Needing help with my first bike purchase.
 

Hey guys, I just recently got into biking after wrecking my car the other day :p I will be moving to Orlando, FL for school in couple months and I need a way for transportation. I've been looking around for hours about fixies and single speed road/street bikes but I've realized there's a lot into it. So, I'm here to ask for help from the real enthusiasts!

So to begin with, I'm 5'8 and weigh 150LB. I'm looking for a road bike, preferably a fixie for around the city. I'd like to stay around $500 but if it's worth it, I can throw in a couple more hundreds. I'm looking for a reliable and some-what high quality bike. I'm also planning to make upgrades on the bike. I've heard Kilo TT is a good one.

My friend has a State Bicycle, Contender that he's willing to sell it to me for $300. Original price is $650 but the condition isn't the greatest, after all, it is used. I've also haven't heard good things about State Bicycle, so if you could enlighten me on that, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Ask your friend for honest feedback on his bike. Why is he selling it? Is he upgrading? You are new to biking as you stated, so are you certain of what you want yet?

I think you should find an inexpensive fixed gear bike and try it for a while before sinking a lot of cash into something that you might find doesn't suit your needs.

You can also go the route of converting a roadie to FG. Look for a nice double butted Cr-Mo frame preferably without downtube shifter bosses. Lots of threads here on how to convert. You can get a decent wheelset from Velomine or others for around $100 if you want to go that route.

Lots of options available to you. Also, remember, a $500 fixed gear is going to be an attractive target for thieves. Assuming you'll have to lock it up on campus at some point.

KiloTT and make sure you can assemble/adjust it

Thanks for the feedback. So do you think the Contender is a good idea? I'm just worried about the brand and I don't want it breaking down or anything as it's about 3 years old. The bike has no problem except that it doesn't have peddles so I can't try it out yet. But for $300, I think it'll be a pretty good first bike to own? Also, does the frame size matter much? The Contender frame is 58 and my size is probably 56.

It's not a good deal if it doesn't fit. 58 sounds way too big if your 5'8. A 56 is probably too big. You are probably in the 52-54 range for most bikes but it does depend on the bike

Ok. I looked at Kilo TT Pro, but they're basically sold out.. What's the second best recommendation for me? I'm planning to dedicate myself into biking. Whether I like it or not, it's going to be my way of transportation.

You could look at purefix premium model https://www.purefixcycles.com/collec...xed-gear-bikes

Avoid this at all costs: Fixed Gear Bikes | Custom Cruiser made easy | Single Speed Bikes For Sale | Fixies and cruiser bicycles from Big Shot Bikes do yourself a huge favor, and just stay away.

Forever waiting for TT Pro to be back in stock.

Really? How long have you been waiting for exactly? I looked at WT and I think I'm going to go with those if they become available soon, but my friends Contender actually fits perfectly so I might luck out for just paying $300 for a $650 bike :)

Waiting about a year for one to show up at bikesdirect in my size. I'm even on the email alert list and never heard a word from them. I also check about 3 times a month for stock...

I have other bikes so it's not a big deal (Two fixed/SS and one 3x9). I missed out on a CL find last summer... a guy was selling a TTPro (with upgrades) in my size and I spent two days talking him down via email to 200 bucks only to have someone scoop it out from under me. I'm still bitter about that. I don't want a WT because I already have a Hybrid. I don't want a stripper or a regular Kilo (although they are fine bikes) due to upgrades I will want.

They pop up on CL every now and again but they are always the wrong size or the seller wants 700 bucks because he bought a crap saddle, straps and deep v's.

Wow, I tried out the email alert thing, but I don't think it's working. Better to just keep an eye out on the Facebook page. I also emailed them to see when it'll be in stock.

That CL find sounds like you lost a pretty good deal.

if you are 5'8", I dont think a 56cm is right for you. You can find some really nice bikes on cl for about 100$. Do you need to get one now or when you are in fl?

I looked around a bit more and probably a 50 or 53 is probably a better size. My friend said his Contender is 58 so I'm not sure why it fits well. I'm wanting to get one within couple months so I can practice riding at where I am now as Florida is known to be the worst biking state.

Yeah 50-53 is where you want to be. 58 will just end up being a pain. Can you post your local cl so i can scope out some bikes?

If yer friends bike fits well, why not just buy it? Tell him you'll give him 275. Use the "leftover" money and buy new tires, spare tubes, tire levers, and a bag to carry yo **** around in.

I did briefly look on cl but I didn't find anything in particular, but I also don't know what I'm looking for so there's that. I'm located in Fayetteville, AR.

Bro, this bike is awesome https://fayar.craigslist.org/bik/4868157497.html 125$ would be an awesome price

https://fayar.craigslist.org/bik/4850249645.html 100$ would be ideal for this one.

Neither of those are good candidates for converting to fixed.

OP, you might want to look at the $200 bikes at City Grounds. I can't speak to their quality.

Since there wasnt any adequate road sizes, I just pointed him in the direction of some decent bikes.

Since when is height or stand over a ****ing pre curser to buying a bike or frame. What happened to top tube measurements.

Thanks for the help, guys.

I did see the bikes from cl, but I don't really like the style.

Regarding Kilo bikes, I got a email back from them stating that they are not planning to sell more Kilo models as far as they can tell, which is sad..

I think I'm just going to buy the Contender from my friend for $300. I'm hoping to customize it so any link to a proper affordable fixed bike customization will be appreciated. :)

P.S. how hard is it to build my own bike? One other option is to buy a Kilo TT/WT frame and start from there, but I don't know what I should be expecting..

CL is about patience and diligence.

It is for me, I value my junk. But maybe you don't.

I dont think you understand what hes saying. Its more than just paying attention to stand over height/stand over when buying a bike.