Cheap vs Expensive Fixed Gear Bikes? (Which Is Best For You)

When you can buy a cheap bike for 300$ why in the world would you consider buying 1200$ bike right.

This is a common question that hits you when you are about to buy fixed gear but you don’t know how much you want to spend or which price range you should buy in.

Buying a cheap bike or an expensive bike depends on you and your budget.

If your budget is around 300$ to 500$ you can buy a good quality bike which you can use for daily use, reliable for long rides too, usually fixed gear bike requires less maintenance so not bad in this price range.

Need to give bike names of 500$ price range with pictures

At this price range, the components like saddle, pedals, tires, and frame are not that pretty looking but they can handle day-to-day use, the components are might not be the most durable but you won’t be facing any technical problems.

In 1000$ or more budget you buy a high-end bike with an aerodynamic frame and track bike components. Also, the bike comes with sealed bearings on hubs, bottom brackets, and a headset, sealed bearing allows you to ride without spending time for maintenance on the bike.

The price you are paying goes into the design of the bike, and tubing systems which have stiffness, aerodynamic, balance weight this gives you the ride that you desire.

Need to give bike names of 10000$ price range with pictures

If you just want a regular fixed gear bike for daily use you can buy under the price of 500$ which is more than enough for you to use however you want to.

In this article, I will discuss is it really worth buying expensive fixed gear or is it just better to go with cheap ones.

Table of Contents

Cheap vs expensive Fixed gear cog which is durable?

The cog of the bike is an important component that allows you to ride at your desired pace.

Cheap Cogs

Some people prefer cheaper 10$ or 15$ cogs for daily use which can be used for more than 1800 miles to 2300 miles (2897 km to 3704 km), but it can wear off eventually resulting in the chain falling off constantly.

Cheap cogs are made out of sheet metal instead of forged, these types of cogs are likely to make more noise while riding, tooths on the cheaper cog can easily fade away since it is not forged.

But you can use cheaper cogs for daily use, and it is reliable for more than 1 year, after that you might want to replace them.

If you like to go with cheaper cogs under 16t Dura-Ace is the best and most reliable option for you, check out Dura-Ace cogs here.

Expensive cogs

The first thing about expensive cogs is that they are noiseless while riding your bike you can feel the smoothness of the cog. A cheaper cog can damage hub tread if it is not installed in a proper way. But with expensive cogs like EAI Delux, EAI gold medal cogs, and Phil cogs you won’t be facing issues with these treads.

Expensive cogs are forged, which makes them stronger cogs, they have finer tooth outlines, and they are rounder, you can see and feel the difference between an unnamed cog vs expensive cogs by just holding them.

Expensively priced cogs can be used more than 2500 miles in most cases you won’t need another cog as long as you riding the same bike.

Bottom line answer

If your budget fits it is always a better option to go with an EAI Delux, EAI gold medal or even Phil cogs is worth it. But if you just want a cog for daily use and you like to change cogs after 8 or 10 months Dura-Ace cogs work just fine.

Cheap Frame vs Expensive Bike Frame for Fixed Gear?

The frame does not make a huge difference when it comes to buying too cheap or expensive ones, it is a matter of design that allows aerodynamics, stiffness, and better balance of the bike, and obviously, there will be a weight difference depending on the material frame built from.

But cheaper bike frame usually comes with an aluminum frame or steel all so known as a Chromoly frame, the problem with these frames is it can crack in the long run, and they weigh more than a carbon frameset.

An expensive frame comes in carbon built-in material, carbon frames are long-lasting and most durable bike framesets while riding with carbon frames it absorbs the vibration of the road.

Cheap bike frames like aluminum or steel frames will not give you a smooth riding experience but it is good, depending on the budget you are spending.

Why are fixed gear bikes so expensive?

Fixed gear is fairly priced like every other bike, fixed gear price range starting from 250$ Walmart bikes to 39,000$ PG Bugatti bike, hell there is even fixie bike costing 102,418$ The Aurumania gold bike crystal edition made out of 24-carat gold, you got my point right, every product starts from cheap price to ridiculously expensive prices which is not reasonable to pay.

The same goes for fixed gear bikes, you have a vast range of prices to go with, if you are on a tight budget you can buy 200$ to 400$ fixie from Walmart or Amazon, or if you want a better durable bike, with a carbon frame, or lightweight components on the bike the price gets higher.

if you are wondering about low-cost Walmart fixed-gear bikes worth buying? click here to read

You can buy cheap fixie bikes If You are non regular rider

Cheaper bikes are made of aluminum or steel frame which are heavy and considered as low-quality material, if you are looking to buy carbon frame bikes which are high-end materials used in building racing bikes with aerodynamic design, and a better balance of the weight you obviously have to pay more.

If you are not into buying costly bikes and you just want a bike for daily use you can buy 300$ bikes these bikes can handle daily use but need to look after the maintenance of the bike.

Or if you want a lightweight bike with a comfortable saddle, drop handlebars, fancy pretty-looking pedals with toe clips, and carbon frames, the price jumps up to 1000$ but you won’t regret it, you can feel the difference between cheap and expensive once.

Buying an Expensive fixed gear bike is it worth it?

Is buying an expensive fixed-gear bike really worth it, Yes and No, Yes because the expensive bike price range starts from 1000$ this bike component will be much more durable, reliable, lighter weight, and long-lasting. No, because if you just want a bike for day-to-day use, you use that bike for 5 to 10 miles daily, you can always buy 400$ or 500$ fixie bikes, they can definitely handle rough use considering you will keep up with the maintenance of the bike.

Buying an expensive bike of 1000$ or more is not going to disappoint you, the component that comes with this price range is way more comfortable and durable, and the bike will have stiffness in them and be lightweight too.

Most of the bikes at the price range of 800$ or more come with a bearing on the headset, wheels, and hubs. So you don’t have to maintain the bike regularly sometimes not maintaining at all.

The cheaper the bike means it is built from low-quality material like aluminum or steel frame, which has a chance of cracking, the paint might scratch off, and the components like a saddle, handlebars, pedals, and tires are not much durable but cheaper biker can manage daily abuse.

cheap vs expensive fixed gear bikes

The only difference between cheaper vs expensive fixed-gear bikes

You can use cheaper fixie bikes as you would use an expensive fixie bike, but the only difference you will find is on weight and stiffness of the bike, and components can wear off faster on cheaper fixie bikes, and cheaper fixie bikes are sluggish due to its built material and heavy components.

Whereas expensive bikes are the opposite of cheaper fixed-gear bikes.

Conclusion

The difference between cheap and expensive bikes is in the frame-built material, components, the weight of the bike, and the design of the bike.

Cheaper bikes tend to have more weight than normal bikes, you may think the weight of the bike doesn’t matter but it does, when you ride uphill roads through headwinds then your bike weight feels like it doubled the weight before, and in long-distance rides cheaper bikes make you feel like you are riding a tank.

But on the good side of cheaper bikes, it is cheaper, good for daily use, and reliable for riding long distances, you really can’t complain about a bike which is worth 200$ and also you can’t expect more at this price.

Buying an expensive fixed gear depends on you, if you have a budget of more than 800$ just go with it, you won’t have to deal with problems that cheaper bikes cause.

Expensive bikes allow to you ride without any problems for years, you can have that desired ride that you always wanted.

Now you know which bike is better for you and your riding style, which also fits your budget too.

In final words, if you want a bike for day-to-day use or for traveling from one place to another, and you are not gonna use the bike very often, you can buy a cheap bike without any doubt, but you have to compromise on weight, durability, and frame size.