Fashion, Function and scratching an itch.
I recently built my own single speed for fashion and function. I bought a old steel frame from the bike station for £40. Good, old, cheap, 60" frames are hard to come by so when i saw this frame i just bought it. Thinking, if i don't do anything with it before christmas then i never will. so i'll sell it.
(Fashion)
After i bought the frame, i had a vision of what i wanted it to look like. I wanted it to look cool. I want people to look at that bike and admire the simplicity and beauty of thin steal frame.
(Function)
I wanted to build a bike that took me 15 minutes to clean. I wanted a bike that functioned well with layers of mud and dirt on it (because i was to busy on the W/E to clean it). I wanted a bike that was light and responded quickly. I wanted a bike that glided (hence i spent £80 on hubs alone, don't tell the wife).
(Scratching and Itch)
I wanted to build a bike. I wanted to know about what BB went with what crank set, chain tension, Spoke lacing, Spoke tension, free wheels, cogs, chain lines. Before i built my bike i had never put on Bar tape. I wanted a bike that i didn't have to take to the bike shop because i didn't know how to fix it.
Now i have a bike that glides like nothing i could imagine. (except up hills, it makes me work like a bastard)
http://www.cyclechat.net/useralbums/single-speed-project.283/view
Building a bike is nerdy and personal and for me not cheap. I would do it all over again.