Hello all.

I live in Chicago and I am not comfortable with locking my race bikes anywhere other than my house.

With that said, I am looking about for something to ride about town that would not be such the magnet to thieves and would yet be a bit of fun. I've seen all these bullhorned, steel framed single speeds zipping about and I would like to look into them.

Where do you go to get them?

Anything I should look for in particular?

Many of them are just 70's and 80's road bikes converted to SS or Fixed (there are a bunch of track bike trown in the mix too). Not too hard to find

Any shops you know that specialize in this sort of thing?

In ChiTown, check out Yojimbo's. There is a large group here from Chicago, I'm sure someone will chime in.

Upgrade, On the Route, Yojimbo's, Johnny Sprockets... Im sure someone will chime in with some others, these are ones I have personal experience with.

The basic "how do I convert an old road bike to single speed/fixed" thing has been asked a lot, though sheldon has the best stuff on it. To be Chicago-specific, the best source for raw materials is working bikes. We sell fixed up bikes at the storefront, but if you come by the warehouse and we're not too busy we'll sell you an as-is bike you can fix up and convert yourself. If you want single speed with a freewheel, all you need is a bmx freewheel and the patience to redish the rear wheel, so any shop can hook you up. If you want to go fixed, you need more hardware, and yojimbo's garage is the best source for that. PM me if you want more details, I volunteer at working bikes and will probably be around this weekend.

to be completely honest with you though, with so many bikes in chicago getting jacked, no bikes are really safe. I've seen rear wheels get copped off the ****tyest bikes ever, so. I think the best bet would be to invest in a cheap single speed/fixed gear etc etc and just get a good lock/couple of locks and be smart about where and when you lock up outside.