I was looking at buying a singlespeed for my next bike and have come across 2 new ones in my budget(400 to 450).
Specialized langster (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9713)
Alpha track bike (no info on net - made by frankenstein bike works in philly)

My initial impressions on the langster was a nice ride, flat grey looks good but the brakes and brake levers were real cheap feeling (pads weren't adjusted properly at the store so that was part of it). I already have shimano levers that I will be using so that wasn't much of an issue.
The alpha was a somewhat smoother/heavier ride, I would rather have drops instead of the horns the alpha has and I can't get used to the look of the frame. Kinked downtube is very odd looking. Being cheaper is a plus for the alpha. Who knows, maybe the frame will grow on me.
After riding both I liked the langster as an overall package better as it is lighter (having to carry it around with all my books and stuff for school is where it being lighter counts) and I would have to make less changes in the short run.
From searches I can see that some people don't like the langster/alum frame and some love it for the value of it. My main use for the bike is to commute to the train, go to school, errands and exercise and wanted a no frills/ light bike to haul me around that I can not worry about getting nicked up or bad weather.
I looked at other options like the fuji but it would cost me way more than the 499 it costs to put on brakes and a freewheel cog thus making it too expensive. I am moving out to wayne,pa in Jan and some of the hills would be suicide for me to bomb down while trying to ride fixed.
I have another month to make up my mind so I was wondering about what langster owners though about their bikes so far and what upgrades they may have made? Are there any other options in my budget? (450 is the max I can even think about spending for everything. School payments are where most if not all of my money needs to go right now). What frame would be a better option in the long run as I would most probably end up switching out parts in the long run? I believe the alpha is 4130 steel and the specialized is A1 alum. The alpha has quando hubs (opinions on these vs the specialized hubs?)

For all the Philadelphia folk - Where would be a good lbs to go check out used/new singlespeeds?

I have thought about an old road frame and building it up (I can work on basic bike stuff) but chainline/hubs/headsets/bb are parts that I do not know about/how to fix nor have tools for them so I was shying away from that option.
Go ahead and throw some other ideas/names of bikes out so that I can check them out.

bianchi pista: I havent rode one yet, but the price seems right....$500 list price on their website (LBS will prolly be less)...so when I'm ready to buy a fixie, I'm more than likely going to buy one.

Hey, guys who have a pista....does it have a drillout for a front brake? If I buy one, it will become my general comuter, so to me it's pretty much mandatory to have a front brake of some flavor.

yup it has a drillout.

I have yet to see the LBS stock Langsters in these parts- "they" say they can never get them in... so I've never actually seen one. I have heard they have an aluminum rear drop out, which might be a concern.

Frankly, if you are going to park your bike outdoors, I'd opt for a conversion. You won't worry about it at all... whether it be theft or getting nicked up. You could probably build a very nice conversion for about $200- if not half that (if you have a seat, pedals, etc. to recycle).

bianchi probably not a good idea since it comes fixed and its
already more than $450. Has anyone built up a Surly for less
than $500 I've always been curious?

jeff

If you end up buying a cheaper bike there's a reason - it comes with sh#te parts and you'll end up upgrading anyhow. The new PIsta comes with some decent parts now and in my opinion will probably last longer.

Also the Langster has that compact geometry which I hate - but that's my opinion. The Pista is a nice looking bike for that price - saw a new one the other day, looks nice.

The thing is that right now I have to pay for school and Villanova is not cheap( I wish I was still paying philadelphia community tuition though) . Hence I only have a certain amount I can spend now. Once I move, start another job and school I can always save and upgrade later. I like the pista too but it ends up being expensive to make a new one into a singlespeed (see reason above why fixed is not an option right now)

Does the pista have a rear brake mount? I don't think I could get away with just a front brake where I am moving. I am going to go down this week to a shop that has bianchis and see if I can find an older pista which may be cheaper. I will also go around town and see what my options are for used bikes so that is still an option if I find a nice deal.

The shop down here has 5 2005 langsters in stock with more on the way next week is what the guy said.

A fixed gear wheel pretty much is a rear wheel...

If all you want to do is go singlespeed, you should be able to slap a BMX freewheel (and take extra front chainring(s) off) on an old road bike with little to no chainline issues.

NT - did you mean it is a rear brake?

Schwinnbikelove - would I have to just take an old geared bike and cut spacers for the back cog to align it? What about needing a chain tensioner? I have short semi-horizontal dropouts on my bike so I might be able to move the wheel a bit to get the chain tight.

For that budget you can find some very nice fixed conversions on E-bay.
Many of them have excellent components.

i think that the KHS seems like a better deal than the langster or pista. you get the added bonus of not having the same bike as a lot of people. i don't know for sure, but i seem to recall that it was 5-600.

For the money, it may be better to do a conversion. Then again, I understand new bike lust.

I find it doubtful that you could build up a Steamroller for less than $500. $350 for the frame, $90 for a cheapo rearwheel, leaves $70 for seatpost, saddle, headset, front wheel, stem, bars, brake, bottom bracket, cranks, chain, chainring, cog, and lockring (or freewheel). If you had any of those parts on hand, you could do it, but that's pretty much always true, right?

