How can I put together a cheap fixie?

Where do you live? Find out if there is a community bike shop and you can usually get frames and parts for relatively cheap…......if you are in the Bay Area, check out the Bike Kitchen in SF

I actually live in an out island of The Bahamas. This definitely makes things tougher, and means that I need to do some searching and planning in anticipation of my next stateside trip

oh….. are you the same guy that asked the other bike repair question? I have no idea what you should do : ) but really, when you do come to the states there are lots of bike shops that are designed to help you DIY

Yeah, that was probably me. Thanks for the tips, will try to find a good shop next time I’m over

1. Locate an old road bike or ‘city bike’ (I’m sure you know this, but I would make sure the
rims are true.) In looking for your bike, try to find one with horizontal dropouts, see:
http://www.singlespeed.net/tension.htm
You can still make a fixed gear with (the more common) vertical dropouts but you
will have to readjust and tighten the back hub a lot.
2. Remove all the shifters, cables and cogs except the cog you choose for your preferred ratio.
3. You MUST get a thicker chain than a normal road bike chain, as you don’t want a chain snapping on you. BMX chains work and they are cheaper than track bike chains.
4. If you are not used to fixed gear, I would leave the front brake on. Some people like to put a BMX brake on the front.

Here’s a great resource for you:
http://sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-to-fixed-conversion.html