Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - The fixie for me. hmmmmmm

ok. it has come time for me to embark on my first fixie purchase. here is my situation.

i currently live in norman, oklahoma. center of the universe. lol i only use my allez now to go to class and my 3 mile ride to work.
- in about 2 years ill be moving to new york city. there this bike will be my only transportation.

so what would you go with. i cant have something to nice because even now a college campus=theft heaven and i imaigine NYC is even worse.

my lbs recommended the pista and said it would be $618 out the door which is alot to spend on a bike right now but ive got it if its worth it. but would it be better to get a more retro/vintage fixy off ebay for a few hundred and customize. ...

just curious what you guys would do . thanks alot

goodness... i got a new pista for under 500 out the door here in portland.

tis a good bike... though i bet you can get a used one that'd be a bit less, er, flashy. chrome ain't subtle.

I concur, I got mine for under 500 out the door here in NJ.

For Stealth use (aka Locking it up in NYC) I just cover up the frame in old 20" bmx tubes with a bit of electrical tape here and there.

It is definately a great bike, it has held up to alot of abuse, skidding, skipping, bunny hopping, massive pot holes, curb jumping, taxi's and allycats.

as posted above, you can do much better on the price. i realize you're not in a metropolitan area, but they pop up used on craigslist here from time to time in the $375 range.

personally, i'm a fan of the crufty, beat-up track frame built up with some ok parts.

i love it when i see a totally thrashed track frame with a chris king headset.

i agree with brunning. build yourself up a 'beater' bike with a dowdy frame (or dowdify it yourself) so that to the untrained eye it seems unworthwhile to steal, but! treat yourself to nice parts where YOU can feel the difference while riding but is not immediately evident to the common bike thiever.

seonded...er thirded.

in simpletown,oklahoma where does one find any kind of track frame like mentioned above. that sounds like what i really want. ebay i guess???

get an inexpensive ride and do nice things to it


...and you can always get yourself a fancy ride once you're accustomed to "the way things are here" and once your living/working situations here become clearer.


Yeah, ebay may be the way to go for you. You never know, someone on this site may even have what you need. Keep checking that thread up top.

the Fuji Track is another good starter.

I've had fun messin' with mine.

E/Roscoe

NYC and new bike for transportation sounds like a bad idea to me.. it will get stolen..

There has been a few people that picked up a wally wart bike to ride to work in NYC.. $100 bike plus $100 lock. Obviously this would not be near as fun to ride, but won't get stolen so it is a plus. For decently priced track bikes.. check out specialized.. bianchie.. fuji they all make track bikes in the $500-600 range.. Other choice is to browse your local thrift shops pick up a older frame for $20-40.. and either redish the rear wheel, but preferable buy a fixed gear wheel.. rip off the extra rings in front and you'll be set for very little money great way to test the waters to see if you like it or not..

ditto on the inexpensive option to start. Consider converting an old road frame. After looking forever for a used track frame my size that didn't get sniped out of control on ebay, I ended up with a nifty ciocc road frame for $150.

I've heard good reviews about the IRO (and now I want one for myself). The good thing is their components seem to be a great value, plus the bike comes in solid black, which is easier to make stealth than the chrome of the Pista or the flashy red of the Fuji.

why don't you wait until you get to new york and then head over to recycle a bicycle. they can hook you up with a starter fixed gear for around two hundred bones. and yes, a new bike (and sadly almost any bike) will get stolen here in nyc bike theft capital of the united states.

I got my Pista out the door with a front brake, bullhorns, handlebar tape and armadillos for $634.
I thought I got a good deal.
But then I live in a small resort town that has both a Mercedes Benz dealer and a Porsche dealer. :)

IRO is the only way to go in this price range. for the love of god, treat yourself to an IRO.

I'd say hold off till you get here to NYC. If your building at work or whatever doesn't allow bikes to be brought indoors, then you'll need a beater or at least a very uglified bike. It doesn't matter what lock you have, if they really want it they'll take it, just depends on how long it takes. If you decide to get a nice fixie then i'd still look on ebay or craigslist and get a really cheap one that you can afford to lose.

ditto on the inexpensive option to start. Consider converting an old road frame. After looking forever for a used track frame my size that didn't get sniped out of control on ebay, I ended up with a nifty ciocc road frame for $150.

why can't you convert your existing ride to fixie?

