Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Narrowing down my build options: one bike for regular riding AND occasional track

I want to do a build that will be suitable for usual recreational riding and also have the ability to take on the track (I'm moving to Chicago next summer, so I'll have access to a few tracks in the area). Basically, run a front brake most days, then take it off when I want to ride on the track.

This is doable, right?

Here's what I'm thinking so far...

Frame: Pake, Soma, or a Leader (all steel)

track bars, crank etc etc. Something budget, but quality.

Any tips on where to go from here? I'll probably buy the frame and fork first and slowly add on as finances allow.

This is doable, right?

Yes.


Here's what I'm thinking so far...

Frame: Pake, Soma, or a Leader (all steel)

track bars, crank etc etc. Something budget, but quality.

Any tips on where to go from here? I'll probably buy the frame and fork first and slowly add on as finances allow.

Can you give us some more details? That would definitely help.

ditch the track bars

Yes.



Can you give us some more details? That would definitely help.


Hope this helps:

My old bike was a 2011 Specialized Allez, 58cm. So, as far as size goes, I'm assuming I'll ride a 59cm since I think that's the closest those brands are to my old 58cm.

I'm thinking about a 46-18 or 46-16 gearing set up? This part I'm kind of confused about. Maybe a SRAM s100 crank or a Sugino? Again, Something quality, but on a slight budget, around $150 for the crank.

Need advice on wheels, I've heard Velocity are good, but I'm not sure.

As far as pedals go I'm thinking one of the Retrogression packages with straps for regular riding and eventually moving back to clips for track riding.

Maybe a used Shimano brake caliper or a new caliper from a good brand I've not heard of yet? haha.

I'm not new to bikes but I'm still new to the FG world for the most part. Have ridden several FG bikes and fell in love with them, thus why I want to build one of my own with the parts I want that I can afford as no pre-built/complete bike I've seen really does anything for me, there's always something about them I'm not into be it a small component or an overall look/feel.

Going here (www.velomine.com) for wheels is never a bad idea.

These two cranks are great as well:

http://www.retro-gression.com/product/sugino-rd-2-crankset-48t

http://www.retro-gression.com/product/sram-s300-courier-crankset-w-gxp-bb

Like Hairnet said, you don't necessarily need track bars to ride on the track. They aren't practical on the street. Any drops will do. These are nice:

http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product_images/44949857/rhm02-black-wm.jpg

My old bike was a 2011 Specialized Allez, 58cm. So, as far as size goes, I'm assuming I'll ride a 59cm since I think that's the closest those brands are to my old 58cm.

Keep in mind that this is not always true. You may fit on your 58cm Allez... but every bike is different in terms of geo. You may end up riding a 55cm or even a 60cm frame. Get yourself and your bike measured.

(in b4 Jaytron's fitment link)

Keep in mind that this is not always true. You may fit on your 58cm Allez... but every bike is different in terms of geo. You may end up riding a 55cm or even a 60cm frame. Get yourself and your bike measured.

(in b4 Jaytron's fitment link)

Right, it's not a hard and fast rule. I don't have the Allez anymore, I sold it at the beginning of this year. I am wary about ordering a frame on line without being able to test it, but it's hard to ride a frame to get an idea for fit/feel. I'll probably do a proper measurement of myself at home and try my best. I've heard that top tube length is a good way to gauge the right frame size between bikes. So I always look at that first when checking out bike geo measurements.

Going here (www.velomine.com) for wheels is never a bad idea.

These two cranks are great as well:

http://www.retro-gression.com/product/sugino-rd-2-crankset-48t

http://www.retro-gression.com/product/sram-s300-courier-crankset-w-gxp-bb

Like Hairnet said, you don't necessarily need track bars to ride on the track. They aren't practical on the street. Any drops will do. These are nice:

http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product_images/44949857/rhm02-black-wm.jpg

I wasn't sure if any drop bars would suffice for the track or not. I loved the regular old drops that were on my Specialized.

I wasn't sure if any drop bars would suffice for the track or not. I loved the regular old drops that were on my Specialized.

