schuppaloop

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum. A couple of months ago, my single speed/fixie combo got stolen. (Yes it was locked, they cut the lock) I've been riding my old road bike for the past few months.
I want to replace it sooooo badly but I also want to get a good deal.
I'm looking for a nice bike, but also with a good price. Any recommendations on websites, make/models, etc? I heard a Kilo is a good deal, I just want to make sure that I'm not really getting ripped off.
Also, has anyone seen those aerospoke wood grain rims? I WANT.

Thanks, and ride on!

Dr. Banzai

I buy almost all my stuff from the UK.

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk
https://www.probikekit.com/index.php

Ribble usually wins the price plus shipping race. It's all about the coupons and discount codes. I also have a US shipping address so some stuff comes from the USA, but not much. They can't usually beat the UK for prices for some reason - but that is on the type of stuff I buy.

schuppaloop

So would you recommend making the bike from scratch, or should I get bicycle that has all of the parts? I don't have too much experience with figuring out all the different parts I want, but on a fixie it's not a big deal.

Dr. Banzai

I just built a Cinelli Mash from the ground up for under $1400. Some people buy a complete bike and then do upgrades and it costs more than that.

If you can install headset cups/race by yourself then ok, build a bike. If you can't, start with a complete and learn the mechanical side of it as you go.

Lilcphoto

Way back in middle school I was in the bike building class before school... Learned all about bikes and even put together a low rider the teacher had. For the longest time I never took apart my bikes because I was just a kid. Fast forward to now, and after buying a complete Kilo TT stripper, I have to say it would have been more financially smarter to build it up from scratch, but having a complete bike helped me learn back all of the parts I forgot about. If any of this would apply to you I don't know, but I can say I recommend buying a complete bike and working your way from there.

schuppaloop

Yeah, that was really helpful. Have you been on bikesdirect? It seems like their fixies are really cheap (3-5 hundred). I'm a fan of that price. What do people typically upgrade first? I really want those wood grain aerospokes, but they're extremely pricy.
The purpose of this bike is to cruise around town/my college campus. Secondly, I want it to look cool. But I want a nice fixed gear bike to keep it simple, and get me to class.

illdthedj

the kilos on bikesdirect are a great place to start, especially if you are new to bikes and building them.
good bang for buck ratio

mihlbach

+1. www.wiggle.com/uk is another good UK source. I was just looking at Brooks saddle prices at Ribble...incredible.

sfreywagg

i had the hardest time trying to find cranks on ribble's page... those silly british call them chainsets ><

SlowRoller

It's generally cheaper to buy a bike complete rather than as a separate frame set and components.

Lilcphoto

That is, if you are satisfied with every component.

SlowRoller

That's why I qualified it with "generally." Given the context presented by the OP, it doesn't sound like he/she is going to be swapping components from a complete bike. Just my interpretation though...