Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - My Winter Project

So I picked up this frame for $150 and plan on building it up this winter, thought I would see how my fellow cyclists would part this up for maximum speed and lightness. And no, I'm not going to sell this and get a "better" bike :notamused:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a122/LiquidSpace/IMG_2567.jpg

Maximum speed and lightness lol

gear it 52/13

use carbon fiber wheels, carbon crank, carbon post, carbon stem, carbon bars. and some ultralight tubes.

Record pista crank.
Cane Creek 110 TR headset
Nitto lugged 853 stem.
Zip 808
Moots cinch ti seatpost
Selle Italia CX Zero

Paint it red.

anadoized pink and purple wheels, Origin 8 gold crankset. Use lots of colors and matchy matchy. Tarck it out dude.

Maximum speed and lightness lol

gear it 52/13

use carbon fiber wheels, carbon crank, carbon post, carbon stem, carbon bars. and some ultralight tubes.

wow I hadn't thought of that, thank you capt obvious but aside from those ambiguous items any specific recommendations? I know its just a pista frame nothing special but wanted to set it up as nice as can be. I had wanted to carbon fiber it out and just have the chrome frame stand out.


Record pista crank.
Cane Creek 110 TR headset
Nitto lugged 853 stem.
Zip 808
Moots cinch ti seatpost
Selle Italia CX Zero

thanks for being the sane one....

u mean u have absolutely no opinions/personal pref of ur build and u need other people to give u ideas for ur bike?

u mean u have absolutely no opinions/personal pref of ur build and u need other people to give u ideas for ur bike?

as i mentioned i want to just black it out with mostly carbon fiber parts and let the chrome frame stand out. But it is nice to become aware of other components that I may not know of, not that I need other peoples ideas. For instance, I didn't know about the 808 wheels, way out of my price range but nice to have learned about them.

sell it and get a better bike.

you don't need CF to black out. Actually, CF is not really black and if having the chrome frame standing out is what you want then i'ld go with black alum parts rather than CF. And unless u're racing, CF is a very expensive component to have, more brittle IMO, and a thief magnet if u plan on locking up in Brooklyn. If u're racing, get a better frame.

wow I hadn't thought of that, thank you capt obvious but aside from those ambiguous items any specific recommendations? I know its just a pista frame nothing special but wanted to set it up as nice as can be. I had wanted to carbon fiber it out and just have the chrome frame stand out.



thanks for being the sane one....

None of the components listed, while flashy, will improve performance. You can find very good stuff that's within a few onces of the weight of those listed and they will look cool and work just fine (Sugino crankset, Cane Creek S-3 headset - and the Ritchey steel HS is almost as light for $20 - Salsa steel stem, any number of 200 gm seatposts - American Classic is a great choice - and a classic Flite saddle). As for performance, put the savings in to the wheels/tires: get King, Phil Wood, or White Industries hubs laced to any number of 400 gm rims (Mavic Open Pro, IRD, Velocity, DT-Swiss, Stan's, etc.) using a 3 or 4 x pattern and 14-17-15 spokes with brass nipples. And don't forget to use high quality tires/tubes. Good luck.

sell it and get a better bike. original, i suppose every forum has its trolls


you don't need CF to black out. Actually, CF is not really black and if having the chrome frame standing out is what you want then i'ld go with black alum parts rather than CF. And unless u're racing, CF is a very expensive component to have, more brittle IMO, and a thief magnet if u plan on locking up in Brooklyn. If u're racing, get a better frame.

good point, only wanted CF for the weight not necessarily for the color. Not racing just wanted a nice light bike to ride around (not a bike to lock up)

i would do what gruppo said. On an additional note, CF isn't necessarily light. U can build an non-carbon wheel under 1500g for under $400, which is lighter than a lot of expensive wheelsets. Use road front hubs and low flanges

None of the components listed, while flashy, will improve performance. You can find very good stuff that's within a few onces of the weight of those listed and they will look cool and work just fine (Sugino crankset, Cane Creek S-3 headset - and the Ritchey steel HS is almost as light for $20 - Salsa steel stem, any number of 200 gm seatposts - American Classic is a great choice - and a classic Flite saddle). As for performance, put the savings in to the wheels/tires: get King, Phil Wood, or White Industries hubs laced to any number of 400 gm rims (Mavic Open Pro, IRD, Velocity, DT-Swiss, Stan's, etc.) using a 3 or 4 x pattern and 14-17-15 spokes with brass nipples. And don't forget to use high quality tires/tubes. Good luck.

thanks for the input, this is what i was looking for. Don't need flashy, was looking for good build quality and light weight. Without starting a flame war or being called out for my inexperience, what is the difference / benefit between Phil Wood & Kris King hubs?

They are very similar in design and when it comes down to it the only thing to be noticed will be the cosmetics. Phil wood has more options for track hubs. I love my low flanges, Don't care for the look of the high.

