Suggest a fixed gear for me

[OneEighth]

Honestly, if you know generally what you are looking for, no reason not to buy your first one used off of ebay or craigslist. Langsters and Surly Steamrollers are both nice and appear often at (sometimes) reasonable prices.
FWIW, having a two-finger lever by the stem works fine. I found myself naturally riding with my hands close on either side of the stem pretty early on, so I’m usually covering the brake anyway. Works fine in emergencies.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 90943 wrote:

I’ve never ridden a fixed gear bike, but descriptions from many of you (as well as the number of you who have tried it and really liked it) make me think I would like it.

Some time last year I was at Proteus and they had a beautiful Bianchi Pista, last year’s model, in my size, and on sale. I’ve been lusting after this bike for some time, but in our current condo I am at S-1 (in fact, if it weren’t for our impending move/taking the kids to camp I’d be at S). But- we’re moving in August and I’ll have a basement. I will then be at S-2 and I want a fixed gear.

Imagine my dismay when I heard at coffee club last week that Proteus sold my bike! The nerve!

So now my question is – do I really want a Pista, or was it just the right price at the right time? If money were no object, I’d probably go after a Pinarello Catena. But I’m thinking my price target is more like $750.

I spend nearly all my time on the brake hoods, so I think I want to keep that style of brake lever. I don’t want flat bars. I might be open to track-style drops with the brake on the straight part of the bar, but that sounds like a bad idea in an emergency situation.

I’ve also considered a cheap ($250-350) one from Bikes Direct or something so I could see how I like it, and if I love it then maybe I can justify the Pinarello. Any other suggestions?

Wabi Classic? Would be right in your budget.

http://www.wabicycles.com/classic_bike_spec_11.html

You could also build something up yourself, which is a bit easier with a fixed gear. In addition to the Pista, consider something like a Bianchi San Jose, on which you could mount wide, knobby tires if you wanted use it in the snow or for gravel grinding.

I have a relatively cheap-o State bike…it has actually been a really good bike. The advantage it has over a Purefix or something similar is that it’s a cromoly frame rather than the inferior hi-tensile steel (cromoly is lighter, I believe). I had a bunch of upgraded components on it, but all those went on my Cinelli this weekend, so it’ll soon be returned to stock. I plan to use it as my school commuter, since it was $430 complete and I won’t cry if it gets banged up or stolen.

If you asked this question on BikeForums, the answer would be “Kilo TT /thread”.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I should also add that you’re more than welcome to take my State for a long test ride once it’s rebuilt (probably next week, waiting for a new bottom bracket), just to get a taste for riding fixed. It’s definitely a major adjustment.

[jopamora]

No local dealers, but Creme Cycles out of Poland has this pretty steed. Tati bike shop in Chicago offers the milkbar. Can’t find a store page, but the last time I looked the price was around $500.

[vvill]

Test ride one if you are planning to buy new (and if you’re buying used you might be able to, as well).

A lot of the same things apply to fixed gear bikes the same way as regular bikes… things like tire clearance and geometry vary by intended usage – any bike can be a fixed gear really. Obviously with FG bikes there’s often a lot of aesthetics involved in decision making as well that may not affect the actual ride quality, even more so than other bikes. I think ride quality/comfort is possibly more important on a fixed gear because you can’t coast over bumps, potholes, gravel, etc. In my limited experience, my wrists and behind get more sore riding FG.

Personally if I could do a FG build right now I would consider a SSCX with a front disc brake, but then I already have 2 singlespeed/FG capable fairweather bikes…

An aside on riding a FG: it took me quite a while to feel comfortable to do general rides (commuting, hills, faster rides, whatever) on a fixed gear. I almost gave up on the idea of being able to ride FG competently and was ready to say “it’s not for me”. I think it’s one of those things you have to commit to for a decent number of rides in a row to learn new habits (or unlearn the old ones). Simple not coasting situations e.g.: after a sprint effort, or going over a speed bump, took me some time to get used to. The main thing that became my tipping point for “success” that I ended up learning (muscle memory wise, I suppose?) was that your bike never travels without your legs moving, and accordingly the idea of coasting becomes foreign. Also, I still use my front brake a lot which I think makes it a little easier on your knees.

[dcv]

Get the bike you lust after, it’ll help motivate you to ride – especially in the beginning. Like VVill, I didn’t immediately love riding fixed. I bought a chrome pista that I had coveted for long time, it took a few months before I felt comfortable enough to enjoy it.

[jrenaut]

@dcv 90974 wrote:

Get the bike you lust after, it’ll help motivate you to ride – especially in the beginning. Like VVill, I didn’t immediately love riding fixed. I bought a chrome pista that I had coveted for long time, it took a few months before I felt comfortable enough to enjoy it.

I’m going to go ahead and let you explain that one to my wife.

@1/8th – I’m not wild about Surly and I don’t like Specialized’s corporate attitude. Do you generally ride with track-style drops?

@TwoWheels – The Wabi is nice-looking, but it kind of looks like a knock-off Pista, except it’s not cheaper. I would love to test your State – you’re about my size, right? I’d kind of like to build one myself but I know that would end up costing way more and since I don’t know yet exactly what I want, it would be EVEN MORE.

@jopamora – Creme Cycles has some beautiful bikes. I wish they had a local dealer.

@vvill – Think of this bike as my 2-seater convertible. I have the full-size SUV (Xtracycle), the sporty-yet-roomy CUV (Bianchi Volpe), and now I want a stripped-down, bare-bones just-me-and-the-bike bike.

[jrenaut]

@TwoWheelsDC 90948 wrote:

If you asked this question on BikeForums, the answer would be “Kilo TT /thread”.

That’s a hot bike for the price but doesn’t seem available anywhere. Love the orange.

[americancyclo]

The kilo line is only bikes direct AFAIK. I dig the stripper and the chromed one but am wary of sizing. When I eventually get around to having room for N+1 that bike is in the running, but so are old pistas for under $300.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 90975 wrote:

@TwoWheels – I would love to test your State – you’re about my size, right?

It’s a 55 with a 55cm top tube. You ride SPDs, right? The pedals on it are SPD/platforms, but foot retention is pretty critical for riding fixed.

The part I’m waiting on (bottom bracket) hopefully will arrive late this week or early next, so we can hook something up shortly thereafter.

[jrenaut]

SPD yes, 55 might be a tad small but it should be okay. I’m unavailable the first 2 weeks of August, but I’ll get back to you after that.

[DismalScientist]

You can borrow my Fiji S- 10 -S conversion. It’s a 58 cm with miniclips. BTW, the best biking shoes are from Target.

[OneEighth]

I stopped using bullhorns after a while because my wrists are more comfortable on track drop bars. But, the bullhorns were great for hills.

[americancyclo]

@jrenaut 90979 wrote:

SPD yes, 55 might be a tad small but it should be okay. I’m unavailable the first 2 weeks of August, but I’ll get back to you after that.

This sounds like a great time to organize the fabled “Bike Arlington Hains Point Fixie Fest”

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 90982 wrote:

You can borrow my Fiji S- 10 -S conversion. It’s a 58 cm with miniclips. BTW, the best biking shoes are from Target.

I switched to SPDs because I wasn’t getting my foot set properly in the toe clips and it was really hurting my knees. Knowing my legs are aligned properly all the time makes for much happier legs. But thanks for the offer, I may take you up on that.

[Author]

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