i thought the lager is in the $500 range

if you like stopping your fixed gear bikes before a car plows you would you like to stop a light or a heavy one... its not about "getting" strong. it's about quality bikes. if you find a light bike is too easy to pedal, jack up the gear ratio.

isn't the lager like $500? the draft isn't a fixed, either.

****ty bike, get her something better.

i'm willing to bet that the OP's question was answered, like, two years ago.

edit. whoops, look at me being hasty. there were recent questions in this thread. nevermind, and apologies.

right, but you like to support the local economy and i was just giving you some options. in that price range you wont find a better bike around town, (/sarcasm)

im just sayin that if it came down to it, id rather buy online if im getting a better deal. (i do ride a BD bike, but did not pay retail for it, so i couldnt pass it up) but hey, have fun on the alpha. you seem die hard on buying it.

Bad analogy. Better one:

What's more fun to train with, a 50 lb. gym-quality barbell, or two 25-lb. buckets of cow dung hanging on a piece of rebar?

PS, why support a local merchant who sells crap?

There are up to a dozen bikes I can think of that will be 50% more expensive than the alpha mercury, and several times better in value... lighter, more durable, prettier, quieter, etc.

Are you someone that knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing?

It is an absolute piece of crap and I would stop a friend from buying one but luckily my friends are not stupid so it's never come up.

how about buy the fuji track if you absolutely want to support them (note: not sure they have it, but many LBS do)

i opted for the schwinn madison. more expensive but probably a better bike. thanks for everyone's help. happy trails.

I bought a used Alpha on ebay last month for the sole purpose of using it for a couple months while I'm in school down here in Miami.I Just quit my last job and am not being paid while here in training so the price was right. I have ridden to class every day but one really rainey one where i hitched a ride. I use it to buy my groceries and to take long weekends rides around the city. The bike is heavy,rugged, cheap and so far fun and dependable. In fact it has been a blast riding a fixie down here where you see so few of them and having a bike I'm not afraid to take out for fear of denting it or having someone steal it. It is just what it is advertised to be . Just don't tell my friends back home I bought one.

alphacoughvomit- def. much better w the madison

dont start and dont remind me

I'm not sure how the components could magically fail on any of the entry level fixed bikes. I think mentions of things like crank failure (what is the obsession with replacing cranks here?) are a little exaggerated - I'm big, strong and heavy and I'm surprised at how much stuff I don't break.

If this bike will get ridden hundreds of miles a week (or even just over a hundred), the bike's probably not going to be a value because you will wear stuff out quickly. You might also get pretty strong and get a huge boost when you move to a pricier one, because these bikes are pretty heavy - feel like they're in the 28-30 pound range, not far off from a beginner mtb. If the rider wouldn't know the difference when they're riding it anyway, save the Dura Ace and Sugino dough for later and go with the Alpha if you think it looks cool or it's inexpensive - beginner/casual bikers don't become better/stronger/whatever bikers because of the bike unless maybe in like extreme mountain biking or something else that demands complex equipment.

I know two people who've been on them for a year, and I think their use is probably pretty typical - commuting and errands and 100% city riding. No sign of anywear or damage besides sticky brake cables from riding in rain, and maaaaaaaybe they could use new chains. Both riders are satisfied with the bikes they got for 300 bucks, both having previously ridden tank-heavy Target bikes and singlespeeded tank-heavy department store road bikes.