Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Opinions on the new EAI frame

I was looking around for a fixed gear frame and I saw the brassknuckle on thebikebiz. It has come down to one of these, a bareknucle (if I can find one cheap), a Soma Rush (once again, cheap), or a Cayne UNO frame. Are they any good, or move on. And please, just because its aluminium, don't say it'll be harsh cause I know that.

For $30 more you can get a Pake and it is CrMo 4130, and you get the fork.

I just noticed on their site they have it for $264 with frame and fork.

From the pictures I saw from interbike, it is hideous.

dunno what you guys are talking about but its going on my next build list. the price is right, its aluminum, it actually looks classy.

The bike at interbike was a prototype, so there's no way to tell what the build quality will be on the production models. I'm waiting to see one in real life before passing judgment. I can say that the EAI frames are built as track bikes (ie. for use on a real velodrome) while the soma and cayne are made to be ridden on the road.

my brass knuckle is on order so that will tell you what I think

Although the Pake is cheaper, I hate awkward seatpost diameters. If I get the Brassknuckle I already have a seatpost, same goes for the other frames (except the UNO). I'd need some serious convincing, also because I already have forks for both sizes of HS. I like the look of the Soma Rush. I found one in my size for $320, without fork. I'd need some seriously convincing arguments to go for the pake.

I agree with the off-sized seat post. If my road bike had a 27.2mm seatpost instead of 27, life would be so much easier.

The Pake looks 100 times better than that Brassknuckle. If you care about looks i mean

For $30 more you can get a Pake and it is CrMo 4130, and you get the fork.
Oh, yeah, I don't want the fork. I have forks.

The Pake looks 100 times better than that Brassknuckle. If you care about looks i mean

The Pake is 100 times heavier than that Brassknuckle. If you care about about a weight i mean.

Don't sweat the slopping downtube. "Looks" are subjective after all anyways.

Khaki and file cabinet grey are the only colors? Are they trying to make them as unappealing as possible? Ugh. I'd get one if they offered it in a color that a person who still had his soul could enjoy.

pake is the same geometry as the rush just uses regular old gas pipe tubes instead of reynolds or tange

if you are feeling either of those why not an iro they ar inexpensive have killer support - tony is the nicest guy second only to gene spicer in my book

or if you are into and al frame look at the spicer standard al frames the are really nice and gene is a really great guy to deal with

or you could get a leader off ebay

This forum is aluminum/sloping top tube/threadless headset h8rz anonymous, so don't listen too much to what people on here say. If you like the way modern road bikes feel, you'll like this bike. I think you're in weird territory comparing it to born-to-eat-potholes stuff like the street steel frames you mention, you're talking apples and oranges.

http://www.thebikebiz.com/photos/BK-TRK-EAI02-2.jpg

This is thebikebiz's picture, presumably the interbike rig. Are those really steel bars on an all-Al whip? Anybody know if the fork is Al? Weird.

fork is al bars are crmo b123 stem is also steel it is the fillet nitto stem

He could get a decent cf fork/seatpost and a comfy saddle and it wouldn't be a big deal. Alloy hate is overrated.

I have an alloy (even if it has a bit of carbon in the rear) road frame (BMC). Low tyre pressures, proper position and comfy saddle/bars are all you need.
Oh yeah, I want this to be fast. I'm not overly worried about comfort, but I have a spare 1 1/8" carbon fork and can easily get a 1 inch cheaply. I need to see the grey. If its matt, I'm there. I am still investigating IROs. I like the brassknuckle though. Fat Al tubes with chunky chainstays is where I'm at. But not too sure about sloping.

I am an iron butt no pads no chamois no nothin just butt and bike I can't tell the difference

http://spicercycles.com/images/446-large.jpg
spicer makes a few variations of these for around 350 usd

http://spicercycles.com/images/446-large.jpg
spicer makes a few variations of these for around 350 usd

Is the Spicer aluminum track frame real track geo?

I am an iron butt no pads no chamois no nothin just butt and bike I can't tell the difference

I'd hate to see you riding. at least nothing would be there to get caught in moving parts.

I'd hate to see you riding. at least nothing would be there to get caught in moving parts.


well I do wear clothes I just don't wear padded shorts and most of my saddles are old school hard plactic with leather covers if I am lucky

I have an alloy (even if it has a bit of carbon in the rear) road frame (BMC). Low tyre pressures, proper position and comfy saddle/bars are all you need.
Oh yeah, I want this to be fast. I'm not overly worried about comfort, but I have a spare 1 1/8" carbon fork and can easily get a 1 inch cheaply. I need to see the grey. If its matt, I'm there. I am still investigating IROs. I like the brassknuckle though. Fat Al tubes with chunky chainstays is where I'm at. But not too sure about sloping.

If you want it to be fast and al, then slopping top tubes are where it's at.

I dunno. My non sloping SL01 is pretty quick.

I've got a Spicer frame that Gene built for a sprinter with plate gussets and a seat stay brace. I can say for a fact that it is extremely stiff and definitely has steep geometry. The welds are the ugliest I've ever seen on a bike but it doesn't keep the bike from doing what it was meant to do.

I also have a brand new size medium brassknuckle that I won in a race. They are being built in Taiwan by Kinesis and feature very nice tig welds (none of that pista concept grind'n'bondo bull****). It's got an aluminum fork and if you like chunky tubes it's right up your alley. I haven't built it up (it's for sale) and nobody seems to have a geo sheet for it but if I had to shoot a guess out there I would bet that it shares mellower angles with alot of other modern Al track frames as is the trend. If you're interested watch ebay, it'll be up sooner rather than later.

As for Pake's and Rush's they are in fact the same bike made by the same shop for the same people but out of different tubing. I ride a Rush daily and am very happy with it's lively tubing (tange prestige db) and steep geometry (74.3 head/75.3 seat 388 cs length). I test rode both before I bought and was amazed out how heavy/flexy the pake was. I also checked out IRO's and felt that their lax angles and softer ride were not what I was looking for.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/320768211_388cf93df0.jpg?v=0

this was a prerelease model that was given away to the winner of our last alley cat here in sf. they don't come in that colour tho..

you mean to tell me it doesn't have the stailess steel track end inserts oh I am pissed

Oh ya, as far as frame advice, I'd never buy an al frame unless it had stainless steel track end inserts.

Oh ya, as far as frame advice, I'd never buy an al frame unless it had stainless steel track end inserts.

The production model might. remember, this was just an interbike proto

The Brassknuckle wearegetgetgo posted a link to above is the one I won. It has steel track end inserts but I'm not sure if they're stainless cuz they're powdercoated along with the frame.