Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Road vs. Track Frame?

Hi,

I'm new to the fixie world and I want to get me my first, but I'm not really sure what to get. I've been doing some research online and have come across a lot of different bikes, some more road oriented and some more track oriented. Because I'm pretty new at this I'm not sure why someone would want a road bike over a track bike and vice versa. I guess a good example would be what would be the pros and cons of getting a Bianchi Pista over a Wabi Classic/Special and vice versa. Hope you all can help me figure this out.

Thanks

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Yeah, I was looking at the Kilo too and it looks like a good deal but I've read that the components that come with are crappy so I wasn't sure if it would be less expensive to buy a complete bike or build up something like the Kilo. My budget will is probably going to around $800 max so I'm trying to figure out where I would get the most value.

Are you going to ride it primarily on the road or on the track?

There's your answer man. Twitchy, aggressive geometries are great but some can find them uncomfortable for long road rides.

Are you going to ride it primarily on the road or on the track?

There's your answer man. Twitchy, aggressive geometries are great but some can find them uncomfortable for long road rides.

+1

If you're just riding 10 miles and hanging out at bars, go with the track geo and forget about it - the chicks dig the super aggro riding-style, amirite?
If you're going to be doing 50+ milers to build up base miles and can see yourself putting out hundreds of miles in just spinning each week, might I suggest the road geo.?

Also, if you build it from scratch, even the cheapest frame is going to cost you that $800 in getting quality parts pretty easily; building a bike is like buying a used boat. Even if you have spare parts, you're going to be soaking the problem from your checking account long before you're "done."

Edit: Yes, people can and will show you how, through a series of catching deals, ebay or accepting the cheapest part to fill the gap you can build a bike for less than what the homeless make panhandling near the highway - you have to decide if you're really going to do that - or if its just going to sound good until you get started.

I ride a bolt for 70+ miles in a day, and it feels great.

I don't know how much more aggressive the geo is over the kilo TT, never reviewed it. I don't mean to just throw kilo TT out there as the first option, but from what I can feel in riding it, it is a great bike and overall great value.

http://forallmyfriends.com/2011/09/21/bolt-vs-histogram/

http://www.cyclesmercier.com/geometry_tt.html

http://www.urbanvelo.org/issue3/urbanvelo3_p44-45.html

The differences between what gets marketed as a "track bike" but is actually a fixed road bike and a road bike are pretty small.

Generally 74st/75ht is preferred for fixed street riding because you can't sling the bike into turns like a freewheeled bike, you have a lot more steering input through the pedals that makes a fixed gear with less aggressive geometry feel sluggish.

At the geometries we're talking about fitment, personal fitness and tire choice will have a much larger effect on comfort.

^ This is the reason why I went with the bolt.

What counted the most in the end, for me, is the length of my stem, wheel build, saddle, bar angle, etc.

You can build a bolt or any of these frames to be a jarring experience, or much more compliant. You don't have many of these options when buying a complete - they are built value-minded to cater to masses. If you're not serious and don't have any strange fitment issues, the kilo TT can be built for your needs.

Above all else, you will want to make sure your frame and build fits your body.