Is this your first bike?

You should really check out the beginner advice thread and the $200-600 thread in addition to this one. There's a lot of helpful advice in there including SIZING. KNOWING YOUR SIZE IS SUPER IMPORTANT SO KNOW THAT FIRST.

Also, if you're in this price bracket and you don't already have the essential bike accessories:

• A Front Brake and Lever and Cable if you're not sure what sizes you need make a post in the weekly questions thread. Some of the bikes I suggest have one already, but if they don't GET ONE.
  
  
• A Floor Pump
  
  
• A Metric Hex Set
  
  
• A 15mm wrench if your wheels require it (most do)
  
  
• A Lockring Tool 100% essential if you plan to ride fixed
  
  
• Some Grease
  
  
• Good pedals! Clips and straps, bmx straps, or clipless can all benefit greatly from a little extra cash.
  
  
• A helmet
  
  Note there are other options for all of these that could allow you to save money/space/whatever, but you won't go wrong with what I linked. I'd really suggest having these even if it means you go down a price bracket on the actual bike, they'll all come in handy.
  
  

  New Bikes
  

  
  

• An Upgraded Dolan Precursa at £Whateveryouwanttospend is just so customizable and awesome and the pricing is great and really everyone should get this if they can. I'd highly suggest opting for the front brake, miche pistard clincher wheelset (tubular if you're riding track ONLY), and sugino75 crankset options. You can even get direct drives for only £109 extra ( a $500 crankset whaaaat) so that's cool. If you really want to dive headfirst you can get clipless pedals too, but if you don't know what those are definitely make a post in the weekly questions thread.
  
  
• The Specialized Langster at $650 retail is a super solid street and track bike. They go on sale sometimes for less and for $600 or less it's really a no brainer.
  
  
• The Wabi Classic at $750 has been my go to recommendation for a long time. It's made of super high quality steel has excellent customization options, and is all around awesome. The biggest downside is the super relaxed geo. If you want something that rides more like an average road bike check out the Special or Lightning
  
  
• The PoloandBike Williamsburg at £760 is a great option for European riders. The name brand finishing kit and artchetype rims give it that custom bike feel for a good value complete bike. If you swap out the front tire and maybe upgrade the crank this bike can be truly superb.
  
  
• The All-City Big Block at $950 is easily the best looking bike on this list imo, but that aside it's a super ultra double awesome track bike. Really well rounded and could easily be the last fixed gear you buy. One thing to watch out for is the long top tubes that all city loves so much so take a close look at that geo chart.
  
  

  Used Bikes
  

  
  Another great thing about this price bracket is the used market. I daresay it is easy to find outstanding value bikes used in this price range if you know what you're doing. I helped a friend source this for $1100 and we were being choosey! Again, if you need help post in the questions thread or just PM me because I like helping people with this stuff.
  
  
  
  
  
  

The biggest difference between cranksets is roundness, a more expensive crank is going to be rounder which means there's a smaller difference in chain tension which means it "absorbs" less energy is more silent. Expensive cranksets are also stiffer, but unless you're putting out 3000 watt that isn't really an issue.

That conversion kit looks like a bad idea, it's a bunch of the cheapest components being marketed as "hip".

They're called riser bars, as long as you find a bar with same diameter (probably 25.4 or 26 mm on older road bikes) you can keep the stem and headset.

Park makes super nice tools, and that stand is a great choice. But I'd really consider buying tools along the ride, instead of shelling out big time for this huge set. Since you are a tool guy you probably already have a good part of those wrenches and keys, so it'd be better to move a bit of that budget towards your bike.

For this conversion you'll need these tools:

• Chain whip
  
  
• Pedal wrench
  
  
• Chain tool
  
  
• Tire levers
  
  
• Crank puller
  
  
• Chain cleaner
  
  
• Bottom bracket tool
  
  This totals about half of what you'd pay for the complete set, so I'd go for the complete set if you need all the wrenches, but otherwise you can put an extra $100 into your conversion.

So, I am looking to get a fixed gear/single speed for random riding around town. Humboldt County! Anyway, I have seen a bunch on amazon and other bike sites, but have come to the conclusion that I don't really know much about them. I used to have a Giant Bowery Mash-up back in 2011/12 but I didn't do much with it.
I am currently looking at the 6KU Single Speed Fixie https://www.citygrounds.com/products/6ku-fixie-singlespeed-bike-nebula-black?variant=20404839494
or The Giordano Rapido https://www.amazon.com/Giordano-Rapido-Single-Speed-White/dp/B004V36HPY/ref=sr_1_33?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1468039561&sr=1-33&keywords=single+speed+bike
Out of these 2 which one is worth it, and of the one you would choose, what would you get rid of/replace?
I like the frame of Giordano (that flat ish bottom bar) and the bull handles. But I have heard of 6ku before and not giordano. So any help is appreciated!

