I’ve just moved to Melbourne from the US and I’m totally new to the fixie world. I’m getting tired of relying on public transit, so I’m looking to get a bike of reasonable quality for under $600 if possible. I’ve been searching the forums for the past week and keeping an eye on gumtree and e-bay, but as I know very little about bicycles in general I probably wouldn’t recognize a good deal if I saw one, and there’s not much to choose from.
Is it worth buying new, or should I wait to find something secondhand? I really don’t care what the bike looks like as long as it’s reliable and enjoyable to ride. I’ve read the KHS Flite 100 is a good place to start, and I saw a smaller one sell on e-bay with a bunch of accessories for $450. The closest shops to me are Pony and iRide, but I doubt Pony is within my budget. I’ve also seen mention of Bicycle Recycle, but that’s quite far away. Are there other shops near the CBD that stock used bikes?
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
cell bikes aint a bad idea, but you’d be smart to take the bike by a shop to get it dialled in anyways if you are new to bikes so either way you should visit sasha.
To clarify: To date I haven’t received any form of product or monetary compensation from Cell Bikes, however they are a forum sponsor, and this helps pay for the bandwidth that allows us all to post pictures of CX bikes and tease Horatio about riding shirtless. If I do receive anything from them at any point I will make full disclosure of it.
I posted the Azzurri because it’s a damn good bike for the pricepoint, and I kinda want one.
I will suggest Cell as a great place to start this whole cycling caper because all the other ‘cheap’ options are utter crap. I also like that Cell don’t just make fixed gear bikes out of plumbers pipe like every other ‘cheap’ option. They also make very good value road and mountain bikes which can turn out to be pretty nice bikes, despite how horrible they make them look in the press photos.
Disclaimer: I once got a chain tool from Cell bikes for my ‘good words’ about the company. I have never purchased anything from them and receiving a chain tool did not change my thoughts about the company.
I have never received anything from Cell, but three people I know ride the “c1ngle” and they enjoy them.
Also, Mark posts on here, gets feedback from everyone who actually rides and uses that to better their product. They make good sturdy bikes at a decent price (or so it seems).
I will, however, receive free stuff from Cell if they want to give it away.
while we’re humping cell’s leg, i’ll also say that they make decent entry level bikes. my first fixed was the cell cingle, and while it wasn’t the lightest or liveliest ride i’ve had, it was good for the price.
Evan @ Cyclic still has a nice KHS Flite 100 peppermint complete hanging in his store last time I was there, if you really want one, think it was a 54cm from memory, but have no idea about the price.
yeah Cell is about the best place for an instant and new fix. I’ve been buying stuff from them for a while now, prices are Wiggle/CRC competitive and sometimes better.
Yeah, their blog mentions a 50cm one for $500. I’d be all over that if it weren’t so small (I think I need a 56cm).
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I’ll be sure to give Pony a visit, and I’m definitely considering Cell for the price. Does anyone have any firsthand experience with the cheaper Cell bikes like the Solo or Mallet 360? I didn’t see a “c1ngle” listed on the website.
the Cell Solo is basically an updated version of the C1ngle, which was the first fixed gear they released. looks decent for that price. just remember they measure centre of BB to top of seat tube, so if you need a 56cm c-c, best to order the 59cm (don’t quote me on that, maybe email them for specific geometry)
i remember HeavyMetalCyclist said the shop he works at has some KHS Flites going out the door for a pretty good price. good solid bike for the price. I can’t remember the bike shop he works at, maybe PM him
i have a cell mallet2, its been really good to me for the last 6 months or so ive owned it, no isssues. But theres alot of talk about how crap the wheels are.