OP - i dont think anyone is taking you seriously because you picked up a frame cheap and are asking about some pretty high end parts. pretty much any carbon fiber part you buy is going to cost at least twice as much as your frame at this point.

if you want serious replys, start by telling us the budget you would like to maintain, thats a good place to start from.

for your information, i was just in the market myslef, you'll be hard pressed to find a phil wood built wheelset for much under $500...

open pros laced to dura ace, from velomine.

miche components to finishes her off.

...why use a bianchi pista for a winter bike first of all... :(

Dual Aerospokes.

Dual Aerospokes.

+1 xD

if u're gonna be a weight weenie, phils are not light.

...why use a bianchi pista for a winter bike first of all... :(
I was confused by this as well, but I think what he means is

"A project bike to work on over the course of the winter"
rather than
"A project bike to build in preparation for the winter"

By the way, it is kinda silly to put $2000 worth of components on a $200 frame.

if u're gonna be a weight weenie, phils are not light.

^ speaking without experience^

Not that it matters to anyone in this thread, but here is the F/R weight in grams for a pair of formulas followed by a pair of high flange phils.

275/330
225/400

I was confused by this as well, but I think what he means is

"A project bike to work on over the course of the winter"
rather than
"A project bike to build in preparation for the winter"

By the way, it is kinda silly to put $2000 worth of components on a $200 frame.

yes, a bike to be built in the winter. as for the $200 frame and $2000 worth of components, I'm from FL where we put thousands of dollars worth of components into frames that are worthless all the time like this ride -----> 176600

btw - if i only intend to put in 1K worth of components on my frame is that ok? What is the proper component value for frame value ratio? Don't want to be caught out on the road violating some unspoken rule.

yes, a bike to be built in the winter. as for the $200 frame and $2000 worth of components, I'm from FL where we put thousands of dollars worth of components into frames that are worthless all the time like this ride -----> 176600

btw - if i only intend to put in 1K worth of components on my frame is that ok? What is the proper component value for frame value ratio? Don't want to be caught out on the road violating some unspoken rule.

did you read my post suggestion? you should define your budget, and you'll get more serious replies. saying you want a light, high performance bike is very relative. you can build that bike for anywhere from $300 to $5000, and anywhere in between. how can we help if we dont know what you want to spend?

njs everything.....but frame. You can be the first.

OP - i dont think anyone is taking you seriously because you picked up a frame cheap and are asking about some pretty high end parts. pretty much any carbon fiber part you buy is going to cost at least twice as much as your frame at this point.

if you want serious replys, start by telling us the budget you would like to maintain, thats a good place to start from.

for your information, i was just in the market myslef, you'll be hard pressed to find a phil wood built wheelset for much under $500...

I know that i picked up the frame cheaply, and that most cyclists find the pista to be a "cheap" bike in general but I actually like the frame and was looking to buy some nice parts. My original thoughts were to put some black deep v wheels on either king or wood hubs. outside of that I haven't researched enough on the other components that it will take to get this finished. (thus my initial post) My budget (had figured around 1k-1,500) will depend on the parts as I have time to save up for the various things I will need but I had imagined spending around $500-700 on a wheelset, $100-175 on a crankset, $100-ish on saddle and post just for reference sake.

That example of what you do in florida should clearly sway you away from dumping a ton of money into a ****ty foundation.

Thats not to say a pista is a ****ty frame, its just some of the components you are asking about belong on a pista concept.

1k into components isnt that much if your paying retail plus tax. It would be pretty goofy to invest so much into that frameset. hell a guy on ebay has been selling full build kits from fuji track pros for 500 shipped.

100 on a nice fork
250 on wheels
50 on stem/bars
50 on seat/post
100 pedals chain cog tires

those very rough estimates bring you to 650. Dont just spend 1000 dollars because you have it since much of the high end stuff just wont be needed for what you use the bike for.

njs everything.....but frame. You can be the first.

i've always wanted to be first.

your a complete idiot if you drop 700 on a ****ing wheelset for a pista. come on now. get your self a damn deep v/formula combo for 175 new.

Thats not to say a pista is a ****ty frame, its just some of the components you are asking about belong on a pista concept.

those very rough estimates bring you to 650. Dont just spend 1000 dollars because you have it since much of the high end stuff just wont be needed for what you use the bike for.

perhaps my desire for a pista concept was overshadowed by the super cheap price on this pista frame, I couldn't resist buying it to build up. I just want to make this pista as nice as can be without going crazy.

^ speaking without experience^

Not that it matters to anyone in this thread, but here is the F/R weight in grams for a pair of formulas followed by a pair of high flange phils.

275/330
225/400
That's pretty heavy...

Road front hubs will be much lighter and cheaper than a front Phil.