My girlfriend bought me One Gear and I really like it. It is clearly aimed at the absolute beginner but the bike porn is lovely and it is laid out really well.

Specs:
--------
Part| Component
---|---
Frame| 2012 Jamis Sputnik Reynolds 520
Fork / Headset| Excel Curved Fork / Stock Alloy
Crankset / Bottom Bracket| Sugino RD2 / Sugino
Pedals| MKS Sylvan Track
Drivetrain / Cog / Chainring / Chain| 19t Surly Cog / 48t Sugino Chainring / KMC Z410
Handlebars / Stem| Nitto Noodle / Thomson Elite
Saddle / Seatpost| Brooks B17 / Velo Orange Grand Cru
Brakes| Tektro R317 long reach forged alloy dual-pivot caliper with Tektro RL-567 top mount brake lever
Front Wheel / Hub / Tire| Sun M13 / Formula / Panaracer Pasela
Rear Wheel / Hub / Tire| Sun M13 / Formula / Panaracer Pasela
Accessories | Thomson Top Cap / Dura Ace Lockring / MKS Toe Clips / Zefal Toe Straps / Fizik Microtex Bar Tape/ Surly Tuggnut / Crane Japan Headset Bell

^(^^Not ^^quite ^^bored ^^enough ^^to ^^look ^^for ^^the ^^other ^^parts...)

My winter beater frame is a Steamroller and I live in Edmonton (so I know shit weather). Mostly you can get by on regular tires if you want just by letting out some pressure. But if you want something that plows through it all (blizzard/rutted ice friendly tires) I would really recommend Nokian 32c studded tires. It's a low stud count, with the studs off the center of the tire so if there is some bare spots of pavement you won't be scraping the metal on the road. They are great for traction/peace of mind but not bulky at all. They've been great for me as a commuter and courier.

Yeah, I don't see why not. A shim doesn't noticeably effect performance at all, especially on a commuter bike. Something like this will do the job perfectly as an adapter. Or, you can get a new quill. Either way, you'll spend less money by purchasing all that, than buying a new 1" threadless fork.

EDIT: 1" threadless carbon fiber fork.

I went on a 30-mi ride and ended up getting a really dry mouth, so I ended it there. Yesterday, I did 33-mi and ended it in order to get back at a decent time for breakfast. Having a water bottle on-hand definitely helped out and this set-up felt solid.

Saddle Rail Adaptor

Water Bottle Cage

Water Bottle
(Not pictured, but I highly recommend it!)

From the bottom up:

• Pretty standard Alex flip-flop wheelset
  
• 56cm Felt Brougham frame (I think it's an '07, but I can't swear to that since I bought it used).
  
• FSA Crank with some super shitty pedals I had laying around.
  
• Shimano 105 brake.
  
• Bontrager stem
  
• chopped riser bars
  
• cheap/light Easton seatpost
  
• cheap Brooks gel seat
  
  It's nothing super flashy or expensive, but she rides like a dream and she's built solidly.

I have these on my bike, and they're pretty good.

the park tools chainwhip (SR-18 for 1/8th inch) is good, but doesn't have a lockring tool. I have one of these that's OK.

It's a 2 bedroom apartment shared with my wife. We both have beds so one will be used as our bedroom and one as a guest room. The apartment is fairly large with an open living room & dining room space. We have a fairly small couch, entertainment center and dining room table. We won't have a garage or outside storage. Hope that helps a little better. I was looking at the this stand but not sure I want to have 3 or 4 of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-BR-5700-Super-Brake-Caliper/dp/B003RLHMAU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320589529&sr=8-3

Been hearing great things about these on other forums too

The Kilo TT uses a threadless stem. Most bicycles do, although some older ones have a quill stem.

Anyhow, regarding this Cinelli Vai:

> 1-1/8" fork clamp diameter

The Kilo TT has a 1" fork, so no, this specific stem won't work.

Edit: You can use a shim to make it fit, though. It's relatively painless.

I'm sure the Feather and most fixed gear bikes come as square tapered so correct me if I am wrong, but both the crankset you want are square-tapered.

