Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Really considering the IRO Angus

Been looking at picking up a second fixed for a while now. Wanted something steel, more of a track geometry, and some what on the cheap. The Angus deal seems to fit the bill. Can anyone speak to the quality of the frames? The site doesn't have much in the way of pictures or explainations. How are the welds, awful, liveable, decent for the price, nice? And does anyone know exactly what is the "standard wheelset" is? Again, no descriptions. It doen't come with brakes, so are the rims non-machined? Are the hubs flip-flop, fixed both sides, cartridge bearing??? I can call and ask, I just figured I would bother you guys first. Thanks. :thumb:

crickets?

That's one thing I find very irritating about IRO, namely, the dearth of technical info on their bikes. For example, they don't list the size of the tires, only color options. Or, how about the length of the stem? Is it the same for all frame sizes? These are all parameters that matter to me. Of course, you can email them and they'll reply in a few days, but why not just post the info on the site?

but why not just post the info on the site?

or at least post inconsistent/incorrect specs a la Bikes Direct. :lol:

Yeah, just sent out an email. I even looked through a few pages of the IRO Superthread and didn't really see any closeups or details. A bunch of talk about sizing, and some nice pics.

I'm in the same boat as vw addict. The deal on the Angus is too good to pass up.

Reading through the iro superthread, everyone with an iro seems to be thoroughly satisfied, so...

The welds are very nice. The geometry...not my cup of tea. Good solid frames for the money anyways.

my 631 Jamis was lighter then a super concept. I think you'll enjoy it :)

The geometry...not my cup of tea.

did you ever figure out what you didn't like about it particularly? I saw you said it seemed sluggish.

My MarkV came with a 100 or 110 stem[1]. My frame size was the 56. I would expect to see the stem size vary with the frame size.
Welds are decent. I like the dropouts. The brake pads are not that sticky. The wheels are nice. The tire size was 23. Standard wheelset is all IRO-branded, but if you search there are threads that mention what the OEM rim/hubs might be. Every time I called on the phone the "IRO mom" was very nice and responsive. If you have a question just call.

Hub and rim specs are at the bottom of the frame spec PDF.
http://www.irocycle.com/frame_specifications.pdf

[1]I got to choose, I called in and requested 100, but I think default was 110.

I believe the consensus is Formula or Gran Compe Hubs and the rims are Velocity Fusion rims.
Which is a pretty solid set up. for 400 bucks I'd molest the hell out of an Angus, no joke. Unfortunately I paid 500 for my Jamis with DP 18s to formulas, but 631 steel. See how the geometry compares to what you're riding now and you'll get a better idea of how the geo will feel.

did you ever figure out what you didn't like about it particularly? I saw you said it seemed sluggish.

Too lax front end, too tight back end. Setback seatpost, saddle slid back, and rear wheel back in the track ends should help.

edit - this may only be an issue in the smaller sizes. Mine is a 53cm top tube, 50cm seat tube.

Too lax front end, too tight back end. Setback seatpost, saddle slid back, and rear wheel back in the track ends should help.

edit - this may only be an issue in the smaller sizes. Mine is a 53cm top tube, 50cm seat tube.

That's the problem with so many of these urban FG track bikes. Same thing happened to the Bianchi Pista. The older ones were true track bikes that were very raceable with similar geo to the Pista Concept, but the newer ones have slacker head angles and more fork offset. That's what I like about my new Leader 721tr. Even in the smallest size it retains a steep 74 degree head angle and the carbon fork has only 28mm offset. It's handling is comparable to my Pista Concept.

I like my Mark V Pro a lot, I like the 74 ht and 30mm rake set up...I just might take it to the track once I'm through with my noobie class.

Too lax front end, too tight back end. Setback seatpost, saddle slid back, and rear wheel back in the track ends should help.

edit - this may only be an issue in the smaller sizes. Mine is a 53cm top tube, 50cm seat tube.

I noticed by the sizing chart the the ht changes 2° between my size and yours, that is a fairly substantial difference.