Originally Posted by patso
hi. i'm new to bikeforums.net, though i've been watching for a while, and very new to fixed gear bikes. i want to try it out and get a fixie but I have no clue where to start/what a good starting point is. i've been checking ebay and looking at some, but i hear they are pretty crappy bikes (at least the cheaper ones available on ebay.) i have some money to spend, but would like to keep it around/under the 250 dollar range. would it be best to try and build my own fixie and learn bike mechanics that way (which i have very little knowledge in as well) or to try and find a bike to buy?
i'm sure this question is asked a lot, i'm just not sure where to start. any pointers would be great.
Welcome! I built my first fixie, and it's a ton of fun. Now I'm preparing to build my fixie #2. For both, I'm using 80s road bikes as my starting points.
The ebay fixies tend to be overpriced, so ya the crappiest ones go for around $200. Not very many companies sell fixed gear bikes for street use in a ready-to-ride condition, so building your own is a good way to start.
The first thing that I recommend you do is find an old road bike with HORIZONTAL DROPOUTS (see
here for why that's so important). Obviously, the nicer the bike, the nicer the fixed gear you'll end up with, but you'll be replacing a lot of the drivetrain components anyway. My first fixie was built from a really crummy 1983 ten speed but is still a blast to ride. One component which is fairly expensive is the crank set: if you can find an old bike with a crankset and chainrings in good condition you will save yourself a good bit of money (make sure it's the kind of crankset with replaceable chainrings).
What I did was troll craigslist and swap meets and bike forums until I found a good bike to start from at a good price. Didn't take long at all. Also, check out
www.fixedgeargallery.com for some inspiration!