First single speed
 

I'm looking into getting a single speed or fixie for riding around downtown and stuff like that with.

Any ideas on a decent one at a good value.

nobody say it!!! i wanna see how long we can go...

no

I'll try and help seeing how other people want to act like infants. A lot of people here think they're too cool to answer questions like this. Don't pay attention to them.

Anyway, I'm something of a newbie as well when it comes to single speed bikes but not new to cycling. What is a good value for you? Do you have a budget? Have considered building one up yourself?

that Support our Sponsors guy totally ruined it.

Thanks, dick.

Anyone have experience with the "Search fixed gear beginner bike" company?

c'mon don't be so mean.

the bianchi pista would be the standard answer, relatively inexpensive basic old school fixie, or the cannondale capo if you want somthin nicer ($800) with a few "bells and whistles" you know stuff like brakes a flip flop hub, or there are a ton of others out there, especially if you build from a frame

raleigh one way, bianchi pista, SE something or other, mercier kilo, search function: oh sorry-that slipped in there

seven responses! is that the new record?

damn. 7 responses. oh well.

OP, to make up for my jackassery, you can check bikesdirect.com for some budget fixed gear bikes, including the BFSSFG Approved Mercier Kilo TT for $350.

for something a bit better, check out the bianchi pista, the khs flite, fuji track, specialized langster, cayne uno, raleigh 925, schwinn madison, IRO... those should all be under $750 new.

just avoid anything made by SE. i've not heard anything good about their fixed gear offerings.

I checked out the specialized langster today at one of the shops around here, they have em on sale for like $650.

What all sort of stuff should I look for? I'm coming from bmx riding for about three years so I know nothing about this stuff.

scour thift stores, pawn shops, garage sales, dumpsters, etc. i picked up a miyata 610 for $35 yesterday. the paint and decals are perfect and lugged steel always gives me a chubby. with new wheels & tires, cog, crank, brooks saddle, blah, blah, blah - i should be in this bike for under $400. the major plus to this route you will have a bike with a good story and your snot nosed neighbor won't be doing barspins on the exact same bike.

get a steamroller

almost the same stuff -- 3 piece cranks, good components, proper top tube fit. someone posted a fitment calculator a few days ago, but i didn't save the link. maybe they'll post it here.

of course, you can always build your own bike, or convert a road bike to SS/FG. but i was under the impression you were looking for a new bike to be purchased from a store. that's the easiest way for sure, but building/converting is super satisfying.

How much are we talking about spending if I do a complete custom?

Too many factors. You're looking at upwards of $400, but most likely at least $600 (though it's not hard to wake up one day and realize you just spent two and a half grand building a bike that has no brakes).

The thing about fixed gar vs bmx is there's sooooo many styles to consider, it's nuts.
You're probably used to offset or no offset (or maybe minimal offset if you're "on the fence") and your'e done.
Not with track bikes.
On the one side you have traditional/vintage with njs japanese, italian, et al. On the other, there's newschool track with carbon forks, 1 1/8" steerers, pista concepts, etc. Then there's a million technology choices, too. For instance, loose ball vs cartridge bearings: don't assume loose is automatically inferior-- dura ace track hubs are loose. So are sugino75 bb, which are considered by quite a few to be the best track cranksets available. Then again, some say nothing spins like mks sealed pedals turning a phil wood titanium bb.

One great thing about this board though, is lots of the posters are bike obsessed and really nerdy about components and how bike parts work together. Do random searches for random things (ie "favorite track pedal" or "titanium stem") to get an idea of what names are out there. Then do your research. it can be overwhelming if you're into bikes, as there's a billion niches when it comes to the fixed gear scene, much of which is worth looking into.

(or you can just spend $500 on a complete)

Thatotherguy84, if you just want to get into ss/fg riding and don't know much about it, go for an IRO or a Surly or Masi or Bianchi Pista or San Jose.

You'll want at least a front brake. A flip-flop hub on the rear wheel so you can ride either singlespeed(able to coast) or fixed(not able to coast).

Drop handlebars offer the most hand positions which keeps your hands from going numb. Bullhorns are another good option. Don't go super narrow with your first handlebars. First, they aren't that comfortable if your arms are squeezing your chest. Second, twitchier to steer.

Frame material matters not. Steel or aluminum; TIG welded. Get chrome-moly steel.

I ride and recommend the Bianchi San Jose. It comes with brakes and a flip-flop hub. Double-butted, heat-treated chromoly steel. Drop handlbars. Can take fenders, racks, bottle cages. I've ridden the heck out of mine, even doing 50+ mile road rides with geared riders. It's a great commuter bike. It's also fast and can be customized easily later as you develop your hipster side.

http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100046/P1010070/web.jpg

Right now it's got a rear rack, road slicks and a saddlebag that unclips so I can take it with me if I need to.

^
^
zzz...

Hahaa. Such a simple reply, yet very effective. I agree with the zzzz's.

Whatever you do, get one quick. Singlespeeds and fixed gears are a ****ing blast.

$600 for a custom?! Thats awesome my bmx is worth like 1300 and has no brakes haha.

I'm liking ss's already, not as bad on the pocket it seems.

What are some good mailorders for these bikes since I can't find any local shops that carry anything other then specialized langsters.

http://www.benscycle.net/
http://www.thebikebiz.com/
http://www.businesscycles.com/track.htm
http://www.trackstarnyc.com/

there are tons more, but those are probably a decent start for ideas.

keep in mind, when i said $600 we're talking budget build.
i built up my bob jackson to over 2G when it was all said and done.
you can take things as far as you want with a custom build, but if you're smart, patient, and have a connection or two you can get lots of bang for the buck.

Thats for all the info.

I'm so stoked right now.