Originally Posted by Slartibartfast
wheels ... there are ways to convert the wheels on a road bike into fixed gear wheels (search the forum for suicide hubs) but I say that if you have the funds, a good place to drop them is on at least a rear wheel. of course, this assumes that you were able to find a bike with all the qualities I recomended and none of the qualities I discouraged. A good frame with good wheels still won't run if the cranks are eff'ed.
I don't mean to be contrarian, because I'm sure patso would be happy with some brand new fixie wheels but...
I converted my rear wheel to fixed gear myself. I bought an IRO flip-flop hub for $45 and some DT swiss spokes for $20. I followed Sheldon Brown's excellent guide to wheel building and built myself a very sturdy rear wheel in about 2 hours (I'd never built a wheel before). That way I was able to keep the current rims AND the current tires on the bike (27"). I saved money, and I learned a whole lot about wheel building in the process.
Plus, if the bike that patso ends up with has 27" wheels, he may not want to switch to a new 700C wheelset, as this will slightly reduce the bottom bracket height. He'll either have to use cranks that are too short, or worry extra about pedal strike.