No problem. You can use any standard drop bars at a velodrome.

Here's my Leader 721tr that I ride on both road and track. The brake lever is a hinged cross lever, so it is easily removed w/o undoing the bar tape. The bars a road drops so they are comfortable riding on the tops on the road, but still can ride the drops on the track. The rear wheel has a fixed/fixed flip flop hub, so I can have a road cog on one side and a track cog on the other. This is the type of setup that I'd recommend.

Note: If you only riding on the track, and not racing, you can use any bars you want provided they are capped at the ends. The only requirements for riding on a track for fun and training is that the bike be a fixed gear, no brakes and no quick release hubs. You can use nutted skewers on road wheels, although this is not advisable for a rear wheel.

You can check a few sites for complete track bikes, like dept of good or realcyclist

I have a Fuji Track Comp and love it on the street
Here's a Track Pro for $1K
http://www.departmentofgoods.com/fuji-bicycles-track-pro-bike

citygrounds.com (they have been having a lot of good sales lately)

Thanks or the link. I can't buy a complete bike right now and I want to build one up myself so I can learn the ins and outs of basic bike mechanics.

ib4 everyone tells you to buy a complete, disassemble it, and reassemble it because it's cheaper.

I'm not in that boat and think that it's a great experience to build a bike from scratch.

cinelli mash

Get a Leader 722ts or a Soma Rush. Choose whichever one looks better. Get some nice road drops, and call it a day.

Sounds like you want steel, but TejanoTrackie gives good information. A 721 is about the same price range, AL, and a pretty stiff frame.

cinelli mash

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t104/lgirlx521/GIFs/srslythop1.gif

The leader is a good choice, but I would pick a steel, track-geo frame for durability's sake. That's what I have.

I am planning on building up an alu track bike for track purposes and i've considered the Leader.
Or a used ftp for cheap or something.

I'm not in that boat and think that it's a great experience to build a bike from scratch.

ayup.

I inherited a pretty sick road bike early in my cycling career, and since then it just kinda blended from one bike to the next as parts were replaced (including frames).

Steel is definitely the way I'm going.

I'll probably get with Scrod and talk geometry at the end of the month. The Leader gets a lot of love it seems and I always prefer supporting smaller companies, especially since he's a forum member and knows what he's talking about.

As far as the Leader 722TS goes, I'm 6'3" and hovering between 235 and 245, trying to lose 25 pounds. Will that frame bear my weight well enough and not worry about cracking it?

dont worry.

dont worry.


Then I won't. haha. Thanks.

Leader used to have a bad reputation with the fixed gear free style guys, who claimed that the frames were delicate. This was partly because there wasn't good enough quality assurance from leader, but this has evidently improved dramatically. Mostly, though, the problems were due to people trying to use a track bike to jump off buildings and stuff. So if you see any of these concerns on the web you can pretty safely ignore them.

Leader used to have a bad reputation with the fixed gear free style guys, who claimed that the frames were delicate. This was partly because there wasn't good enough quality assurance from leader, but this has evidently improved dramatically. Mostly, though, the problems were due to people trying to use a track bike to jump off buildings and stuff. So if you see any of these concerns on the web you can pretty safely ignore them.

Thanks a lot.

Definitely have no plans to do any tricks on the bike. Only riding. Mainly for recreation and as I stated above some riding on the track. If something were to happen to the frame, I wouldn't be out too much money if there's no warranty or anything.

Thanks a lot.

Definitely have no plans to do any tricks on the bike. Only riding. Mainly for recreation and as I stated above some riding on the track. If something were to happen to the frame, I wouldn't be out too much money if there's no warranty or anything.
I believe there's a lifetime warranty for the original owner. http://www.leaderbikeusa.com/info/warranty.htm

Since I'm still doing research on frames, can anyone comment on the Pake Rum Runner? Have found a few sites where it's dirt cheap and it seems to have a decent rep.

The Pake would be a fine choice. Steel frame, durable but reasonably light fixed/fixed wheelset (I'd go for sealed Formula or maybe Novatec to a shallow or semi deep rim, 32h), large cog for easy riding, small cog for racing, road drops, trim saddle (not Brooks), and a track appropriate crankset is what I would go for.

