slowboytommy

im new to biking, i want a cheap fixie n i come across this in ebay:
Black Wht Fixie Road Bike Steel Alloy Track Bicycle Fixed Gear Single Speed 54cm | eBay
what do u guys think? will this thing break down on me in the middle of the road? can i skid with this safely?

escarpment

no. general rule of thumb, anything under 300 new will be crap. even most 4-500 new fixie/singlespeed you will find online will be mediocre.

lurk these forums, dont ask dumb questions, use common sense.

welcome!

murrellington

Most likely it won't explode when you are riding it down the street. But I've never heard of the brand and it has a hell of a head tube angle. You could probably find something better.

GregLast

This is a quick way to throw $179 away.

The bike you are going to get recommended the most is going to be Kilo TT, the Kilo Stripper, and the Kilo TT Pro. All are budget bikes and all are pretty great at not being terrible. It's probably the best economical introduction to fixed gear riding there is.

bikesdirect.com will provide a wealth of information on them and you can purchase there.

jr59

Define good?

Training.Wheels

As far as general advice goes, if you want something new and cheap, go to bikesdirect.com and get yourself a Kilo TT. Best bang for your buck. Anything else pales in comparison at the same price point. Also, make sure you get the right size.

slowboytommy

can u name some cheap but good brands that i can buy from? doesnt have to be the whole bike, i can do parts too

slowboytommy

hows this frameset? is this head angle any good?
6KU Steel Fixie Frameset

prooftheory

Building up a bike is vastly more expensive than buying complete. That frame is probably good for the money but to build it up reasonably you are probably looking at at least $700.

Flatulentfox

As everyone else said, the Mercier kilo bikes are the best bang for your buck. As a general rule, anything with "fixie" in the title will be garbage.

hairnet

#kiloTT

tds101 

Dawes Streetfighter: Save Up to 60% Off Flat Bar Road Bikes | Track Bikes | Fixed Gear | Single Speed Bicycles | Dawes SST singlespeed bicycles | Save up to 60% off list prices

Hotness!!!

jonny4947

I don't have one yet, but check out the kilo wt if you are on urban potholed streets. From what I hear its a wider tire, slower but smoother kilo tt and similar to the surly steamroller.

jonny4947

It can also run fenders, which would be difficult with the tt.

heymatthew

The head tube on the first bike is crazy steep... I'm sure it would be okay, but it's hella ugly. That bike looks like a Project Fixie or Pure Fix. Not good, not bad. It will ride. The wheels will spin, the pedals will turn, the brakes will [probably] stop you. You'll probably end up placing an order for a replacement bike rather quickly so I'd advise you to do a little more research and put a little more money towards a better bike. A custom build isn't really the answer as they're more expensive (as has already been stated).

Mercier, Dawes, State, etc. are fine. All are about the same and all come with free shipping. Put it together yourself, or, if you can't do that, then throw your bike shop $25 and get them to do it for you.

If you're just DYING to get a bike right now (trust me, I know how that is as I'm the most impatient person on the planet), I'm sure one of these would work. Aesthetically speaking, I'd prefer the second one you linked to (the 6K whatever).

Leukybear 

Wow, just look at the rake of that fork! Much stableses even at 100mph.


Yeah I'd avoid it at all costs.

A good way to get a decent/ great bike on a tight budget is to buy used.
Nothing wrong with that. Works out especially well when somebody drops the premium for a news one only to discover that fixed gear is not for them and wants to recoup losses.

heymatthew

This is good advice, OP. But, I'll play devil's advocate a little bit here and tell you to make sure you do your homework. Lots of people are aware of the "hip" fascination with "fixies" these days and think that any ol' 10-speed conversion, or bottom-shelf bike shop single-speed is worth it's weight in gold. Just do your homework before buying used. Ask lots of questions (here and with the seller) and make sure you know what you're getting before plunking down cash.

Also, I'm not sure if you're near a college town, but right now is like Craigslist Bicycle Frenzy because school is starting back up and college kids need transportation. Don't get caught up in the supply and demand thing and overpay.

Leukybear is right though, buying used is a great way to get a great bike at a discount.

Philasteve

I wouldn't even waste my time or energy putting together a custom bike with a $75 hi-tensile steel frame. If you're going to go with steel at least get one that's 4130.

slowboytommy

to be honest i dont want to spend over $300, so this is my go to right now other than building a cheap hi ten by myself. how bad is hi ten compare to crmo? what about vs aluminium?

TejanoTrackie 

You won't be able to build anything for under $300. High tensile steel isn't bad per se, it's just going to be a lot heavier because it will be made with thick non-butted tubing. Cheap aluminum will be no better than cheap steel.

heymatthew

You'd be better off just maxing out your budget and getting the Dawes or whatever. You won't be able to build a bike for $300. Considering you're looking at a $75 frame, that leaves $225 for parts. Your wheels will be $125, leaving you $100. Even if you bought the most bottom-of-the-barrel parts you could find from eBay, there's no way on earth you could build a bike for $300. A headset and bottom bracket alone will eat up 1/3 of that, easily. Then you still need a crank, brake, lever, grips, handlebars, pedals, cog, lockring and, perhaps most importantly, the tools to put it all together. You can't just pop in a bottom bracket with an old plumbing wrench. You need to torque stuff properly so you don't: a) undertighten and have your **** come spinning out on you while you're riding and get you hit by a car, or b) overtighten your **** to the point that you strip out your BB or frame or whatever.

If you've got an Amazon Prime account, just get on there and buy a PureFix or something. Free shipping, under $300 and you get a return policy with it in case you hate it (you'll have to take it all back apart again). Best part is, most of the crucial parts are already installed so you don't have to worry about specific tools, etc.

bbattle

+1000 been there, done that. While building up your own bike is fun, it is much more expensive than buying a complete bike. I bought a Raleigh Sprite complete bike for $100 and spent another $500 or so converting it to my liking. Awesome looking bike, fun to ride. But for that money, I could've bought a nice, new bike with plenty of cash leftover. Same for my wife's singlespeed. Started with a $25 Peugeot frame, don't even want to total up what I poured into it.

Bikesdirect.com is your budget bike buddy. Or you may get lucky on Craigslist but only if you know what you're looking for. Or looking at. Same for garage sales. You can score killer deals but it takes a lot of time and effort.

Best to get rolling on a Kilo and increase your bicycle knowledge by hanging out here. The Classic and Vintage forum is also good for learning about older, used bikes. Lots of flippers there giving out lots of good advice.

Also, be sure to read Sheldon Brown-Bicycle Technical Information

thedapperest

Personally, I'll say get an Origin-8, mine was $400 (I got it for $350) but the extra $100 would be worth it, imo, or you could go with the forum favorite and pick up a Kilo TT. I'd personally go with the TT because it's got drops, comes in colors other than black, and sounds like it's got good components on it, but if you're talking about gear ratio I'm not sure how it comes. If you're really up for it, I suppose you could buy a ****ty bike and build it up as time goes by, but I think anything I or anyone else has suggested, will be your best options for sure.

stryper

If your budget is $300, get a Windsor Hour Plus or Gravity Swift2 from bikes direct. I've ridden both and they are fine bikes for the price.

slowboytommy

Windsor hour plus looks like a great deal, most likely buying it. Also do u guys know any quick release rear rack that's strong enough to hold a pack of water? I don't want to have a rear rack all the time, look so lame, but sometimes I gotta get water from walmart.