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front brake is 70% of your stopping power, and on a fixie, your legs are your rear brake, Front brake wins.

A few folks have mentioned it but really, fit is the most important thing.
Used is the way to go, bike geeks get tired of stuff fast and you can get into something awesome for a huge discount, if you want something relatively new. You're also much better off spending a tiny bit more and getting a real brand. I ran a bike shop for years and even when new cheap brands don't set up or work properly.

McSpunckle wrote: I have no intentions of riding it when I'm not going anywhere.

i'm going to go against the consensus and recommend that you get a hardtail mountain bike, i.e. one with no rear suspension. they're lighter than a three-speed, typically have eight or nine gears on the rear cog and three sprockets on the front so you can fine-tune your speed and efficiency, and a MB holds up much better if you're bombing around a city with poor road maintenance and potholes in surprise spots. they also have fatter tires with heavier casings than a road bike, which helps to avoid flats. if you don't need a suspension fork it'll be less expensive, but it really helps keep from beating your hands and wrists up which is important for a musician.

dubkitty wrote:i'm going to ... recommend that you get a hardtail mountain bike ... it really helps keep from beating your hands and wrists up which is important for a musician.

I stopped riding a mountain bike for precisely this reason.

Riding position puts too much weight on the hands/wrists.

dubkitty wrote:

McSpunckle wrote: I have no intentions of riding it when I'm not going anywhere.

You know what I meant, jerk!