Kilo and use them on two other bikes.

As far as the big shots I was skeptical as well. I went out on a limb and got one for my GF, she rides road but never a single and wanted something to ride to get food and drinks. I considered it a better option then a cruiser. I was actually surprised with the bike when it came in. Its a steel (chinees) frame but was strong and put together well. Bike took about 30min to put together. I rode it around and it seems like a stiff frame set as well. I would say it was a good buy for the price and a ton of options to go along with it.

It's a bad buy for the price because you can get a Kilo TT for less. Spend $130 on some DP18s from Velomine, sell the stock set for $80, and you have a sw8 fixxay with much better components for only a couple of Starbucks runs more than a Big Shot tarckbiek w/ sw8 color schemz.

Truvativ Touros are pretty decent cranks. I liked them. Sugino 75s just look cooler, especially when they are free... which is really the only reason I switched them out.

And people should start realizing that the stock gearing on a lot of bikes is stupid and too high for even a lot of experienced riders (e.g. 81gi). Just buy a 19t Scrodcog for <$20 and run sub-70gi.

#KiloTTfanboy over and out.

Keep in mind that there is a difference between "Custom" and "Customized" in the bike world.

Custom means that the frame was made to your specifications by the framebuilder.

Customized means that you chose the components.

I could be wrong, but that's how I interpret the differences.

Yeah they are but the gear inches run a little high for beginners though, 81's a bit rough!

Buying a bike based on the stock gearing is a bad decision... unless your budget is so tight that you can't afford $15 to make it ride the way you want. Same deal with handlebars.

IMO adjusting gearing is the same as raising/lowering a seatpost, changing bar angle, etc...

It's a bad buy for the price because you can get a Kilo TT for less. Spend $130 on some DP18s from Velomine, sell the stock set for $80, and you have a sw8 fixxay with much better components for only a couple of Starbucks runs more than a Big Shot tarckbiek w/ sw8 color schemz.

Truvativ Touros are pretty decent cranks. I liked them. Sugino 75s just look cooler, especially when they are free... which is really the only reason I switched them out.

And people should start realizing that the stock gearing on a lot of bikes is stupid and too high for even a lot of experienced riders (e.g. 81gi). Just buy a 19t Scrodcog for <$20 and run sub-70gi.

#KiloTTfanboy over and out.

Seriously. Most BD bikes come with like 80gi, which is insane. I remember first riding my bike and thinking "this ratio is awfully hard to pedal." Seems better to error on a lower side to me...

Seriously. Most BD bikes come with like 80gi, which is insane. I remember first riding my bike and thinking "this ratio is awfully hard to pedal." Seems better to error on a lower side to me...

To be fair, doesn't BD market them as 'track' bikes, where 80 would be on the lower end?

To be fair, doesn't BD market them as 'track' bikes, where 80 would be on the lower end?

True, I dont know much about track racing however, so I'll take your word on it.

I don't think any thought went into the gearing or any other design aspect of the Kilo TT. BD simply replicated the KHS Flite 100 and
re-badged it. This is the basis of most of their bikes. Anyone with one iota of knowlege would know that 48 x 16 (80 gi) is too high a gear for street use, and other brands that actually think these things out supply their bikes with sensible gearing, such as 46 x 17 on the All-City Big Block etc. I've never seen a Kilo TT at the track, and from what I understand they are pretty flexy, which is a bad thing in racing. Personally, if I want a bike with tight geo for street use, then I also want stiffness and light weight, which basically means either an aluminum or cf frame. All of my steel street track bikes have slack geo and very low gearing in the low 60s gi range.

Keep in mind that there is a difference between "Custom" and "Customized" in the bike world.

Custom means that the frame was made to your specifications by the framebuilder.

Customized means that you chose the components.

I could be wrong, but that's how I interpret the differences.

lol.. when it comes to "Big Shot" bikes.. the only thing you are "customizing" are the colors. you also have options for handlebar type, and can add deep vs if you want. it's about as custom as a car you would order from a dealership with the options you wanted

tell your friend to order whatever bike they like, and then they can customize it themselves instead of ordering something off the shelf with their specified color choices..

Yes big shot allows customizability in colors and thats it but hey thats their nitch. obviously people want those options.

the reality is with all of these cheaper frame sets, there made in china made with the same chromium alloy, so based on that there really is note a big difference in the frames(even a chance that there made at the same plant). There all based on track geometry but all are bikes I would never put on the track ever, but on that not your would never see a track specific bike such as a $1200 frame dollan or $4000 custom Zinn on the street there not made to take the abuse. These cheaper frame sets are commuter bikes, they serve a purpose as a customizable base for a fad that has sparked in the U.S.

Each one of the companies, mercier, big shots, republic, and what ever other companies are out there are just trying to capitalize on this growth in the fixie world. and who can blame them really, it will probably be gone in 2 years anyway. Yes you can buy a frame and probably build up a fixie for less that some of these companies offer but not everyone has the time to go to 10 shops and sit on ebay to find what the want. So a one stop shop is a good place to be able to go and build a bike that you can be proud of and ride! isn't that the point?

Get what you want and can be proud of ride and have fun!!
now that that rant is over. I'm not even going to touch the gearing aspect of this thread, again another trend might be the reason pushing a gear is harder than it should.

I actually do like the 81 gi's on the stock. I live in a particularly flat place but sometimes riding against the wind with 81 is ridiculous

81 GI brakeless is pretty rough, and you're obviously not cool if you have a brake.

Disclaimer: jk guise, run a brake for teh safes (even though I'm currently don't...)

If being able to choose a bunch of different colors is his idea of "customization" then let him learn the hard way.