Originally Posted by
stilltooslow
Not sure on the Kona. The pictures don't reveal enough and it looks like its been used a good bit, so I'd certainly not pay the asking price. If you could buy from the US, that would open up a lot of possibilities, but it's hard to recommend anything when I don't know what's available in the Netherlands. Is the Birota more then you want to spend?
The €400 is the max I'd be willing to pay. But if you'd say paying the 400 for a better bike is really worth it, I'd probably do it.
I agree with you on the pictures. The US is unfortunately no option for me.
Some brands available over here I might consider:
Cheetah Bikes
Polo&Bike
VYDZ Only in Dutch
Nolobi
SE Bikes Lager
Qualla Bikes Varsity
Originally Posted by
europa
Have you tried the local bike shops. Even if you wind up buying a SS you like, it's not hard to fit a track wheel to the back end to enable you to run a fixed cog with a locking ring.
And here's another option for you. Check out your local velodrome. You may find a second hand track bike you like that can be set up for the road. Of course, you'd have to like track geometry (lots do) and you'd need to be able to fit at least a front brake, but it's all doable given the right bike to start with.
Finally, there's nothing wrong with converting an old road bike, provided it has horizontal dropouts at the back (so you can shift the wheel backwards and forwards to tension the chain). If you do a top notch conversion in one hit, it can be expensive, do it over time and it's quite an economical way of getting a good bike. Sheldon Brown talks about this at length
Fixed Gear Bicycles for the Road
I do live in one of the major cities in the Netherlands, but fixed gear aren't very popular in this part of the country yet. So bike shops hardly sell any, unfortunately.
The velodrome might be an option! Thanks for the tip & link.