First SS/FG bike advice?

Ok so I built my first bike basically from scratch. It's an old geared up Univega and I love it to death but I am tired of pouring money into it when it will never be a great bike. Since it's time for the holiday's I figured I would get myself a great Christmas gift but I am hoping to keep the price underneath $500, including any upgrades I may have to make. I realize that that may not be the most realistic of goals so if I can get a good frame and out of the box components that I can take my time upgrading I would be more than happy with that too. One big thing for me is that I am trying to get this done over my winter break (in the Orlando area) and have all the work done before I head back to my other home in Tallahassee. Unless people have advice on good bike shops near the Florida State campus?

Now, more of the criteria I'm considering when making this purchase:

* Price - I would love love love to keep it underneath $500. But I could also try to sell my old bike and amass a bit more capital but my budget would top out at $600/650.
* Hub - I like the option of a flip flop rear wheel so I can play with both SS and FG setups.
* Frame- From the people I have talked to I know the most important thing is to consider the frame because everything else can be switched out. I am worried most about the weight of the frame and its durability. The roads in Tallahassee aren't all that great and we also have quite a few hills so I want a smooth, durable ride.
* Components - If the bike is at the top of my budget I want to make sure that nothing will have to be replaced at all...at least not for a good long while. If it's mid-range in my budget I am willing to spend a few extra dollars in replacing certain things as need dictates.
* Style - It is kind of the same deal as the components, I really don't want to have to change anything if I'm spending more money on it. And I certainly don't know anyone other than myself in Tallahassee that can sand blast the frame, none the less getting it powder coated. So I'm pretty conscious of color stories and what not.
* Frugality - I'm a college kid, so I am certainly going to be giving up meals for a little while but I am willing to do it as long as I am getting a solid bike.


Here are the ones I have been checking out. A lot of this is dictated by availability in that I can purchase most of these at my LBS's:

* Mercier Kilo Stripper - https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...t_stripper.htm
Ok, so I have been on this forum pretty much all day reading up on as much as I can and everyone seems to be a really big fan of Mercier Kilo's
* Mercier Kilo TT - https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott.htm
Once again everyone seems to be a pretty big fan of this but I can't say I am the biggest fan of the paint job and I am also worried about the amount of part replacement that may be involved in purchasing this bike.
* Giant Bowery - https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...up/3927/36629/
I saw this bike at the shop and this is the one I got me originally thinking...'ok, maybe a new bike is a good idea at this point in time'. The frame is a bit larger/thicker than the others which is definitely a bit of a turn-off. And it's on the higher end of my budget, the shop is selling it for $540, tax not included.
* Felt Brougham - https://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010.../BROUGHAM.aspx
Probably my favorite of the bunch because of its sheer affordability and it's style. I can also find this for $450, again not including tax. But I keep hearing exceedingly different reviews on this bike.
* 2010 Fuji Feather - https://www.fujibikes.com/LifeStyle/C...s/Feather.aspx
My local fixie shop is going to start carrying these in a couple months. I love the looks of this bike and, from what little I know, it would need the least amount of work. And, from what I have heard, this is the best quality brand for my 'price range'. But, on that same token, this would be more of a long-term goal than the immediate kind that I am hoping for.
* 2009 Schwinn Madison - https://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/P...-S9MAD-Madison
This is on the list at this point because it would help support my favorite local shop. Also because I can probably talk down the owner some and get another chunk knocked off if I bring in an old bike, thus I'd get it for about $400. Not a big fan of the aesthetics of the ride (not as smooth as I'd hoped but I may be expecting too much).

MORE:
I am open to additional suggestions. But these are the ones I have come to know best and come to prefer; it also helps that purchasing most of these would help various local businesses. But if you have something in mind that's more bang for your buck, well I am certainly not going to gain say that.

PS.Props to NoSole for the awesome set-up of this post. I kind of stole his outline.

