Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Frame Upgrade: Surly V. IRO

I'm looking at upgrading my frameset to either a Surly Steamroller or IRO Jamie Roy V up from a Fuji Track.

Now, my Track really isn't very old at all. I only purchased it in May but I'm quickly realizing that it really isn't the kind of bike I'm looking for. I can't afford to have multiple bikes for multiple occasions, nor do I really get out to the track as often as I'd like. What I really need is an all weather bike with tire clearances big enough for knobbies during winter.

I did a little research and found that through my shop I can pick up a Steamroller for about what I'd pay for a Jamie Roy and am looking for some insights. Besides the Jamie Roy being aluminum and having frame/rack eyelets - what other differences/advantages/disadvantages are there?

On a side note:
How much do you guys think a blue 2006 Fuji Track framset would go for?

I can't afford to have multiple bikes for multiple occasions

If you want an all-rounder type bike why consider a track-ish frame at all? It you like the snappy handling on the street and actually do ride at the track from time to time, buy a beater on craigslist for winter and be done with it.

just get an iro and be happy with it.

and i'll give you twenty bucks for that fuji,

30 for the fuji here.

If you want an "all weather bike with tire clearances big enough for knobbies during winter," and you're already looking at Surlys, then just get a Cross-Check. It has horizontal dropouts so you can ride it as a single speed or fixed gear quite easily, canti studs so you can run heavy-duty brakes in the snow, and tire clearance for days.

^^^ agreed. the cross check might just be the best all rounder there is. The IRO will only take 28mm tires without fenders I believe.. thats not the best. Check out the Rob Roy if you want to go with IRO. Its their cross bike and would work the best as an all rounder for you.

"Upgrading the frame" is the surest way to have bikes reproducing in your garage.

If you want an all-rounder type bike why consider a track-ish frame at all? It you like the snappy handling on the street and actually do ride at the track from time to time, buy a beater on craigslist for winter and be done with it.

Are the Steamroller and Jamie Roy considered track frames?


"Upgrading the frame" is the surest way to have bikes reproducing in your garage.

That is exactly what I don't want. This is certainly a one time deal. After the summer is over I will no longer be working at a bike shop and will no longer have an affordable means of making silly frame changes.

Cross-Check/Rob Roy:
I'll have to look into these. I do like V-Brakes a lot more but I'm not sure if I'm down with all the braze ons. I still want at least some of the smooth lined appeal of a track bike.

I'm curious why you're restricting yourself to either the Surly or the Iro? I personally hate aluminum, and I've had some bad luck with it in cold temperatures, and I think its durability is questionable, so I'd say go with the Surly...but I second the Cross-Check over the Steamroller. I understand that you want the 'look' of a simple track bike, but I dunno if that should be the guiding criterion for your choice, especially for winter riding.

If you don't mind another suggestion, I recommend the Bianchi San Jose. It's a little 'louder' than the other bikes, but I bought one for about $550, and I love it-- you might be able to get it cheaper through your shop. I added a Brooks, some fenders, a rack, some cork and shellac, and it looks (and rides!) pretty great. The only downside to it is the obnoxious Bianchi badging (under clearcoat, of course), but hey, what the hell. The '07 even comes with a flip/flop rear. Neato. Some folks around here seem to have an issue with Bianchi, or large-production 'off the rack' bikes in general, but I think it's a great bike, and do about 80-100 miles a week on it commuting, and it works really well.

Are the Steamroller and Jamie Roy considered track frames?



look at their drop outs

look at their drop outs
and that will tell you... what kind of dropouts they have. a track frame is presumably one meant for track racing, with a high bb and a tight wheelbase. ive heard of velodromes that will not let slack road fixed-gears on the track because they have all the same issues a conversion would have.

to answer the question though, i think a steamroller is more 'track' than a jamie roy, which is basically just a road bike. correct me if im wrong though.

look at their drop outs
there's a lot more to track bikes than track ends. the jamie roy is definitely a ss road bike.

my vote would also be for the cross check. however, the san jose or the roger would definitely be worth considering, though i don't think you can purchase the frameset new. my friend has a san jose and loves it, despite the junk components.

just to add to your quandry, the on-one il pompino would be another frame to consider. like the surly, it's steel, has large tire clearance, canti mounts, fender and rack mounts... but has track ends rather than horizontal dropouts and is single speed specific.

i'd take the Steamroller over the IRO even though it lacks the fender eyelets (p-clips!)
Mainly because it's spaced at 120mm instead of 130 which saves you the expense and hassle of respacing your hubs (probably need a new axle) or getting new wheels altogether.

a steamroller isn't very "track" like anyway.

