14bikeco custom bike

I would advise against spending shit loads (£1000 is shit loads to me) on a bike mainly for commuting. Get an OTP and if you realise you are totally in love with bikes, flog it at a small loss and get a custom. By that time you may have already picked up enough knowledge to build your own and know what's a good deal and what isn't.

+1 again and again.

Thats one of the best pieces of advice i've seen on the forum for ages ;)

Seriously, especially with the winter months laying ahead the idea of commuting on an alpha of that price would be foolish, especially if your just coming back to cycling. Best to have something that if you were to come off (oily, frozen roads are very likely to pull off a new fixed rider) your not trashing something which you intend on holding on to for sometime.

Furthermore (people may have a go but its true) The more you spend on a track bike the more fragile it tends to be. These OTP's are pretty much completely bombproof in comparison to a honed,specific track bike. These big builders spend their money making sure that your bike won't give up the ghost the first time you have to bail.

Gain knowledge, meet everyone, have goes on bike, find out what you like and where you can get it well priced and save the pritzy bike for the spring when everyone cruises slowly down the Kings Road picking up hot chicks! ;)

...it'll look in a sorry state after a long winter of commuting!