If you really have $1500, and are really willing to spend it all on a bike, and your not just fantasizing , I'm going to tell you what you don't want to hear, but its for the better.


And no, I'm not going to sell this and get a "better" bike :notamused:

your a complete idiot if you drop 700 on a ****ing wheelset for a pista. come on now. get your self a damn deep v/formula combo for 175 new.

that price was based on deep v wheelset tied to Phill Wood hubs. I'd gladly pay less than $700 for that.

That's pretty heavy...

Road front hubs will be much lighter and cheaper than a front Phil.

I understand that, but I am comparing them to your average track hubs. Obviously a front road hub is going to be lighter than a high flange phil track.

This guy is looking for street cred. chrome pista+ phil wood or paul + high end everything component wise

I'm sure the last thing he is going to do is run a QR road hub to save 100 grams. And I dont see anything about "cheap" coming from this dude.

If you really have $1500, and are really willing to spend it all on a bike, and your not just fantasizing , I'm going to tell you what you don't want to hear, but its for the better.

i hear what you are saying, although i wasn't planning to spend $1500 at once, more like a part each week for a few months. It is more about building up a bike on my own than buying one off the shelf. I suppose that is the appeal to this particular frame.

Fork - Nashbar, Performance, BikeIsland carbon fork for ~$100
Stem - Velo Orange
Headset - Velo Orange
Seatpost - Nitto Jaguar, Thomson, Velo Orange
Wheelset - I'd build your own, pick your own hubs, spokes and rims and let some one lace it up for you.
Tires - GP 4000S, GP 4000, Michelin Pro3 Race, Vittoria Evo Corsa cx etc etc

The rest of the components are rather your own taste.

By the time your able to ride it you will have spent 1500 regardless. Go somewhere else with that type of money.

IMO, you can get that thing on the road with around 500 worth of parts. Built by yourself. Able to ride and enjoy much sooner than some one part a week bs

White Industry road front hub + White Industry rear track hub would suit your budget quite nicely.

You should just spend your money on bags, like trucks-full of them.

fyi 1500- 699 for a fuji track pro complete from city grounds= 800. still way more than you will need to invest.

rethink your options, please.

Do it dude. **** em. I've got some pedals that would go great with that bike. Mms custom Nuevo with toshis and ale clips. Baller as **** but I'm using clipless now. Do campy pista cranks, king threaded headset with a vintage Italian track fork, you need phil high flange track hubs laced to CD(blacked out) open pro rims. eBay a NOS original turbo and a vintage fluted campy seatpost. Eai cog with Izumi chain. Cinelli or 3T stem with deda track drops.

^ EAI Superstar cog right?

Exactly. Anything else would be a waste. You can't trust stuff that's not njs

^ speaking without experience^

Not that it matters to anyone in this thread, but here is the F/R weight in grams for a pair of formulas followed by a pair of high flange phils.

275/330
225/400
ha!
i believe formula rear hubs weigh in at 270g. U can get a road american classic front for 58g
58/270 (328 total) as compared to
225/400 (625) total phils

thanks for sharing ur experience

don't get me wrong. Phils are great hubs. I'm merely stating the fact that they are on the heavier end and if the OP cares about weigh like he said he does, it's prob not the best solution for him.

ok, thanks for all the comments (smart A** & otherwise) and I hate to admit it (buy a diff bike) but I think will just buy a Super Pista and put some Deep V's on it. I was trying to avoid spending a large chunk of change all at once but I suppose it IS the better option. FYI this winter build project was going to be my ride only, non-locked bike as I have a Bianchi I ride around on and lock up when needed. I guess I just got hooked on a cheap price on a Bianchi and thought "I should build this up".

what is the difference / benefit between Phil Wood & Kris King hubs?

The difference and potential benefit is the more traditional Phil rear hub is made to accept SS freewheels or track cogs; and the King hub has a narrow cassette, spacers, and a lockring - this allows you to dial in the chain line. And the cassette, if you're so inclined, allows you to run a 1x2 or 1x3 (Though that might require some quick links if you don't have long dropouts). Either way, don't worry about the weight because it's in the center of the wheel and won't affect performance (In fact the superior bearings likely offset the small extra weight). Again, good luck.

ok, thanks for all the comments (smart A** & otherwise) and I hate to admit it (buy a diff bike) but I think will just buy a Super Pista and put some Deep V's on it. I was trying to avoid spending a large chunk of change all at once but I suppose it IS the better option. FYI this winter build project was going to be my ride only, non-locked bike as I have a Bianchi I ride around on and lock up when needed. I guess I just got hooked on a cheap price on a Bianchi and thought "I should build this up".

or you could build up the bike by going to the lbs/bike co-op and finding cheaper parts.

Ignore all these infidels!!!!!! Build her up and ride the winter out!