If you get either the Sugino or the Campagnolo, you have to get the correct bottom bracket spindle length so you have a straight chain line (i.e. the chain runs parallel to the frame's body). They will usually tell you how long the spindle length should run for example in this website it tells you to have a spindle length of 109-110mm. So if your current bottom bracket has the same length, then you don't need to buy a new one. All you need is some elbow grease and these two 1 and 2 tools and you'll have your new crank installed.

you can't use regular chain rings from geared bikes because they were designed for the chain to derail easier rather than harder. look for 1/8 chainrings.
something like this with the 1/2 x 1/8" dimensions
http://www.amazon.com/Sugino-46t-Chainring-130mm-Black/dp/B001GSOEZW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1405701973&sr=8-8&keywords=single+speed+chainring

I have the same ones, they're Power Grips. They're really nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Grips-Sport-Pedal-Strap/dp/B001FYGGLC

Procrastination is a disease, and I am sick.

• 55cm Matte Black Throne Track Lord Frame $285
  
• Gold Origin 8 single speed crankset $75 (I know it's cheaper elsewhere)
  
• Diatech compe gold finger brake lever $33
  
• KMC Gold BMX bicycle chain $23 (It is the 710 I think)
  
• Promax P-1 gold stem $70
  
• Mavic 700cc Ellipse track fixed gear wheel set/rims (slightly used) $550
  
• Cinneli mash bullhorn handlebars $150 (Are they really that expensive? I paid $20 for mine from a bro.)
  
• Rock Bro’s Alluminum Alloy Gold Pedals $25
  
• Pure fix pro Carbon Fork $200
  
• Cateye bike computer $45
  
• Cinelli Avaldo Crest bike saddle/seat $43
  
• Cinelli handlebar end plugs $6
  
• Gator Skin tires $75
  
  $1580 total, not even trying to bargin shop. Cog, lockring, seatpost (nope, frame comes with), brake and housing and cable, we'll be generous and call it $1700
  
  Bargain!

This may not be as extensive as other books on the subject, but I think it's worth mentioning here, since it specifically teaches you how to convert an old bike into a fixie. It also includes nice/artsy pictures of fixies.

[Here's] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BW3HM8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) some pedals that I purchased recently. They're probably on the lower end of pedals out there, but they've worked well for me so far.

I can tell you the Sunlite combo barely gets the job done. The lockring tool worked fine, however, I had to rotafix the cog off due to the tool not having enough leverage even with a 17mm wrench hooked on the end.

If you're planning on switching cogs a lot, I would shell out for some Park Tools.

You dont need a 1" stem, just buy a shim and use whatever 1 1/8" stem you want

Gold:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CNARIE/ref=pd_sim_468_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VG17X4WDDHGAZPBRM1GF

The pedal and strap come together as an integral system. http://www.amazon.com/Power-Grips-Sport-Pedal-Strap/dp/B001FYGGLC

Water set up:

• Saddle Mount
  
• Cage
  
• Bottle
  
  The rest of my stuff (Wallet/tools/tubes/phone/kindle/lock/food/etc.) is either in this Timbuk2 Catapult on short rides (<30km) or in my jersey pockets on longer rides(>30km).
  
  I've considered getting a duel bottle mount so I can keep one of those tool bottles with a tube, multi-tool, wrench, and levers.
  

they make fake levers for the stoker on tandems

2010 Langsters come with a 42t chainring. It was the first thing I upgraded.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GSOEZW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Link:
Cane Creek Ergo Stoker Levers (Pair), Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZTNXDW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Qh.kybBE7VME5

would this be all I would need to buy for straps? Or would I need to make two orders of them?

I googled SPDs and these are not SPDs. They are http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Ultralight-Pedals-Straps-Silver/dp/B002BW3HM8

I told my mom I was looking at getting new pedals to replace the stock pedals and she just went out and got these from a LBS. I really liked the fit and the fact that the pedal itself had a lot of grip even without the straps but it looks like they were not of the greatest quality. I guess I'll try what you said about about repacking the pedal but when I screwed it back onto the spindle this morning there looked to be plenty of grease still on the spindle...

https://www.amazon.com/Nokian-Hakkeplitta-A10-700-Studs/dp/B002P6BOF2

There is no rubbing whatsoever, I am currently running them at 60psi.

Won't need a new fork or headset, just a new adapter, and a new stem.

Out of curiosity, what Centurion did you pick up? I have an old '86 Time Machine I've been thinking about converting.

http://www.amazon.com/Giordano-Rapido-Single-Speed-Road/dp/B004V36HPY/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1421198273&sr=1-2&keywords=giordano+fixed+gear

Its this bike with a few fake decals, white deep dish wheels with fake decals on the back, and fake handlebars.