If you want to check out some new ss/fixies, I'd recommend Smart Bike Parts at Armitage/Humboldt. Not a huge selection, but they have a few and I'm pretty sure I've seen some of the lower-priced stock ss'ers (Redline 925, which I'm pretty sure is in your budget, maybe some others) built up on the racks there. If you are thinking of West Town Bikes, Blackstone, or the Recyclery as your local co-op, I'm pretty sure they all sell rebuilt bikes too. Might want to talk to them and see if they have anything built up and ready to go. Craigslist is always an option, there seem to be quite a few sellers these days who are converting 70s/80s road bikes into fixies and single-speeds. Some of them look really nice, but I'm not sure of the build quality.


So, go ride a bunch of bikes, and when you find one that is the right price that you like, buy it.