Do you have the tool and ablity to build the bike yourself? If so, you can build a bike exactly how you want an not be limited to an off the shelf bike.

I would recommend looking at sheldonbrown.com to get started and www.fixedgeargallery.com for ideas.

Here is the bike I built my 1st time....

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/h/babin.htm

Yeah, Check out the Pista (got one and love it), KHS Flite 100 and Fuji Track (had one and loved it).

I think the Fuji and KHS are a little pricey compared to the Pista (and the Pista is definitely the best looking).

You can also check out the Specialized Langster, but price-wise the Pista is the best deal.

Nice Schwinn! How much did you spend altogether to build that?



Do you have the tool and ablity to build the bike yourself? If so, you can build a bike exactly how you want an not be limited to an off the shelf bike.

I would recommend looking at sheldonbrown.com to get started and www.fixedgeargallery.com for ideas.

Here is the bike I built my 1st time....

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/h/babin.htm

Thanks. 300.ish but I had alot of the parts in my extra stuff bin...

Make a conversion. Thrift store bike for what 10-20 dollars? Strip it down and throw on a track wheel and nicer parts. Got family where you are right now? Ask them for any old tenspeeds that they may have.

Yeah, it's fun to convert them, just be careful...once you start you can't stop.

I'm up to six conversions , and will look for another frame soon.

yeah fogrider had the right idea...why buy a new frame to fix up when you could jsut convert your allez... an eno hub on a descent wheel is way nice, but not necesarily super flashy, and youll only be out the cost of the wheel... if you know you already like the bike youre riding, then yu know youll like the bike and wont have to worry aobut getting used to the new one...

Do you have the tool and ablity to build the bike yourself? If so, you can build a bike exactly how you want an not be limited to an off the shelf bike.

I would recommend looking at sheldonbrown.com to get started and www.fixedgeargallery.com for ideas.

Here is the bike I built my 1st time....

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/h/babin.htm


time to sheldon brown reference in the fixie area -- 18 posts. a new record!

sorry. i suppose i should clear up a few things. right now my current need for a stealthy bike is because it will be used to get me to class at the university of oklahoma. believe it or not bike theft is actually huge here even in broad day light. i have some money saved up so i can afford up to 500.00 give or take but i cant work much and money is always tight.

i dont think i can convert my bike i have now. i have a 2004 specialized allez. i dont think its possible but correct me if im wrong. i ride it to class and luckily people around here dont exactly know what to look for in the way of bikes to steal. covered it in stickers. i do get worried about the arione every now and then.

about converting a cheap old road frame im all for that but isnt the only way with and eccentrick hub. wouldnt the 150.00 price of thatkind of defeat the purpose. oh and if i have to i can wait two years and get a bike in NYC but to be honest ...

im just anxious to get on a fixie

Well,there's the windsor on ebay, kinda flashy for $370 shipped to your door:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98084&item=7135977696&rd=1

comes without brake/lever so you might want to add that if you are a fixie newbie.

you only need an eccentric hub if the bike has vertical dropouts, if it has horizontal drops you'll be fine.
have you read this yet? http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html
if you haven't, give it a shufty, it'll be worth your time.

If you get an older steel frame, the dropouts should be more or less horizontal. So you can adjust your chain line. Then all you need is a track hubbed rear wheel. If the bike has a frewheel hub you can also go super cheap hardcore and install a cog on the hub with a BB lockring((Some will vote against it, but to start off for almost no $$ it can get you going and if you stick it on there right and run a front brake your worries should be minimised)) These bikes show up at thrift stores and police auctions all the time. you might even find one at a campus auction, if they do that, for bikes left abandoned on campus racks. The old stuff you are looking for is usually not even to stripped.

if youve got a bike co-op or something then you should be able to build a fixed for around 100$ i got a old steel frame with bars crank bb and fron wheel at my coop for 7$. then i got a cheap nashbar hub for 30$ and built it up for 20$ more. i had to find a seat but got a good deal on one on ebay. i defininately reccomend that route instead of 618 for a pista