Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - First Fixed Build- needing advice

I've got the itch and I'm going to start on putting together a Fixed Gear with the help of a professional friend who is guiding me through the process and will be actually building the bike for safety reasons.

So far this is what he has suggested-

2010 Soma Rush frame steel fork- thread-less
Velocity wheels and rims
Formula Hubs- Flip Flop
Platform Pedals with reload lockdown straps
Brakes front and rear

I've been riding an old 58cm Raleigh Steel commuter with drop bars- I am comfortable on that bike but my friend is telling me I should go smaller on the frame even though I am 6'3 with an inseam of 33-34. He insist I should consider a 56cm over anything bigger and he thinks I would prefer risers for the first bars. I am a little concerned about the threadless stem but he said he won't "cut it short" (no idea what that means) and there will be an inch or inch and a half of wiggle room with the stem.

Anyone have any advice on the parts I listed? I've only ridden friends ss/fg's (2008 Langster mostly) and don't know anything about the parts the builder has suggested. After poking around online this looks like it could get expensive but he keeps telling me he will keep it under $700 with only new parts.

your friend should be fired, a 56cm is too small for someone 5'11' forget 6'3''.

throw your current plans in a fire, walk into a store that has a fitment bike, get fitted and then order a felt tk3, trek t1, or cannondale capo in your size.

disregard that.

Buy a sputnik.

if you're 6'3" there is no reason you should be on a 56cm.

after looking at the Soma website I think he meant a 59CM even though he said 56- can we move onto the other issues that might be more apparent to those who have more experience than me?

would you care to tell me why I should fire my friend and why those other frames are more superior so that I can actually take these suggestions seriously?

because i didn't know he meant 59cm. i still think you need a 61cm at least but the only way to find out is to get a fitting on a fit bike.

and those other frames aren't frames, they're complete bikes that will be better for less money.

sputnik is a good bike too. if you want a custom build, go for it. just be prepared to spend a lot of money on something that is only as good as the ones mentioned, albeit spec'd to your liking. under 700 is fine but you can find better values around.

the platform / reload straps sound like a terrible idea, as do the riser bars. each are great for one specific thing... the risers only have one hand position which isn't great for going fast, and the platform pedals are comfortable but not necessarily good for long distances or tight corners.

threadless is great if it's fit before its cut. you can adjust a threadless just like a threaded but it requires reassembly or a fancy type of stem.

it sounds like your friend wants to build you a big bmx bike. that's great but the soma rush is NOT the frame to start with.

I'm no expert but I say 6'0" = 60cm frame. Therefore, yours should be bigger than 60cm.

^ completely false. torso/leg length vary person to person.

nah, everyone is the same

Yeah 56cm is totally wrong. 59 is more in the ballpark. But none of his advice seemed very good. Like everyone said, for $700 you can buy a pretty darn nice bike. Just get a complete bike, you'll be happier with it for the money.

the first thing you should do before you buy anything is go go the competitive cyclist fit calculator. its actually very good and will let you select the correct frame size to start from. take all the measurements as described, and find a frame that most closely matches the output dimensions.

there's nothing worse than spending your hard earned money and time on a bike that doesnt fit, and then trying to talk yourself into thinking it does.

dont buy anything you aren't comfortable with, trust us on this one.

The whole idea of building a custom bike is to get the bike that YOU want. Your friend is recommending the frame and components that HE would want. I can tell you what I would want. Only you can answer the question of what YOU want.

My advice is to buy yourself a pre-built bike. Ride it and jack around with the fit and the components for awhile. You'll figure it out.