alright so I browsed a little more on bikesdirect, seems maybe (as you guys have said) that a Mercier Kilo or a Motobecane Messenger might be up my alley...any reason to go for one or the other for someone who probably doesn't know enough to tell the difference yet? Also at around $375-$400 for the complete ready to roll bike, would I be looking at spending more than that if I were to start with a "complete but needs some work" older frame and convert it over? I like the flip flop rear that these seem to have as I plan to run SS but wouldn't mind playing around with the fixed setup every now and then for kicks.

Any other bikes besides those two I might want to check out as well in addition to older frames I would want to restore and start with?