As for the brakes, you probably still only need one. The front brake can effectively deliver maximum braking power. Reasons for having a rear as well would be things like being afraid of pitchover, excessive rim heating (long braking descents can actually cause the tire to burst due to rim heating), or other control issues related to having the rear roll more easily than the front. Some run just a front on single speeds though myself I like to have a rear brake for the control aspect.

blendingnoise,
go with what feels right. that being said , have you looked at the bianchi bergama(sp). it's not a single speed but it's not a bad bike. it might be a bit heavy for what you're looking for. it's also more of a commuter bike. the 04's are selling for 430. you should be able to find a nice single speed for your price range. keep looking. ebay is always another option. there's plenty of single and 3 speeds in your price range. yellowjersey.com has those old raleigh single speeds that are made in india. pretty hot looking bikes. also broadway bikes in boston has a single speed bike that uses a vintage english frame and is built with new components. not sure if they ship. that bike falls in your price range. it all depends on what you're looking for. those bikes might not be the case. there's also folding bikes. redline makes a single speed mountain bike that sells for under 500 new. good luck with your search and school.

Not to start an argument, but if you aren't running fixed, I would keep the rear brake- not that it can't be done without...

As for places that sell used bikes in philly, check out Via at 9 & South and Firehouse at 50th & Baltimore. They usually don't keep a lot of SS or fixed bikes in stock but they'll be happy to whip something up for you. Or buy a geary and convert it yourself. Oh yeah, keep an eye on craigslist too. There have been a lot of SS/fixed bikes on there lately. Maybe everyone is getting rid of their summer toys =]

I dont know a whole lot about the Alpha, but I'll tell you what I do know. They come with really low-end components - they have to for what he's chargin. But from talking to the owner, I got the feeling that he wasn't just trying to pass off cheap crap on people. He just wants to sell simple bikes that work without a lot of whizbang stuff. Anyway I don't necessarily think the Alpha is a bad choice. It will get you around for awhile, but I wouldn't bother upgrading anything unless it completely breaks. Instead save that cash for a nicer ride.

I've know a few people who have Langsters and they seem ok with them for what they paid. The biggest complaints I have heard about are the pedals and seat which are easy swaps. Search around here for other opinions.

If you're not into being tall, check this out

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/48062692.html

I will have to check out via merztime. I stopped in a while back at firehouse and was amazed at the prices some ancient frames were being sold for. More than I expected atleast. I am currently riding a too small 49cm (I fit on a 54-56) bike that is old lugged cromo 24+lbs heavy which is why I was looking at the newer lighter bikes. I think I will keep the langster at the top of my list unless a nice used deal pops up around town.
I am used to applying both rear and front brakes together and am going to stick with that setup for now so a rear brake is needed.
Bostontrevor you may be right about that new bike thing. I put aside money for the last couple months and worked a fair amount of overtime for it so why not buy new. I know it will still be around in a couple of years being ridden to the store or on those wet snowy days.

Not too disappoint you, but Via is pricier than firehouse in my experience. Still it might be worth a look. Good luck.

I'm new to the fixed world. I've ridden road bikes for 10 years or so. I wanted to go simpler.

For me, I went with the langster '05 cause I have a short inseam (28 inches). So the pista was a slight larger frame size than I was comfortable with so my next stop was the langster. I liked it cause it was relatively inexpensive for a complete bike. I rode single speed for a week but got bored with it so I flipped it to a fixed with an 18t cog. It's nice. I've swapped out the pedals to mks', keep switching between bullhorns and drops, removed the rear brake, removed both brake levers and replaced the front brake lever with an old bmx lever I got for 5 bucks. I like it a lot and it's pretty simple.

Anyway, hope this helps and good luck on whatever fixed you get.

Go test ride a Fuji Track

I have both the Langster and the Fuji Track and I really enjoy riding the Fuji more in terms of the comfort and handling. They both cost $600 retail, the Fuji is chromoly and has no brakes while the Langster comes with front and rear brakes.

The IRO is quite nice. Its a little over your budget at about $550, but that is with certain options. If you can score a seat, handlebars, crank and a break, you can get the IRO down to about $500. You will also be dealing with Tony, rather than Specilized. Tony is a great guy who works hard to get you what you want. Also the IRO Mark V is steel and although I ride the Aluminum IRO Jamie Roy and love it, there are many who prefer steel.

Milo

Oh yeah. You have a CO-OP. Go there. They can help you build a fix conversion and then youll know the ins and outs of the bike, it will be cheap, and it will be cool. Also if you finds some of the older goodie frames youll be way ahead of dropping 5 on a new bike.

http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org/

Milo

can't go wrong with a mark v. plus tony is selling the ss mountain bike for 450 complete. not a bad deal.

i have a lngster, couldn't resist it when i saw it in the store. i absolutely love it. it is lighter and quicker than my old super course conversion, which i've been riding for over 34 years. i have kept all the equipment, except the saddle, which i was actually happy with but wanted to have an excuse to get a brooks swift. it's a fun ride. i just ride and enjoy it.