Alright, you got me. I strongly prefer riding a fixed gear. Riding anything with a freewheel feels weird to me now. I live in Florida where it's completely flat. I only need one speed, and the fixed gear is both fun and feels nicer for my body. I don't have explanation beyond that.

I just want a nicer bike, and $400 is not in the reality of my budget. I'm looking for something that is a considerable upgrade from my Thruster (which I got for $40 on Craigslist, and knew what I was getting into - it was just my first fixed gear, so I didn't want to spend). I know there is "better for the money" than a new Big Shot. No doubt. But since this isn't new, I'm trying to get some info on the quality of specific parts, when the price is not part of the equation.

$150 for a complete and ride-able bicycle is a reasonable price, pretty much unless it's a Wal-Mart POS. I'm just trying to gauge where the quality of these components really stand. When I got the thruster, I took it all apart and rebuilt it with a little more skill (and a lot more love). The front hub had 10 bearings on one side, 9 bearings on the other. Needless to say, I'm not trying to go sideways here and get something else that's almost this deplorable.