Looking for a bike to commute on, but I don't need fenders, rack, etc. Just want something reliable and something that has mountain bike styling, not that hybrid granpa style bike. I like the trek soho S but want something with a little fatter tire. I also checked out the redline urbis, but some people say that kind of bike is not ideal for commuting b/c of the gearing or something. any suggestions? budget is about $500.

If it was me I would just keep an eye out on craigslist for a mountain bike you like and do a conversion. If it has a cassette hub it is ridiculously easy.

I would have to have a shop do the conversion. I know nothing about doing that. what does it entail and any idea how much they would charge? or how much I should spend on a used bike?

Depending on where you live, you can have mine for a price less than your budget, or you could get a new one. It's a gray Swobo Folsom in the 22" frame size (for people from about 5'10" to 6'2" I'd say. Btw I'm in southwestern Ohio.

It definitely has mountain bike style, with relaxed angles and the whole lot, however it only has a coaster brake in the rear and relatively low gearing (60 gear inches). As my first "real" bike, mine has served me well over the past three years as a commuter on the 3 mile trek to and from school, as a general throw-around/lock-up bike, and, when outfitted with the suspension fork it has now, as an ss off-road trail machine. In retrospect though, I would say the price is a bit steep for what it is, but I can't complain about how reliable it has been. Good luck!

Cheers
lverhagen

check out the redline 925 or torker u-district. they fit some pretty wide tires and are in the 300-400 dollar range.

Also, I just remembered the Dawes DeadEye, Dawes BullsEye, and the SE Stout. I own none of these and they are incredibly generic, also they are 29" so perhaps not ideal for city commuting without some changes but they have decent components for the price, get good reviews from those that own them, and should serve you well with appropriate changes and assuming good fit, etc. Good luck!

Cheers
lverhagen

The Urbis is technically fixed gear, not ss. Otherwise, I would have gone with that as well.

I thought it had flip flop hub deal so don't have to ride it as fixed gear. I test rode it today, nice bike. what do you guys think about this as commuter?

Awful low gearing. Unless thats how you want to ride?

So you're only gonna commute on nice days? Real commuters have fenders.

Maybe he lives in Arizona!

Trek Earl.

+1,000,000,000

Dumb question.. why can't he buy a cheapy bike off CL and get a cheap machine made SS wheel for it, then true it?(since it'd be machine made).

Good idea, but then you have to find a bike with horizontal dropouts or track ends, which isn't that easy to do. You also have to go through the process of stripping the gears, cables, etc. AND purchasing and setting up the rear wheel, which may not even look good on the frame.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Kilo WT:

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../kilott_wt.htm

It has rack mounts, a durable frame and it can fit crazy wide tires.

Durrrrrr LoL sorry I've been dealing with vintage road bikes for so long I completely forget bikes come with other drop out styles.. how common is it on older mountain bike frames?
Oh and wouldn't my idea work pretty simply with a surly singlenator for him?

No problem. A Singlenator may work but generally buying a complete SS is much, much easier. Plus, a Trek Earl is only $450. A CL bike with a new wheel will probably be close to that.

I have no idea about dropouts on older mountain bike frames. Try going here and scrolling down to "Mountain bikes"

https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

Nooooooo. You can get older mountain bikes of much higher quality than the Earl for $100 easy. You don't need a new rear wheel either. If it's a cassette hub you just need spacers and a cog, if it's a freewheel hub you just need an SS freewheel. And a chain tensioner if it has vertical dropouts (which most MTBs since about 1990 have, unfortunately.)

Price wise, converting an old bike to SS is the way to go for a cheap commuter. If budget isn't a concern or you want something you can ride today, by all means get a new bike. I must say though, I think the Earl is way overpriced. Steel everything, and a plain steel frame (not even chromoly!) There are far better choices, unless you enjoy riding around on a 30+ lb tank.

The Earl is chromoly. It also weighs less than 30 lbs. It's also easy to find for less than the $450 MSRP.