Gman094

So I've been involved with cycling for quite some time of my young adult life but it has mostly been on the mtn side of things. Was the mountain bike captain of my team in college. I've been living in nyc for about a year now and I'm getting tired of pedaling around my slow dirtjumping hardtail.

I've been looking into getting a single speed bike for commuting but for also cross training for downhill and subsequently the ski season in the fall/winter. I'm curious as to how much money you all spent on your first real single speed/fixed gear bike. I know it depends on things like how nice of a frame, wheels, cranks, etc you choose but I'm interested to see what parts people generally place the most importance on. From what I've found online the cheaper frame tend to be 350-1000 with a fork, another 250 for the wheelset, 60-200 for the cranks, and then it starts to become a little less clear what people value most.


Obviously, one can always go budget and get parts/bikes for cheap but then again you get what you pay for. Trying to decide for myself if it makes sense to try and pick up a used bike like a leader 725tr or save up for something nicer like a pista concept/cinelli vigorelli. Thanks and sorry in advance for bringing something up that has probably been answered before.

dayvan cowboy

If you are thinking of building a bike frame the frame up, that won't be cheap. The cheapest way to build a ss/fixed would of course be to find an older road bike in decent condition. All you'd have to do is change the rear wheel, take off the shifters/derailleurs, shorten the chain, and remove the extra chainring.

I spent about 600 on my IRO complete(don't remember exactly). I only paid for some of it and the rest was paid for as a christmas/birthday present from my parents and grandparents. I only ended up going with the IRO because the Fuji Track i had ordered through my LBS kept getting backordered and i had already waited about 2 months. Glad i went with the IRO though.

SRTboy

I spent a little over 300 on a mid 80's Le Tour conversion and I already want a better bike and it has only been 6 months. Now I am looking at getting the IRO Mark V pro. My bike has OK parts, but I dont like the lax geo and flexy frame, so I'm gonna put the biggest tires I can on the Schwinn and keep it as a winter beater. The frame is what I value the most, I would rather have a nice frame with Ok parts than a crappy frame with the top of the line parts.

Scrodzilla

I made the mistake of rushing into it, buying a relatively sh*tty entry-lever bike and after all the upgrades were complete, I probably ended up spending around 600 bucks total. I do love my bike as it is now, but it took some work (and money) to get it there. As I learned more and more about the world of fixed-gear, I learned just as much about what quality components are...as well as my own personal taste and comfort...regarding my bike.

I plan on going for a completely custom build...most likely centered around a chrome Motobecane Jury frameset from BikeIsland in the near future and already know some changes I'd like to make from the setup I've got now. I know it won't be cheap and that my wife (who, luckily, is also into bikes) will most likely want to kill me when she sees all the parts rolling in, but it will be well worth it.

Don't skimp, but don't get taken either. If you're going for a custom build check eBay, Craigslist and even this forum on a daily basis for people selling quality used components, wheelsets, etc.

Good luck!

oldfixguy

Gman094,

I spent $450 for a used Steamroller. It was "good used" as the guy only had the bike a few weeks, didn't get the whole fixed thing and wanted rid of it. I had never been on a fixed in my life but after a little Internet searching I decided it was a good deal and grabbed it from the guy. Other than the cost associated with having children I've never spent better money. It's OK to not drop a mint but whatever you get make sure it is at least of "safe" quality and consider a front brake and foot retention (clipless or clips/straps) to be requirements. The foot retention thing can throw people off because it's counter-intuitive. You want to be able to get off the thing if you want to right? But, fixed is a little different animal. Being part of the bike is much, much safer. Riding flats is actually an advanced technique in the fixed world.

seajaye

I spent $150 on a beat up Schwinn conversion at my local shop that sees alot of used stuff coming in and out. I loved it, and eventually saved up enough money to buy myself a true track frame, decent wheels, and top of the line track components.

If you want to try out riding fixed, I would say pick something up off bikesdirect.com, you can get a new, complete Kilo TT or something similar for sub-$400. Or of course, there is your local craigslist. Don't go and spend thousands of dollars on a fully spec'ed out Vigorelli if you're going to get tired of it and just sell it back. Unless, of course, you've got the money to throw around.

Oh, and if you're riding in the streets, you probably wouldn't want anything aluminum (like the Concept or Leader frames). Steel will give you a better ride...

robertv

600 for a steamroller. Decent parts, fairly strong rims and a solid frame that I could trust. I weigh 200 pounds so I gotta be able to trust the frame. I figured any cheaper and a frame would be worthless.

