kuni

I need a bike I can ride to the gym, the store, etc. I don't like to take my Calfee out for regular life stuff because I can't lock it up. Or, rather, I won't.

So, I need a beater, but I want something cool. I tried out a fixed gear and it scared the crap out of me. I don't really need a fixie, but like the simplicity of it for just cruising around town.

I imagine I'd like to run a single speed setup with brakes. (Is that uberlame?)

Any ideas on what bikes to look at for around $600?

Are the Pistas any good?

Thanks!

Eric

dueL_

so you're looking for a "new" beater?

gehrkead

ha YES! not dying is so lame.

i like the pista, but most people don't. but then again i have one.

Metricoclock

hahaha your concept of "beater" is vastly different than a lot of people in here.

But what might work well for you would be a Redline 925
has a flip flop hub standard in the rear, full brakes, nice bike at decent price.

kuni

Beater is a relative term, I guess. But I just want something cool and fun that I won't be sweating over if I left it locked up for a few hours. As for a new beater...I don't want to build something....but if that's the way to go...

Sixty Fiver

In my world a $600.00 bike is not a beater.

This is my new beater that's too pretty to be a beater.



After doing some swapping and salvaging some parts my build cost was $0.00 but I'd still be pissed if it got stolen since it's such a nice riding beater.

BTW - A singlespeed needs brakes... two of them.

Fixies need at least one.

roadfix

Get a $49 cruiser at Walmart.

crushkilldstroy

Going from a Calfee to a 50 dollar crapmobile sounds kind of silly to me.

To the OP, just troll around on craigslist for something used. You might end up dropping 250-300 bucks for something decent, but it's still better than spending 600 for something new.

bonechilling

+1 to the Craigslist suggestion, or else buy Motobecane Messenger for $350.

Alzonder

Trolling is the key

Chrysiptera

+1.. a crappy bike is better than a good bike for a few reasons if you ride it regularly..

1) you don't care when it gets scratched up
2) it is cheaper to buy
3) crooks are less likely to steal stuff off of it

There is another thing that seems to escape people about bikes; they are actually transportation. Lets say you are several miles from home and you come out to find someone took your front wheel. Well, that sucks because you have to buy a new wheel, but it sucks just as much if not more that you have to walk your busted ass bike home.

supercub

Bianchi San Jose
Kona Paddywagon
IRO Rob Roy

Landgolier

As long as speed isn't necessary and you don't have to carry it up stairs I heartily endorse this. Heavy cruisers rule, especially with baskets.

To actually answer your question, an old road bike with a redished back wheel will do you fine for SS. New, I'd buy one of the off the peg offerings with fenders and rack mounts. The 925 is great, so is the Raleigh One Way.

DDYTDY

The Pista is not drilled for a rear brake.

viscountroller

if you want a beater, go get a cool old roadbike. Aluminum wheels are a plus. Replace old brake levers, brake pads, tires, and the like. You can get a bmx cog and use the old back wheel to make your single speed.

Gurgus

Please don't call my good bike a beater. Please. I'll take a photo of my beater one of these days for you guys. Now thats a beater. old school Bottechia road bike with cottered cranks, beat paint and a suicide hub. It don't get more beat than that bike. Thing is, it might look beat, but it runs like a ***** ape.

Hoshnasi

Check this out

supercub

I've been saving up my money and fostering goodwill with my wife for the last few months, all for the purpose of buying a Paddywagon. So I certainly don't consider it a "beater", but the guy asked for recommendations for a singlespeed bike in the $600 range and the Paddywagon fits that description.

crushkilldstroy

Neat. They updated the crappy 1pc crankset so it looks ever so slightly less like a crappy 1pc crankset.

awormiscoming

yep, that's the way to go.

Gurgus

Cool. Yeah, I too know the joys of saving money and fostering goodwill with the wife. I'm currently doing the same with a motorcycle being the objective this time around. She's said she won't stop me, but all motobike expenses must come from this savings account. That includes: bike, gloves, helmet, jacket, boots and rider's instrution course. Maybe by this time next year I'll have enought cake saved to pull it off.

The Paddywagon is a good bike for the money. It's my first of the peg fixed gear and I likes it alot. You'll enjoy it, methinks.

For a beater fixed, youre better of building up a cheapo road bike from the eighties or seventies. Throw some of that money on decent components like wheels, crank and all that jazz. You'll come out way ahead and won't have to worry about locking it up, like I do with the Paddy.

kuni

Maybe I'll get a ss 29er! Then I'd have a totally different kind of bike and I could take it off some sweet jumps!

Damnit, as sexxxxay as road bikes are, I only have so much room and the mtn bike route might make more sense for me. Also, it might be easier to carry groceries on a mtn bike.

Hmm......

Oh, and the $600 figure...just a max budget. The cheaper, the better.

E

evictionsurplus

I bought one of these SEs last weekend. Probably less than 150 miles and the BB is already trashed. False economy for certain. Also, it weighs about 30lbs. What the hell was I thinking?

mihlbach

Thats not uberlame at all. However, if you want a fixie, theres no need to be scared of one. Yeah, they are scary at first, but after about a week it starts to feel normal and not any more scary than a freewheel bike.
Anyway, if you want to go with a MTB, you can't get a better deal than a Redline monocog.
If you want a street fixie, go with a Mercier Kilo TT, Motobecane Messenger, or Windsor the hour. If you want the wheels to last, I would spend a couple of extra dollars at the LBS to make sure that the spokes are tensioned properly.