Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been researching this subject for a while, searching here and there, and haven't been able to find a simple, solid answer to this question: What's the best entry level fixed gear I can get for about $500? Now, I know there isn't just one answer, but I'm hoping to get some sort of guidance here, because at this point, I'm fairly lost as to what to purchase.

Ideally, I would like a complete bike, that has good looks [preferably logo-less, or close to that] and has somewhat decent components. I'm not afraid to upgrade parts, but I'd rather not do a full build.

I've been very interested in the Felt Brougham, but have gotten some discouraging comments on that bike as of late. The Bianchi Pista isn't my style; too flashy and too popular. I know the Kilo is very popular, and I don't specifically dislike it, just wondering if there are any better alternatives.

Go with the Kilo TT.

It's basically as good as any $500 bike from any other manufacturer, and leaves you with some $ to do your own upgrades.

Comments like this make it sound more like you are interested in a bike for fashion than a bike because you enjoy riding. You'll fit right in here.

As for "best entry level bike"-
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/trackbikes.htm
Any of these would be fine.

"Which back tracks straightest when walking it down the street?"

What are you using the bike for?

I know you said you don't want to do a full build, but honestly I think you should do a conversion. It's inexpensive and allows you to learn a lot more about working on bicycles. Luckily, you've stumbled upon a plethora of resources by visiting this board if you do decide to go this route.

if u've been a long time lurker (even tho ur join date says jan'10 which gives u 10days at most to lurk) u'll know that a bunch of people would suggest you the kilo tt and I second the kilo.

i feel like conversions aren't going to be much cheaper than a kilo. and they defs won't be as new/nice.

in your situation (with $1,000 budget), i went with a khs flite 100 frame. i think the kilo is a great starting point. and you'll have leftover money to upgrade stuff! can't really go wrong.

Since you live in San Diego, head down to Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe on University Ave. I saw a KHS Flite FG build there for $249. It's in great condition... if it's still there. That would be an awesome starting point.

the kiloTT and KHS flite frames are the same so either one will suit you fine.. but the kilo has the option of the stripper with no logos and such....

Honestly if I knew that I was going to love FG and never flip my rear wheel back to the freewheel side, then I would have taken that Flite instead of ordering a Dawes SST. That said, I love my Dawes.

If I had to do it all over again (and money was a bit of a concern for me), I would probably just grab myself a kilo tt for 349, sell the crap stock wheelset for around 50 bucks on CL, get myself some classic iro wheelset for 200, and call it a day. IMO, that's a good 500 bucks spent.

IRO mark v.

Raise the price to $700 and the Surly Steamroller represents the best value for the dollar.

What is wrong with the stock wheelset? My wheels needed a bit of truing out of the box but I now have many, many happy miles on them.

I'd go with the 2008 Schwinn Madison, only because I own one and it has never let me down, not once, I did upgrade a few parts but only because I wanted to, I know guys that ride them stock and say the same.

The bearings suck and the hubs strip real easily. If it were me, I'd just sell them and put the money towards better wheels that'll last, rather than ride on them and possibly strip the threadings on the rear hub rendering them worthless. It's just my opinion though. Sooner or later you'll have to upgrade, might as well do it while you can still save yourself some bucks.

I went with an EighthInch Scrambler for my first SSFG bike. $600 shipped, and you get to customize everything on it, so right off the bat, you get what you want.

I have to admit though, sometimes I wonder if I'd have saved more money by getting a Kilo or Motobecane Track from Bikesdirect, then upgraded whatever parts I wanted afterwards. Haven't done the math just yet. Anyways just mentioning the possibilities... better to know all or most before jumping at one.

That has not been my experience with them but maybe I've just been lucky.

If you want quality with minimal logos, check out Wabi Cycles.

nice pointing his join date out but you don't have to be a member to read the forums, you just cant post...

I'd go with what Ken Cox said: Steamroller, you don't have to upgrade wheels or change anything out except for the brake pads, they'll eat your rims up really badly. I got some kool stops when I figured out how bad the stock pads were. I almost got a Mark V. I especcially liked that you can customize iros and is one of the few complete bikes that you can get a fixed/ fixed hub with.

If you want to really stand out:

If by get what you want you mean color coordination, then yes.

I won't lie, style is a concern of mine, but it is not my reason for purchasing a bike.

I'll be using it mostly for quick 2-3 mile rides to and from work and school. Though, I do hope to do longer rides on occasion.

Thanks! I'll be sure to go check that out!

Hmm, those look nice, though they're a touch out of my range.

Huh, that looks to be an interesting route, but i would have concerns about quality. How has your experience been?

Thank you all for your swift replies, and very helpful comments!

The Kilo/Flite, and the IROs are looking like great choices for my uses. The steamroller is nice, however, a tad out of my price range for now. I could save for a bit longer, but I would like to get a bike in my hands asap. If I have to replace/upgrade parts later on, then so be it.

Kilo seems to be the most popular choice; is there any reason I shouldn't go with it?

I'm honestly not trying to antagonize you but if you don't want to ride "what everyone else is riding" a Kilo may not be your best bet since it is probably one of the best-selling FG bikes of the last few years. If I were buying a new FG today I'd look long and hard at the new Windsor Timeline. The ability to run fatter tires is very appealing to me as I'd rather take the weight penalty and ride fatter, puncture resistant tires than be limited to 23-28mm race tires. The Kilo WT also looks nice and fits wider tires.

Yeah, I suppose that is a bit contradictory of me. I suppose I'm just attracted to the idea of a decent looking, supposdly decent preforming bike for under $400.

Hmm, I've heard people badmouthing windsor, though that doesn't appear to be too bad. Though it appears to only have a freewheel? Am I blind, or just reading the page wrong?

My gut is still leaning towards the Kilo , since I've been referred to that many a time before, from other folk.