Wake

700+ for a new Sputnik with rack, etc. Last week I dumped another $250 into Keen Commuters and CB SL eggbeaters, so I've got close to 1G in the whole thing. I'm happy.

juggleaddict

700 for a langster '08, not the best deal, you can get them much cheaper. Good parts, has a pretty good ride, not as comfy as a steel frame, probably just as heavy. Feels more stiff to me, compact geometry doesn't seem like a popular thing around here. I knew I wanted a ss, so I wanted both brakes. It's got about 2000 miles or more on it now, great bike. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gotten a san jose, or something similar. I do like a more road-like geometry and not track, because I ride longer distances (50-100 miles) on occasion. I agree, bikesdirect also has some good deals. Keep in mind you're going to spend some on lights and other stuff you may need, I didn't count that in the 700. Oh, and the pedals are crap on the stock langster, you'll bust them wide open eventually. I did put a lot of miles on them, but now have some mks.

juggleaddict

Oh, things I value most. The "feel" of the bike . . . if that makes sense. I don't want to turn the pedals and have them stop a half a turn around. I want it to be efficient and comfortable. I want to hop on the bike and have it feel solid, predictable, and fast. I kept the stock gearing just because it accelerates a little faster. (42 17) Granted. . . my ss mountain bike is an old trek with throw together components and a dint in the frame :-P but it is a solid bike, I'll give it that. All 150 lbs of it xP

megalowmatt

$450 on a new Bianchi San Jose.

sunburst

I did this for my 1st ss. It worked out very well - it's still one of my favorite bikes. If you get lucky as far chainline, like I did, it can be quite simple to do. The minimum outlay is $6 for short stack bolts, and $20 for a bmx freewheel.

For my most recent I picked up a Peugeot for $75 and bought a fixie wheelset on cl for $75, then another $11 for a SRAM ss chain. It's another one of my favorites for very little money.

ALaS

I got lucky. Birthday came and my girlfriend bought me a Leader 725TR frame and then my mother bought me a set of Weinmann DP18's; the rest I bought on my own.

Gman094

Ideally, I'd like to pick up a used complete bike rather then converting and old frame. While I wouldn't benefit from being able to spec the parts I wanted, i think its a good way to cut down on some of the costs of buying stuff new. I figure as I get more into it, I can always replace parts as I see fit. How much of an issue is it riding an aluminum frame? I know most traditional road bikes come with aluminum frames and carbons forks, a trend that seems to have carried over to some single speed bikes. I'm not a big guy at 150 lbs and I don't intend on doing many rides over 10+ miles so I'm not looking for a comfort cruiser per se.

What are the prominent websites where people sell used bikes. I know of here, velospace, craigslist, and ebay but I wasn't sure if you guys recommended any other sites to watch for deals.

TheDL

Cost is often a variable of quality

Cost is also a variable ready to ride off the rack vs. time spent hunting for a conversion candidate, and hunting parts, and money/time spent converting

You've got so many variables. Unless you decide to eliminate some you'll continue to get answers like you've gotten; that are all over the place. anywhere from sub $100 to $700.

juggleaddict

Aluminum is fine to ride on, because of the way the frames are made, it's generally (but not always) a more harsh ride, at least in my experience, but on smooth pavement, I can't tell a difference.

I would probably still go steel though. (and I ride aluminum with a carbon fork)

exhumed

400 for a 05 Felt TK2.

Triple8Sol

I spent less than $300 to build up a conversion. Spent nearly $700 on my new bike with 100% brand new parts, and that's including a front brake setup and Deep V's.

shagohod

i spent 157 (including shipping) on ebay for a 'professionally converted' schwinn world. The guy I bought it from was a bike mechanic i believe and worked at the local shop. the only thing original was the paint and frame,stem and fork. everything else was brand new. was quite a ****ing deal in my opinion and it rides beautifully. i think it was a rare chance that that happened though.

traitorhound

I just spent around 550 on my Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno from my LBS. I got a second set of Deep V's and changed out the saddle and added some KEO pedals. I got mine mostly for training to get faster on my roadie. But the way I see it this bike will end up getting way more miles than my roadie will see.

fuzz2050

I spent something like 130 on my first fixed gear. Took one of my road bikes, changed the rear wheel, bought a set of short stack chainring bolts, shortened the chain, removed derailers and shifters. Was my favourite bike 'till it met it's unfortunate end (never, EVER lend your bike to drunken friends)

Scratcher33

My first conversion cost me about $50. My Soma Rush, which I built from the spokes up has about $1600 worth of parts on it. I paid a little over $800. It's been worth every penny.

mugatu

I built my first one for $200 flat. I rode it into the ground. When it died, I built a $300 dollar bike. When a car destroyed me and the bike, I was granted $1300 to build a new one. I've been on my s-works ever since.

LoRoK

I did things the not so smart way. I bought a $600 bike, then spent $1500 in worthless upgrades. In the long run, the only upgrade out of all of those that made a positive difference I could feel was my Brooks saddle and clipless setup. Everything else was just stupid vanity upgrade ****, buying the njs stamp and veeps and all that. Some of the upgrades I made just made my bike more uncomfortable. Yay smart! Next I'm looking into a riser stem with some road drops and dummy hoods. Live and learn. I'll probably do the same thing when I finally can afford a road bike. I'll shell out way too much money, then wish later that I had bought a touring bike. Really all I want to do is ride my bike from coast to coast, but nothing I buy reflects that at all.

ianjk

One of my best bikes was a free junker that took about twenty bucks to fix up. Commuted 25 miles of hills a day for a while on that tank. If you are thinking of training, lugging around a nice old heavy steel frame will get the job done. Plus they are indestructable (a decent one, not dept. store crud).