^^^ agreed. the cross check might just be the best all rounder there is. The IRO will only take 28mm tires without fenders I believe.. thats not the best. Check out the Rob Roy if you want to go with IRO. Its their cross bike and would work the best as an all rounder for you.

The Jamie Roy takes 38 width tires according to their website.
I have some 37's on order so I'll let you know.

Are the Steamroller and Jamie Roy considered track frames?


They are both slacker than what most here would consider "track frames". That's why I said track-ish.

Just a couple more points:

The Cross-Check is definitely the most versatile frame, as it allows SS/geared setups without a chain-tensioner, etc., and Surly just makes great stuff. 'Course, the frame and fork cost about $400, which is alot.

The San Jose doesn't have 'junk' components, despite what other posters may think. The wheels and seat are bad, but aside from that everything else is either a quality brand or serviceably generic. The worst part of the wheels are probably the 28h lacing (WTF?), but the hubs are sealed cartridge, and seem okay. The cranks are Sugino XD, Cane Creek brakes/levers, and the Bianchi-badged stem, bars, and seatpost--while not the sexiest items around--are of decent quality and work well. The wheels do work, though, and I've ridden the hell out of mine. I expect to replace them next season...but even with a new, middle-quality wheelset, the San Jose is cheaper than a built-up Cross Check. But definitely not as nice...

The Bianchi is spaced 130, but comes with 120 hubs with spacers, so other track wheelsets could be run in it without wrecking the chainline.

surly

iros are played

included with your surly is a yellow jacket and helmet mirror

Are the Steamroller and Jamie Roy considered track frames?



That is exactly what I don't want. This is certainly a one time deal. After the summer is over I will no longer be working at a bike shop and will no longer have an affordable means of making silly frame changes.

Cross-Check/Rob Roy:
I'll have to look into these. I do like V-Brakes a lot more but I'm not sure if I'm down with all the braze ons. I still want at least some of the smooth lined appeal of a track bike.

All you need to do is hang the old frame in your garage. Within a few months time (mine took about 6 months) you will have another bike.

I have a crosscheck. It would make a good fixed gear, but I will say that horizontal drops vs track drops definitely have their limitations.

well i talked to one of the other guys at the shop today and he pointed out the san jose as well.

why i'm limiting myself to the steamroller or the jamie roy is because i have access to the steamroller at employee prices and the jamie roy is well... in my price range.

i don't really want to get the san jose mostly because it comes as a complete and even after selling my current bike i'd come out in the hole. on the otherhand selling my current frame and purchasing a new framset will get me a new (read: better) bike at a lot less extra expense.

also:

i think i'm pretty set on the steamroller v. jamie roy. i've looked at the other options today and i know i'm going to stay fixed so i'd prefer a bike with track drops. that said i've also looked at the 1x1 but the disc brake tabs kind've turned me off on it.

perhaps down the road i can look for CC fork with canti studs so i can upgrade my brakes, but i'll tackle that when i get there.

for now i just need a versatile, all season, fixed gear frameset (read: no braze ons).

our shop carries specialized, gary fisher, cannondale, bianchi, raleigh and surly, all of which have and sell single speed bikes. only specialized and surly sell SS framesets, and only surly comes at a price point i can afford.

as for whats available online outside of my shop, only iro fits my budget unless that is someone can suggest a frameset in the $250-300 range of sufficient versatility (read: tire clearence) that would be a superior choice to either the steamroller or jamie roy.

You sure you don't want fender eyelets? They're not all that noticeable compared to stuff like brake cable brazeons or dt shifter bosses; p clipped fenders look crummy; and winter riding is pretty miserable if you're getting sprayed with salty slushy water all the time.

You sure you don't want fender eyelets? They're not all that noticeable compared to stuff like brake cable brazeons or dt shifter bosses; p clipped fenders look crummy; and winter riding is pretty miserable if you're getting sprayed with salty slushy water all the time.

eyelets would be great, but i can deal with p clips.

^ Fair enuff

the Kona Paddy Wagon is available pretty cheap as a frameset. It takes long reach brakes and comes with fender eyelets.

I second the Bianchi San Jose. Swap the 'cross tires for some street slicks. Swap the 17T for a 15T cog and you're good to go. Well, take the wheel decals off, then's it's all good.

the Kona Paddy Wagon is available pretty cheap as a frameset. It takes long reach brakes and comes with fender eyelets.

I was this close to picking up a paddy wagon frame before finally deciding on the jamie roy.

how does the steamroller ride? like a roadbike?

steamroller has road geometry yes

steamroller is nice but i wish i had gotten the crosscheck. one day you're going to want to run something other than fixed wheel and you'll be stuck with your steamroller. the crosscheck just makes sense and is a beautiful frame.

just do it

one day you're going to want to run something other than fixed wheel and you'll be stuck with your steamroller.

