Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

ok ... so, i'm not trying to add to the debate so much as trying to help folks out who come here and search the forum for the new Motob./mercier/windsor/raliegh (which all seem to be about the same) for street - not track - use.

find a 70s/80 japanese bike with working components (headset, cranks ...) at a thrift store/yardsale/craigslist for $50 (give or take $20) and spend $200 on a good set of single speed wheels (from IRO or wherever) and get on the road with a perfectly functional cheap bike. (if you are really worried about pedal scrape, get a new set of 165 bmx cranks for about $30 - I ride fixed on a road conversion with 170s and have never had to worry about this.)

there are as many other ways to do this as there are bikes out there but i swear this is the easiest in most cases.

if you really like it, buy a fancy frame and move the parts over. if you still really like it, upgrade the parts as the need and cash arises. i'm just not sure if anything on this new crop of bikes is really worth the investment except maybe the ease of getting on the road immediately.