Sounds about what I'm aiming for. I just want to spend the most on the frame as I feel like it's pivotal part of the build that will hopefully hold up for years on end.

In that case, I probably wouldn't get a Pake. I think they are good for what they are, but you still get what you pay for. If I were going for a build like this, I'd probably jump on a Cinelli Gazzetta because they're on sale for $450 on Citygrounds today.

Decisions, decisions. Good thing I won't be buying for a few months. I really want to the most research possible and make sure my size/fit is right before starting the build.

Remember, fit is the most important thing. Once you understand what size bike you need, you can get any of the three you want. Just choose which looks best after you know what size. They're all good bikes. But again, personally I would get the Leader, the Soma, then the Pake.

Fit is definitely most important. I blindly tried my old specialized and wasn't expecting to for a 58 so perfectly.

How about an All-City Big Block frame? Track geometry, but wider clearance for fatter tires and provisions for a brake.

I would suggest the all city big block. steep geom for track but can fit big tires for off the track and it looks great!

Checked out the All-City and looked great.

I'm actually starting to get overwhelmed with all the frame options. Because of that I'm going to list them here and see if I can't get a discussion going on about them so hopefully see how similar they are in order to narrow down their differences, good and bad, in order to make a thorough decision. I wouldn't give this much thought if I had loads of money and could just upgrade down the road, but I don't so I want to do it right the first time and only upgrade or replace unless it gets stolen.

Frames I'm considering (in no particular order):

Steel -

1) Leader 722ts
2) Cinelli Gazetta
3) Surly Steamroller
4) All-City Big Block

I will say something(s) I don't like about the Surly and the All-City is that they can accept such large tires. I have no need for that as I probably won't be riding in the winter. Makes me wonder if their chain stays are set further apart because of this, therefore making it less "track-like."

The Cinelli seems to be top notch, but not easy to obtain in my area. Though there are a few sites where I can mail-order it. Would just have to have a fit done so I know what size to order. It is also at the top of my price range.

The Leader is the cheapest and seems to be a pretty good frame, highly recommended by Scrod and a few other members, so it does seem like a safe bet. But for almost the same price as the Leader AND fork, I'd be close to the price of the Cinelli.

Makes me wonder if their chain stays are set further apart because of this, therefore making it less "track-like."

If you mean dropout spacing, they are all the same at 120mm. The biggest difference is in the head tube angle and top tube lengths, which affects handling and front tire toe overlap. I think the 722ts would make the best street bike with its slacker head tube angle and long top tube. Also, the 722ts and Big Block have built-in chain tension adjusters, which is a nice convenience. Finally, aesthetically, the 722ts and Big Block IMO have the nicest dropouts and seat binders. For the money, the 722ts is hard to beat.

I just built up and rode for the first time my new Big Block. It has 28c tires, riser bars, and a brake for commuting and riding around town. I'll swap out the wheels to my tubular race wheels, swap out the pedals from SPD to SPD-SL, and bars/stem/brake to track drops to ride/race the Big Block out at the velodrome once the season gets started up in the Spring. So far, I've only ridden it on the street and it rides SUPER nice. I can't say enough about how fun this bike is on the street. The frame is still and aggressive and sprints like crazy, but still soaks up bumps due to the 28c tires and steel frame.

I actually replaced 2 bikes with the Big Block: my Surly Steamroller road fixed gear and my Trek T1 track race bike. I've got issues with space in my small apartment, so I've been downsizing my collection. I don't think I'll be at a significant disadvantage racing on the Big Block compared to my T1, since the BB has all the same higher-end track parts on it and will sport the tubies for races.

I don't think I'll be at a significant disadvantage racing on the Big Block compared to my T1, since the BB has all the same higher-end track parts on it and will sport the tubies for races.