Does this same reasoning apply when choosing a cross-check over a jamie roy?

I will go ahead and say get a kogswell because they are beautiful comfy and you can't kill em

Okay talked to the man in charge and I'm looking at $320 after taxes and shipping for a new Surly Steamroller frameset.

Would you guys consider this to be a must get price or can I do better not buying through my shop.

Sidenote:

I took a look at Surly's website to look at alternative fork options and thought that perhaps a Steamroller frame with a Crosscheck fork might be a fun combo. Advantage being that I would have the option to use V brakes or canti brakes up front as well as having pleanty of extra tire clearence. However, the Crosscheck fork is 25mm longer... so about an inch. I don't imagine that an inch more up front would cause any problems but is there anything I might be missing?

I will go ahead and say get a kogswell because they are beautiful comfy and you can't kill em

i would love to own a kogswell -- but i would need something sportier to go along with it. maybe in another life time... :/

the paddy wagon would also be nice but once again, i don't get a shop discount so it's not on my list.

bareknuckle trust me

the paddy wagon would also be nice but once again, i don't get a shop discount so it's not on my list.

The paddy wagon is about the same price shipped from bikeman or jenson as your surly.

bareknuckle trust me

http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-eai01.htm

584.95 Vs. $320

Plz try n read dur threadz b4 postin plz. KTHX BYE.

The paddy wagon is about the same price shipped from bikeman or jenson as your surly.

Ahhh interesting. Fender eyelets in the back... clearance up to 34mm. I'll put it on my list.

yeah well your idea of upgrading isn't really an upgrade at all you are looking at frames that are on the same level or slightly higher than the fuji frame which is pretty pointless I would say ride the bike and save some money until you can make a real upgrade and be a little more satisfied with what you have purchased

i would love to own a kogswell -- but i would need something sportier to go along with it. maybe in another life time... :/


Is there something in particular that we could change to make the P/R sportier?

Is there something in particular that we could change to make the P/R sportier?

bring back the model G :)

and that will tell you... what kind of dropouts they have. a track frame is presumably one meant for track racing, with a high bb and a tight wheelbase. ive heard of velodromes that will not let slack road fixed-gears on the track because they have all the same issues a conversion would have.

I call BS on that story. Every velodrome I've ever raced on has had a whole stable of old converted road bikes that are used for practice and in the beginners/juniors races. I'm fairly confident that they wouldn't be allowed in a Cat 1/2 race, but I'm also fairly confident that that doesn't apply to anyone here.

http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-eai01.htm

584.95 Vs. $320

Plz try n read dur threadz b4 postin plz. KTHX BYE.

Don't be a dick.

I call BS on that story. Every velodrome I've ever raced on has had a whole stable of old converted road bikes that are used for practice and in the beginners/juniors races. I'm fairly confident that they wouldn't be allowed in a Cat 1/2 race, but I'm also fairly confident that that doesn't apply to anyone here.


There are no conversions here except the next mtbs for the little kids that are being phased out. I don't think there are any alpenrose at all.

While it's fine somewhere like kissena, northbrrook or the mellowdrome on a steeper track a low bb is unridable and conversions are not allowed. While I have never heard of road fgs being banned it wouldn't surprise me.

I call BS on that story. Every velodrome I've ever raced on has had a whole stable of old converted road bikes that are used for practice and in the beginners/juniors races. I'm fairly confident that they wouldn't be allowed in a Cat 1/2 race, but I'm also fairly confident that that doesn't apply to anyone here.
we don't have conversions here either; all the rental/loaner bikes are primarily older khs's and a few gt's.

I'm quickly realizing that it really isn't the kind of bike I'm looking for. I can't afford to have multiple bikes for multiple occasions, nor do I really get out to the track as often as I'd like. What I really need is an all weather bike with tire clearances big enough for knobbies during winter.
This screams Cross-Check. That bike will handle anything and everything you could possibly throw at it. Fixed, gears, fat tires, fenders, racks, caliper brakes, canti brakes, etc.

This screams Cross-Check. That bike will handle anything and everything you could possibly throw at it. Fixed, gears, fat tires, fenders, racks, caliper brakes, canti brakes, etc.

You must not have read later on, where the OP says that what he actually wants a bike without braze-ons. Basically, he needs to replace his one impractical bike for another impractical one.

You must not have read later on, where the OP says that what he actually wants a bike without braze-ons. Basically, he needs to replace his one impractical bike for another impractical one.

presumably with a bit of nudging he may come to realization that braze ons make sense and don't hurt anything now rather then this time next year.

bring back the model G :)
+eleventybillion.

You must not have read later on, where the OP says that what he actually wants a bike without braze-ons. Basically, he needs to replace his one impractical bike for another impractical one.

t1ts or gtfo.