I'll keep this brief as possible!

I'm looking to purchase a bike this evening and I'll be using it several times a week for 30-60 minute rides on road and paved trails around my area. Just looking for a fun way for cardio and getting outdoors this summer with the wife. So here are the two options I'm looking at!

1) Pake Rum Runner Fixed Gear w/Velocity Deep-V wheels. $100
OR
2) Pure Cycle Pure Fix Original Bicycle Fixed Gear & Freewheel w/ThickSlick tires. $150

Both claimed to be taken care of and not ridden much. Only $50 difference, what's the better choice?

I might not choose a fixed gear for riding pedestrian or multi-use paths, just because you'll have the potential for quite a few stops and starts. I guess that the thick slick + freewheel might offer a bit more versatility.

You say nothing about your bike riding experience. You also say nothing about whether or not you can assess whether either of these options fits you right. So...it's a little hard to recommend.

I ride fixed with my wife sometimes. Frankly, it's okay if I let her lead on the flats or descending, because I can scrub off speed as necessary to match her. For climbing, it gets brutal lagging safely behind because she climbs at a pace that doesn't suit where I'd like to be (cadence wise) with my fixed gearing. It's a bit of a struggle, but I keep my mouth shut and give her a hearty "great job" at the crest of each longish hill.

Are you sure that you don't want a fitness hybrid type bike? With gears?

TL,DR: Buy the one that fits you best. All else equal, take the one that offers you a flip flop hub and wider tires.

Between the two, the Pake Rum Runner has the nicer frameset.

Pake is built with CroMo tubing supplied by Tange. The Pure Cycle Original is made with Hi-Ten steel tubing. Test ride both if you can and see which one is more comfortable for you. For example my own go to bike is a Hi-Ten bike that I build up myself by converting a old 10 speed bike into a fixed gear single speed that rides really comfortably for me.

The Pake Rum Runner frame only (no fork) is currently $220 off of Soma's website. Whereas the entire bike built up from Pure Cycle's own website for their original fixed gear bike is $349. That should tell you the difference in the quality of the tubing and framesets. So, if the Pake is in good condition, it is probably the better deal if you are getting it as an entire bike.

Hope this helps.

buy the cheap one. ride it. see if that's going to suit your needs. rinse and repeat

I would go Pake hands down. It is probably a better frame and better components on it. Though if the bike is in poor shape or worse yet it doesn't fit none of that matters.

It would be better do a comparison research between them but for me I'd rather choose the one with thickslick tires.

I'm not sure where it's from but I have a bad association with "Pure Cycle Pure Fix" bikes, as overpriced and questionable quality. Could be wrong. But based on the brands Pake is known for decent frames so I'd go with Pake Rum Runner.