I've been thinking for awhile about building a fixed-gear that I can use on the track and I've read lots of old bikeforums posts and many of Sheldon's articles. Then I actually compared prices and this is what I got...

Mercier kilo tt: 350

or

entry-level track frame + fork: 200+
wheels: 150
everything else: 220+ (and this is with the cheapest parts--BB, cranks, stem, handlebars, etc.--and the best prices online, too)
total: 570+

I was surprised that building everything up myself would be a lot more expensive than buying a complete bike, even with the cheapest parts. I know lots of people put better components on the complete bikes that they buy, and I don't yet know how much of that I'll do.

what do you guys think?

Buy it readymade

they offer such cheap prices built up due to bulk buying and economies of scale

ready made. 340 to ur door is an amazing deal. plus, building on ur own takes time. there always is stupid issue, which causes u to wait and wait for ur bike to be done. next bike, and there is always a next bike, u can build from the bottom up

Bikesdirect are particularly cheap so if they have a bike on there you like it will definitely be cheaper to buy a complete build, even after the costs of adding a new saddle/bar for a nicer fit it's still cheaper.

First bike, buy complete. Then, by the time parts wear out and need replacing, you'll have gathered much valuable information from the BF and will be able to upgrade your bike with confidence.

Sometimes you can score a bike on Craigslist or more likely, a garage sale that'll have some nice parts on it you can use for an upgrade. Some guys will buy an entire bike just to get the stem or handlebars then sell the rest to get money for Raphas.

Or, after watching everything on eBay, you finally score some nice component dirt cheap. Still won't be as cheap as buying a new bike, though. Roadies were buying BD bikes just to get the components for their old frames as it was cheaper to do it that way.

Man, people who buy a bike and never work on it are like princesses. Every time it feels 'clunky' or it 'makes a weird sounds' they whine and cry and dismiss the bike as trash and waste money and resources on another new bike.

Are you a princess?! Do you wear a pink frilly dress?! Do you like day dreaming about little ponies?!

No?

You want to be cool?

You know who's cool? People who do their own work! All throughout history the cool group were the group who did their own wrenching. Blacksmiths, factory workers, greasers, engineers, mythbuster dudes, and so on.

So just remember: If you want to be a princess, buy a complete bike. If you want to be a badass mofo, wrench your own bike.

I am proud to be a princess I guess, pretty damned happy with my complete Steamroller, sure I am going to upgrade as a I go along but for a complete bike I thought it was a great deal.
I would love to build my own bike from the frame up in the future but I wanted to ride fixed right away.

Speaking as someone who is in the process of building up his first fixed gear bike, buy complete.

it depends what you want to do with the bike? is it a commuter? older frames make it easier to fit things like fenders and racks.

jabba degrassi: just to mix things up I'm also in the process of building up my first fixed gear and am loving it. depends on the person i suppose.

mrhedges: he said he's going to use it on the track. i think.

personally i'd build it up because then if something goes wrong/breaks you know what's on it so it'll be easier to find replacement parts. and you get the satisfaction of building a bike from scratch. just depends on how much the price matters.

I just wish I could ride the damn thing already.

haha. im waiting for a new wheelset of some bloke in london, but have just kept the old tubular wheels with 6 speed cassette and shortened chain until they arrive.

bro do you want it today or can you wait
imho cheers

I converted my first two fixed gears (schwinn super le tour x 2), it gave me some valuable insight into bike mechanics that I, of course, had from my prior geared road bike experience- so I guess that "it'll help you with your bike mechanics when it's ***ed" point was moot with me. Then I put together a cannondale track, and now I'm riding a makino.

I guess building a bike up from parts gives your bike build that extra bit of irrational sentimentality so you're afraid to lock up in shady places. You also get to know your antiquated technology (see looseball/NJS/threaded headset) and fixed gear product lines, like sugino: xd's, rd's, 75, grand mighty.

In the end, I'm sure the person who bought their bike complete has just as much fun riding their bike as you did building yours and riding it. So there's the rub- what do you want to do? What do you look for in your fixed gear experience? Do you want to appreciate the commercialism and consumerism or the zen, the community, and the ride and all that bs? I suppose you can enjoy both- just depends on perspective.


So, from a purely economic perspective, I say Mercier Kilo TT.

its fun and rewarding to build up your own bike, plus it is more unique than an off the shelf bike (usually). however, getting a prebuilt bike is fast and much cheaper, so if you are cheap and impatient, go for the off the shelf.

I Agee that buying is cheaper and easier. However, turning that tired bike you bought 30 years ago into a piece of bike art is priceless. Throwing a bike away is unconstitutional. Besides, its fun to wrench and wrenching takes my mind off what's on the news channel.

it's cheap and easier to buy complete but i LOVE having a customized / built up frame. there are many like it, but this one is mine.

The best way is to buy a complete used bike, preferably one that someone put together and decided wasn't for them a month or two later. Get a frame with some awesome parts for like half of what it would cost to buy new, start swapping out parts to get what you want, start trading those swapped out parts for things that you need.