Supply and demand. Fixed are fashion statements at the moment. This often goes hand in hand with a bit of a retro feel, so you have a lot of people after a fairly short supply of second hand fixed wheel bikes, and because they don't object to 'older machines', the price up stays up. It's true of other niches as well. Quality touring bikes hold up okay whereas ther plethora of geared race bikes on offer, are cheap because they quickly become 'dated'.
Actually I'd say that the reason Fixies are expensive is the same reason that things like recumbents are expensive. It's a fairly small, and somewhat niche market. Most people who want to buy these sort of cycles are fairly keen, so they won't be spending money on cheap and cheerful stuff, and the size of the market is such that it can only support a limited number of models, so you'll end up with a lot of middle of the road stuff, and not much very cheap stuff. Fixed wheel bikes aren't ridiculously expensive, they just aren't very cheap.
I didn't think they were particularly, but it depends what you consider to be expensive and what you're comparing the price to. 'Tis all relative. I agree with the last poster - that they are not all that cheap because that are not as mass produced as the really cheap road bikes, but they are not all that expensive either. My Pompino was a cheap bike compared to my new road bike (though this might be because the new road bike is not a mass produced one). It doesn't cost a great deal to convert an old bike with forward facing drop outs into a fixed though.
Blonde How do you convert an old bike with forward-facing dropouts to a fixed? It's been a long-term plan of mine, and any tips would be welcomed.
Sorry, just seen this - you needs a fixed wheel building of course. I think there can be issues with the width of the drop outs 'cos some track bikes have differently spaced drop outs to road bikes. Best to ask your wheel builder/LBS. Depending on what you've already got, you may need a new (or not necessarily new, but second hand) BB and/or Chain/crank set as well, 'cos this has to line up well with the fixed sprocket at the rear so you get a good chain line. It's also an idea to get shorter cranks to facilitiate spinning and ensure you won't ever ground a pedal when cornering, but it's not an essential item. Ask someone who has done a fixed conversion!
I feel the same in that i would love to give it a go but maybe singlespeed to use for work. Would save abomb on parts and be less cleanning. I worry because if i have a hard day at work ( maintenance fitter at large cement works) i sometimes use low gears for going home. Whats A nice size ring and sprocket? I was thinking of buying cheap racer off ebay. Can pickup some for under £50 and buy a converion kit of rear sprocket and tensioner would love to hear what others think
Even I have those days, and I only do office work! I have started on a 72 inch gear - that's a 48 tooth chain ring and an 18 tooth sprocket. My way home is 13 miles and mostly slightly uphill all the way, with the last 1.5 miles or so all uphill and with a steeper bit towards the top where I live, and I manage it fine on 72" even when tired. Note that it is easier on a fixed to turn a slightly larger gear than you usually would on a 'normal' bike on flat ground, and on all but the steepest of hills you also get a lot more for your effort, as there is no 'dead spot' that you have with a free hub. If your commute is very hilly or there are any very steep hills, you may want to use a smaller gear, but you will also then need to brake more on the descents.
Get a fixed/fixed flip-flop hub and you can (depending on your dropout capacity) run two different rear-sprockets. You can get up to a 4 tooth difference in size on some frames though that's a fair difference in gearing so probably just add a tooth or two. You could also run single-speed on one side. Let's you freewheel the downhills (if you have any) - they are the biggest pain in the arse when you're tired
