well im about to pull the trigger and buy a bike (finally ) but yeah...my choices are either get a langster frame and build it up or just buy a complete bd bike...probably the windsor hour or messenger, since they are out of stock in my size...if i were to get the langster, i would get a pretty good deal on it, but it would be a bit more pricey than buying a bd bike...gahh i dunno

any suggestions on the matter?

Langster! You'll appreciate it sooooo much more, if you build it yourself!

My Windsor Clockwork from BD is of surprisingly high quality. Granted, my previous ride was a 10-speed that my dad bought from Sears during the Ford administration, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with a BD bike. You can still do a decent amount of "building" yourself; I slapped on a 17t Surly track cog and I'm in the process of swapping in some handlebars from one of my old bikes. You'll essentially be getting an SE Lager for the price of a Wal-Mart bike.

No me gusta el langster.

theres lots of langster hate here, and you cant go wrong with the messenger or hour bikes. IMO, build it if you are willing to spend more just to say you built it. otherwise get the messenger or hour.

My vote would be for the langster assuming that you have the patience to wait and the money to spend, being that you will likely upgrade some of the BD bike's parts over time anyway.

Don't listen to people who talk trash about Langsters. It's a great bike and what's more important is that what works for you works for you. The same people talked trash about the Trek T1 style...which seems to work fine for some dude named Larry Armstrong...or is it Lance?



https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/507994-lance-armstrong-s-training-bike.html

Bikes Direct. They're the same entry level bikes offered by other labels for a couple hundred bucks off.

Building up a bike from a frame is fun, but it adds up pretty quick. I bought an old Schwinn steel frame for $20 at the local bike collective, did the math, bought the Messenger on BD, and it's been an OUTSTANDING bike (for what it is, a solid basic chromoly steel fixie). Then, since I like to tinker, I went back and started buying parts for the Schwinn. (The $20 frame is turning into a $500ish build, because when you want something that reflects your taste (or lack thereof), you tend to get picky.)

Also, the Langster is aluminum, and has a more compact style rame, while most of the BD bikes are traditional geometry steel frames, which tend to be preferred by a lot of the Tarck crowd.

Buy the bike that you can afford that will make you happy.

I'm partial, I love the aesthetic look of a traditional lugged track frame. Slight deviations from it I can handle. Thick ass alum frames just don't do it for me. In no way or form am I saying they are an inferior bike, cause that's crap. Specialized and Trek make good bikes, but if I was to hop on to this kinda style, I would get a Bianchi concept or Fuji track pro...

Get a/or: 1) Kilo TT Frame 2) IRO frame or complete 3) This is my all time favorite, because it is what enabled me to get a completely built up Bareknuckle for $650 - sift through ebay and craigslist.

...Please give ebay and craigslist a chance, you'll congratulate yourself later.

My advice is to get which ever you think will make you happy, price aside. If a bd bike will do that then great, save the extra cash and have a blast on a good bike. But if you are like a lot of us here then nothing beats the satisfaction of building up your own bike just the way you want it (I would know since I just finished building mine after months of waiting).

If you can't afford it that is one thing, but if you can afford and have the know how and tools (or access to them), then build it yourself. And if you the desire to build it yourself without spending as much, then get the kilo tt frame by itself from bikeisland.

As far as looks go, check this langster, it's my fav so far, I love the bars on it:

That's my bike! I'm glad you like it.

I don't really know about comparing these two bikes as I've only had a Langster, but it's done me well so far and all the stock components are still up and running. The only stuff I changed was stuff I got for cheap or free, aside from the bars.

If you want to end up with a lightweight build, start with the Langster. You drop over a pound (maybe even 2, I have not seen frame weights on the Windsor) on the frame alone, and its really expensive to drop that much weight on components.

If you could care less about the end weight, and want a budget built that you can ride right away, obviously get the BD bike.

I have built many bikes up from the frame, but always had a nice bike to ride while I was building. If it was my only bike, it would get annoying really quick to have most of the bike and still not be able to ride it.

I have a Langster for full disclosure.

Seconding the fact that the Langster is really, really light. Its not as 'track' as some other fixed-gears- its more of a fixed-gear road bike.

I ended up selling the frame, as the one I bought was a little large for me, but I kept all of the components and still carry them over to new frames.

first and foremost, thanks for everyones insight and comments but i think im just gonna go with the bd bike, specifically the kilo tt since its my size is now on pre-order
i would have loved to go with the langster and build it up, but with my current budget, i think the kilo tt is my best bet~

One last thing to take into consideration is aluminum v.s. steel. Not that there aren't ways to dampen the harshness of aluminum, or that there isn't anyone riding the streets on aluminum frames, cause there are & there is. But steel is generally considered to be the more forgiving of the two, providing a smoother ride on city streets. Aluminum is stiffer and lighter, but that can translate negatively when your dropping off curbs or riding over potholes/buckled pavement/any sort of city environment. Langsters are aluminum, while the hour & messenger are steel.

But climbing using a bike that has a stiff aluminum rear triangle is amazing. 100% of your energy goes to the ground. No mushy mushy.