I need some advice on buying a fixed gear bike

basically i'm looking to buy a fixed gear bike.
ive looked into building one up myself which seems like the best idea, just a bit time consuming, and there is the danger that i'd just end up wildly throwing money about on ebay and not getting anywhere near a finished (and or safe) bike.
does anyone know anything about either the genesis flyer, bianchi pista or the fuji track bikes, these seem to be reasonably easy to get hold of and within my price range.
any advice or suggestions would be apreciated.

Talk to Andy at Fixed Gear London and he'll sort you out.

joel. does anyone know anything about either the genesis flyer, bianchi pista or the fuji track bikes, these seem to be reasonably easy to get hold of and within my price range

pista is popular, but is a dedicated track bike

genesis flyer got good reviews and i think the geometry is a little more relaxed

the fuji is a steal at the price but i think people have had problems with the hubs stripping??

have a look at

http://www.hubjub.co.uk

grab a bareknuckle

if you like the minimalist approach

it a bloody laugh to ride

and Will is a top bloke

the bianchis are crap for the money, i dont see why so meny people ride them.

Out of all them I personally think the Bianchi Pista is the most solid. The Bianchi frame is decent abet heavy with geometry that works both on the street and on the 'drome. Though the Chrome/Gang green ones are a little flash and I think they're a tad over priced in the UK.

As with all budget models your mileage with vary with the components, none of which are stellar.

With that said, I don't know much about the Flyers apart from having a quick gander at one. Seemed a bit bland but its probably decent.

I'd still be tempted to build a decent second hand fixie or score a complete bike with decent bits. However the only way to do this and stay in budget is to learn how to wrench for yourself and have friends/access to bike swaps to score bits without the ebay premium.

For the money you should end up with a better bike and a whole head of hard one knowledge. But its not the easiest approach and it can be a real PITA when you discover you've got a bike with french threading :)

but french can be rethreaded to italian :)

i'd build it up too, but off the peg i think hands down the fuji is the best

i nearly brought a lemond filmore (but upped my budget and got something more expensive) i looked at all the usual suspects (fuji, schwinn, bianchi, specialized, pearson,surly,dolan,) and the filmore seemed the best value and better finishing kit than the fuji, the wheels were better than the fuji or langster too.

building it yourself is quite time-consuming and you probably spend a bit extra than an off the peg bike. it's really satisfying though, knowing that you've built what you ride everyday and can fix nearly everything on it :)

i would say build your own, get a decent frame for around 250, drop a bit on mavic rims, and some decent hubs, build wheels yourself around that, and work out what you can spend on the rest of the componants, try the bay, and seccond hand shops.

I would second the opinion on eeehhhh and vegansdng. building your own fix is not only satisfying, but ensures that any maintenance you need to do can be done yourself. it's surprisingly easy and allows you to have a fully custom-built bike.

speak with Roberto ...he has lots of stuff...

I also think building is the way to go. But not everyone is adept at it, nor wants to spend the time acquiring the parts, resolving compatibility and chain line hiccups, and getting their hands dirty. A lot of people just want to get on their bike and ride, that's really where bikes like the Langster, Bianchi Pista and others excel. If I were going to buy a bike off the peg to hit the streets tomorrow, it would probably be a Bianchi. The learning, slow-upgrading and other stuff can come later, I'd hit the streets first.

Tools and time. Both of which are scarce in my life..
If not off-the-peg then buy something you like off ebay. That's what I did.
You get something different and (if the ad is correct) something that works straight away.

Having said that, I'd already built Vegemite so the self-build-bonus-points had already been collected.

Having started with a Langster straight off the peg (which I love), I'll be looking to build my own fixie next. Only problem is, I've already started buiding a geared bike and at the pace I'm going with my budget it's likely to be a long time coming. Or maybe I should just have 2 builds on the go at the same time...

nice ride hippy

hippy did you get that powdercoated locally?

That depends..
I built it in Croydon, Melbourne and had it coated in Bayswater, Melbourne.
If you meant locally as in London, sorry to disappoint. I sold most of it before coming to Europe.

ah, ok then, thanks anyways

my opinion is that to get a bike from Bricklanebikes, Jos, or Andy from fixedgearlondon would be a good idea if you're after something kinda vintage and personal.
If you want to just grab one angd go ,Langster was my choice because i liked the skulls, the carbon forks , compact geometry, lifetime warranty on the frame. It works perfectly on the street but i had to upgrade a bit, new wheels, brake lever, pedals. And it is quite a popular bike so you won't feel that unique when you see someone else riding one, but i spent some time choosing between Flyer,Pista,Fuji track and Langster (at the time padywagon and fillmore weren't availeble) and the Langster was the one that felt better riding to me and got the best feedback from shop assistants. But if i was to buy now i would get the Fillmore.
Off the peg bikes tho need upgrading so they end up being more expensive tha self/custom built.
Good wheels are a must if you wanna ride fixed so invest in a good pair!

by the way i've built my own just coz i wanted to ,LPG's borrowing it at the moment he likes it. But brace yourself track frames go for about £250, i didn't bother foor my first build.

I have seen the Genesis another day, it seems to be allright actually, better option than the Pistas i reckon...

Roberto you just love white bikes :)

i'm sorry but the langster's geometry is horrible.. it would be the last off the peg bike i chose