San Francisco

With little weight and total speed control, the right fixed gear bike acts as an extension of the rider's body (even as the wrong seat can extend into his body). Personalize that appendage, at Mission Bicycles.

Beginning with an IRO frame powder-coated to the color of your choice, MB offers an industry-leading level of customization options to better suit your experience/riding style/wallet fatness. Some choices are functional, e.g., opting for Swiss DT "Competition" spokes over "Champion" subtracts 2.5 ounces of weight, while replacing a standard alloy seatpost for a GA-manufactured Thomson gives you adjustable tilt to modify body positioning, maximizing speed and facilitating that rearward lean favored by Tour de France riders too cheap for vasectomies. Aesthetic decisions include multi-colored Velocity Deep V rims; bullhorn, riser, or Tokyo track handlebars; griptape; Vitorria tires in royal blue, white, or red; and a KMC chain in purple or gold (just add ice to join LL Cool J's posse).

As the bikes are totally made to order, finished products take 2-4 weeks to build and deliver -- time you can spend on your current bodily extension, with its heavy weight, fluffy cushions, and speed control set exactly at zero.