An thanks for any help provided!

kilo stripper; have not tried, but assume same as kilo tt with brakes
kilo tt; fun to ride, though never rode one with drops
giant bowery; not my favorite, but more comfortable than most; '84 looks cool.
felt brougham; n/a, looks a bit tarck
fuji feather; n/a, but i like quill stems
schwinn maddy; have rode this, too. seat is nice, reasonably well equipped, 400 dollars is nice for it.

lbs is the way to go for your first fixedgear

I recently test rode the Fuji Feather at my LBS, it was a smooth ride. I also have to say that the pictures on the website don't quite do this bike justice, it was very pleasing to the eye. The pinkish one was especially nice. The price tag was $539, witch felt pretty reasonable, all the components seemed nice & solid.

While i'm posting this I might as well ask, does anyone know any online retailers of the felt brougham frame-set? Did some googling and didn't come up with anything.

My LBS will be selling the 2010 Feather for $650 so the price is a bit steep for me. Especially if you're is selling it for so little, comparatively.
And as far as finding just the frame-set, I still haven't found one. But if I come across it in my research I'll get back to you.

i'd get a fuji feather complete or the new langster steel framset. i bought a khs flite 100 frameset last summer for my first build. cheaper than a pake. rides well. can put a quill in it.

+1 langster steel. just cause i love mine.

but $440 for the frameset, +wheels+cranks+pedals+chain+cog/lockring+stem+bars+BRAKES will probably put you over budget.

from a purely aesthetic standpoint (i.e. useless) i would get the stripper just for that raw finish. mmm
the '84 brougham is cool looking but just on principle of that atrocious 'mashup' pukepile, should be boycotted.
support the lbs if they're good to you. that's the only reason i got the langster as opposed to anything else.

oops. didn't see the budget. if you're going around $500, might as well go super cheap. get a the kilo.

Is there any other place than bikesdirect where I can find the stripper?

Also my budget can be stretched if it's worth it. I am more worried about parts/components that will immediately or soon after purchase need to be changed. I don't want to pay more than $500/550 for a bike that will require me to purchase additional parts immediately and thus, I'll end up ultimately paying $700 for it. But if I am paying $380 for it and need to get a part here and there, and the frame is nice and solid that's fine.
So really I'm worried most about where exactly my dollar is going and how much return I am getting for it than the dollar itself. If that makes sense?

*oops...looks like you ebay has strippers*

i think the important point is that you're new to fg. you won't know exactly what you want right off the bat. make the best decision you can with your budget constraint. i mean, the whole "won't i need to upgrade everything" argument is fine. but if you have no point of reference, you won't know. over time, you'll know what you want replaced. the only thing you might immediately replace on a bikesdirect bike are the clips, handlebar tape, or something else minor.

i built up a khs flite 100 frame with pretty much everything i thought i thought i would want (with $1,000 budget). luckily, i've only been interested in changing minor parts (bar tape, brake pads, clips, saddle). i would have bought a langster steel or a fuji feather if they were out a year ago and slowly upgraded (and almost bought the older rush hour). but, i wanted to know how my bike worked a little more by building it myself (and was willing to pay more to do that).

just make sure that you like the look of the frame. i feel like you won't really need to replace a crankset on any of those bikes...wheels, sure (if you want). if later, you really want a good bike, you'd probably start over and get a much better frame in the first place. but you'll be happy with any of those bikes for many years.

ebay has tons of 'em, framesets & complete.

This is what I did. https://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2010-ROAD-BI...item230476b898


I like the frame, the lack of specs sucks though. Btw, it actually comes with a better looking seat and a slightly shorter stem(I think)

IRO mark V and not have to replace a thing on it

Any Bikesdirect bike will be a good choice for someone new. The only parts you may want to replace right away are at the contact points, but that's a matter of individual preference, and would apply to any new bike, regardless of the price. And at their pricepoint, you'll have plenty of cash left over for whatever changes or upgrades you'll want to make. My Wabi Classic was quite a bit more than my Windsor, but nothing on it needed replacing. The few things I swapped out were a matter of preference, not necessarily quality or performance.

+1 on bikedirect bike.

on my kilo I immediately replaced the pedals, clips, cog, lockring, and saddle (but that's because I found the stock seat really uncomfortable). But those things (minus the saddle) should be fairly cheap. if you get a kilo tt from BD.com and replace all those parts, you'll only be at around $400.