So....

it goes like this. The my fixie schwinn I've talked so much about is at another crossroads. It is running fine but I've liked the ride so much I want to go flip flop and mount some brakes. I talked to a buddy who can help me build a wheel up from scratch and with rim, spokes, hub, and cogs it will cost close to $140. Looking on Ebay they have low-end fixed/single speed bikes that sell for 300 with shipping included. I'm talking about the Dawes, Motobecane kinds of bikes....but really are they any worse than my Schwinn? Financially it would seem sounder to get a whole new ride, sell the Schwinn on Craigslist, and the difference would only be about 20 bucks more than building up a wheel. Makes sense, right? Well the problem is that the new fixie would rock 700s in place of the 27s I roll on my Schwinn right now. Anyone think 700s will make it through a Denver winter with ease? I haven't rolled the 27s in winter either but they really just feel much more stable.

I really love riding fixed and the only reason to go flip flop is the rides over 20 miles. Should someone be talking me out of the Ebay purchase or does it seem like a good idea even with winter looming in the background?

I don't know. Do you?

I roll on a Mercier Fixie that I bought as a winter bike for VT
but ended up liking it so much that I dont want to beat it up
as a winter bike. For 347.00 it cant be beaten ! That being said,
I have to ride the 700x23's very gingerly......My geared bikes
are 27x1.2's which I find to be a perfect tire for around here.
Not to much rolling resistance and can take a farm road beating.
As much as I like the fixie, realisticly I think 27's are the way to go.

That is what I am thinking too...I'll wait for more replies though. The other issue is that I bought some brakes to go with the flip flop on the Schwinn Traveler III and now I'm worried that the fenders won't be mountable if I add these brakes.

Build a wheel. Enjoy the experience. Keep your ride. The wheel you will build will likely be of much higher quality than what comes on the ebay track bikes. Plus, if they are true track bikes, they will have *much* less comfy geometry.

I have three F.G., and commute on them nearly exclusively in the summer. I have built the wheels on all of them, one is a 27". Even building the wheels yourself (assuming you want a mid-level build), you COULD spend $100 per wheel for hub, spokes, and rim (figure $30 minimum for hub and rim each, then $1 per spoke, this is best case, and you will pay more for more better stuff). Like you, I spent the money as I liked the rest of the bikes. IMHO, the wheels are one of the most important parts of a F.G., so a lttle extra spent on better components is worth it.

Building wheels is not hard, but will take some time the first time you try it. If they get too out of whack during the build, then you can dissassemble it and start over. Besides some basic tools, you will also need a decent truing stand which can probably borrow.

You need to make a tough call, but there are more and more options on the 'new' market. The Redline 9-2-5 I crave, and this is what I would buy if I were to buy a new, non-track, F.g. (n+1 issue). Giant also makes a cool chrome F.G. whihc just went on sale here for $499.