Try Before You... Build? Buy?

I've been looking at getting a fixed for a while now. Commuting through London, using only one of my gears 99% of the time, I realised that messengers looked like they were having fun. The bikes look sleek, too, and I love the idea of trackstanding at lights.

I would really appreciate though, if one of you would do me a favour - meet up with me and let me take one for a spin? Before I put money and time into it I just want to make sure that I can actually ride one of these things without killing myself.

I'd also really appreciate some advice if all goes well. I plan on getting an old frame and grinding off all the sticky out bits, sandblasting it and getting it painted up. After that I'm a bit lost. I want to buy bits that I won't instantly want to upgrade, but haven't got a huge amount to spend. I understand that apart from horizontal drop-outs, there isn't much else I need to look out for in a frame?

Sorry to lay all these questions on you.

Someone replied, thanks!

Come along to Polo on sunday - I'm sure someone will let u ride their bike - you can ride mine :-)

This Sunday? I'm in Amsterdam until Monday. Would have come otherwise - it looks like great fun.

then either come to the saturday bridges ride the week after or the next sunday bike polo. it's always best at these group activities because a lot of us will be there and you can ask as many questions as you like, provided that someone fix the bloody weather!!!

im not in london so you cant ride mine evn though i would happily let you.
but from someone who has/in the process of building a bike like the one you are talking about, i really would get your bike sorted before getting it painted. i have had to change so many little things and it is much pricier than you expect it to be. i am going to make mine my ideal ride then get it powdercoated afterwards.
ignore what i just said if you are absolutely stinking rich

go to any evans and they shall let you try the ss bikes they have in stock, try a pista to see how track geometry suits you, a fillmore to see how you feel on a more traditional road geo, or a Langster to see if you like the compact geometry,they should all have flip flops hubs so ask them to put them on fixed and take 'em for a spin.
I reccomend you start with a ss bike to put on fixed so the more relaxed goemetry won't demand too much adapting as track bikes freel completely different, higher bb more wieight on your front wheel and VERY resposive steering.

as for the build, be careful, it's addictive so take yor time pick the right parts and have an idea of what colours you want on your bike, consider everything, even the spoke nipples.
if you getting the frame all grinded sanblasted an stuff i'd look for a good steel frame, columbus or reynolds tubing is what your're after.Dedacciai if more popular in newer frames. When you find a good frame you might wanna put some horzontal dropouts.
it can all be very confusing at the beginning and if you don't pay too much attention you'll find yourself wanting to change stuff one the build is complete.
Armoutex will do the job well and they're in hackney in south london there is mario vass (that's for the paintjob)
Cranks and wheels are the ones that will make you go...what???!!!when you hear the price...Mavic Ellipse are a good pair of wheels and cost around £200
If you were after a money saving mission i'm afraid you failed.
Building you own bike is expensive but worth every single panny of it.
p.s. measure everything before you buy any parts, get an expert eye to check the threading
Good Luck

mattsparkes: i'm around and pretty central (southwark or clerkenwell) so you can have a good on my bike if you want. what size are you after? i've got a langster and an old condor that you can have a go on. also, as edmundane said, come to the bridges ride and you'll have loads of info at your disposal.

oh: and i would second the nutkick with the price of the wheels. they usually tend to be the most expensive part of the bike.

Thanks everyone for the offers and advice. I'll get in touch with you when I'm back in the country on Monday.

What do you think to this frame?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PEUGEOT-MENS-RACING-BIKE_W0QQitemZ280130035325QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33503QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I can't see clearly, does anybody know if these have horizontal drop-outs? Would that be a good frame to start with?

Looks like horizontal or semi-horizontal so chain tension adjustment is possible. Is it your size?

I don't really know about size - I'm about 6' 2"

for 50 squid it's worth a bash no bids currently

58cm to 60+? It's about a 58cm so it might be a bit small but if it's cheap then yeah what the hell. I ride a smaller size fix than I probably should. It's ok.

It looks like a good candidate for a conversion. It seems, however, to be fitted with the old style long reach calipers, less powerful than the modern short reach counterparts. So if you are thinking of running it with a front brake, you may need to replace the fork in order to be able fit a modern short reach caliper. Just a suggestion.

you might want to check with the seller the wheel size of the bike as well.

http://www.brixtoncycles.co.uk/bikes.html

Test rides

We don't just recommend a testride before you buy, we insist on it. It's only when you ride the bike that you can make decisions about the size and the setup. You'll have to leave us with a deposit or security, then you can take any models you're interested in out for a spin. Make sure you have enough time to ride a selection of bikes. We can also try different saddles, stem lengths etc. to ensure the bike fits you really well