Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Triple8Sol
04-26-10, 02:56 AM
Currently riding a KHS Flite 100 custom build and looking to upgrade the frameset on a minimal budget. I ride fixed only just for fun and running errands on the street, no commuting or tricks, just hopping on/off/over the occasional curb/step. I encounter plenty of hills and also hit the local outdoor 'drome off-hours once in awhile. Appreciate your opinions and experiences, so please let me know what you think! Here are my thoughts and questions:
Wouldn't mind upgrading this double butted 520 to slightly better steel so I've been considering the IRO Mark V Pro & Jamis Sputnik w/631 and Soma Rush w/Tange Prestige. None of these are straight gauge and they're all heat-treated, right?
Lookswise, I've really been wanting something more streamlined. Always hated the fender eyelets on the KHS since I'll never run them on this bike. Things like that and cable guides are a deal-breaker for the next frame, so none of those 3 have them. IRO goes a step further and gets rid of the rear brake mount, so that's a plus since I only run an emergency front brake. All the others are drilled for both, which isn't a big deal. I really like that the lack of water bottle bosses on my KHS, which I wouldn't use anyways. IRO has 0, he Soma has 1 which I can prob live with, but the Jamis has 2 which is an eyesore so I"m not so sure. Each frame is offered in either white or black or both, so I'm mostly indifferent for color choice. A horizontal tt w/no slope is a must, and they all have it. Tight tire clearances are a must, as well as the ability to fit 700x25-28 tires, so correct me if I'm wrong, but all 3 seem to fit that criteria?
After coming from an old Fuji conversion, I've enjoyed the nimble track geo of my KHS from day one and everyday for the past year with no concerns re: toe overlap or twitchiness. Of course the trade-off is that I've sacrificed some comfort on longer ~30 mile rides, but I've been able to live with it. If I'm reading the geometry charts correctly, the IRO/Jamis are more relaxed, so the Soma wins on this one, right? Jamis comes with a CF fork which would be nice for soaking up road vibrations, but then I hear it'll only clear a 700x23 tire. Can anyone confirm/deny if that's true of any of the 3? Although I prefer the classic look of the curved/lugged fork on the Soma/KHS, I actually kind of like the look of the IRO's straightblade fork, but how will that affect the ride/handling vs. the curved ones on all the others? I'm not asking about rake, just fork design.
Wouldn't mind upgrading this double butted 520 to slightly better steel so I've been considering the IRO Mark V Pro & Jamis Sputnik w/631 and Soma Rush w/Tange Prestige. None of these are straight gauge and they're all heat-treated, right?
Lookswise, I've really been wanting something more streamlined. Always hated the fender eyelets on the KHS since I'll never run them on this bike. Things like that and cable guides are a deal-breaker for the next frame, so none of those 3 have them. IRO goes a step further and gets rid of the rear brake mount, so that's a plus since I only run an emergency front brake. All the others are drilled for both, which isn't a big deal. I really like that the lack of water bottle bosses on my KHS, which I wouldn't use anyways. IRO has 0, he Soma has 1 which I can prob live with, but the Jamis has 2 which is an eyesore so I"m not so sure. Each frame is offered in either white or black or both, so I'm mostly indifferent for color choice. A horizontal tt w/no slope is a must, and they all have it. Tight tire clearances are a must, as well as the ability to fit 700x25-28 tires, so correct me if I'm wrong, but all 3 seem to fit that criteria?
After coming from an old Fuji conversion, I've enjoyed the nimble track geo of my KHS from day one and everyday for the past year with no concerns re: toe overlap or twitchiness. Of course the trade-off is that I've sacrificed some comfort on longer ~30 mile rides, but I've been able to live with it. If I'm reading the geometry charts correctly, the IRO/Jamis are more relaxed, so the Soma wins on this one, right? Jamis comes with a CF fork which would be nice for soaking up road vibrations, but then I hear it'll only clear a 700x23 tire. Can anyone confirm/deny if that's true of any of the 3? Although I prefer the classic look of the curved/lugged fork on the Soma/KHS, I actually kind of like the look of the IRO's straightblade fork, but how will that affect the ride/handling vs. the curved ones on all the others? I'm not asking about rake, just fork design.