I agree that for general mass start racing, you won't notice much difference between the T1 and BB. The T1 is a bit lighter and stiffer, but the wheels are the main difference, and you are using the same ones. I just built up a Soma Rush, and may take it to the track next year for riding and training, although I'll still use my Pista Concept for racing, especially match sprints and standing start TTs. I've heard nothing but good reports on the BB, and am glad you like yours. Oh, and don't forget to post it.

I agree that for general mass start racing, you won't notice much difference between the T1 and BB. The T1 is a bit lighter and stiffer, but the wheels are the main difference, and you are using the same ones. I just built up a Soma Rush, and may take it to the track next year for riding and training, although I'll still use my Pista Concept for racing, especially match sprints and standing start TTs. I've heard nothing but good reports on the BB, and am glad you like yours. Oh, and don't forget to post it.

Yeah, I'll get some pics up in a week or 2 when I return from an overseas business trip.

I race at Alkek here in Houston, which is a pretty low-banked, 1/3 km track that tends to be pretty rough in spots due to cracks and stuff, so I think the BB will excel there. Most of my races are mass-start events. I still have the SR and T1 frames (I've got a made in the USA T1), but they're frame only and boxed up for when I have more space in a few years. I'd like to rebuild the T1 for time trials and pursuits then.

Yeah, I'll get some pics up in a week or 2 when I return from an overseas business trip.

I race at Alkek here in Houston, which is a pretty low-banked, 1/3 km track that tends to be pretty rough in spots due to cracks and stuff, so I think the BB will excel there. Most of my races are mass-start events. I still have the SR and T1 frames (I've got a made in the USA T1), but they're frame only and boxed up for when I have more space in a few years. I'd like to rebuild the T1 for time trials and pursuits then.

Ah yeah, the H-town bump-o-drome. Been there, raced there, had my truck broken into in the parking lot there. Love the slippery slimy turn 3-4 also. You should get a job in big D, and race on the Superdrome.

I need to be schooled on forks and stems.

If you have a threadless fork, it uses a "modern" stem/non-quill stem, no?

It's late and Im having some trouble understanding this and I feel like its fairly important to my build.

Yes, threadless stem. Stay away from quill stems.

You need threadless headset as well.

Specialized Langster Steel?

Specialized Langster Steel?

Road geometry, not suitable for steep/short velodromes. Also, while aesthetically nice/better, threaded headset/stems are inferior in terms of stiffness and weight, and if you're racing track, you'll appreciate the extra responsiveness that comes from a stiff threadless setup.

Yes, threadless stem. Stay away from quill stems.

You need threadless headset as well.

Awesome, thank you.

Aesthetically, quill stems aren't my thing and I've always felt they were inferior to thread less headsets/stems from a performance perspective.

Cross post for anyone who is subscribed to or following this thread...

Can anyone attest to their build quality of the Super Pista frame set or any of their steel fixed gear bikes and their warranty?

I know the Super Pista frame set is fairly expensive, but if I plan to ride on the track, even recreationally, I'd like a really solid track frame. I won't be riding on the road or in urban/rough settings, and instead will be sticking to paved paths and trails in the Chicago area, so steel is becoming less of a necessity.

I saw a lot of Super Pista's at my local track this summer, even in the Cat 1-2 group. If it's good enough for them and all that...

Other common bikes round that price point were:

Felt TK3 (cheaper): http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2012/Track/Track-Series/TK3.aspx
Felt TK2 : http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2012/Track/Track-Series/TK2.aspx
Fuji Track (look at the older Fuji Track Pro too): http://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/track-10-usa2
Giant Omnium: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/omnium/9008/48841/

I'm thinking of picking up an Omnium this spring. I can get a good deal on one from an LBS.

I saw a lot of Super Pista's at my local track this summer, even in the Cat 1-2 group. If it's good enough for them and all that...

Other common bikes round that price point were:

Felt TK3 (cheaper): http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2012/Track/Track-Series/TK3.aspx
Felt TK2 : http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2012/Track/Track-Series/TK2.aspx
Fuji Track (look at the older Fuji Track Pro too): http://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/track-10-usa2
Giant Omnium: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/omnium/9008/48841/

I'm thinking of picking up an Omnium this spring. I can get a good deal on one from an LBS.

The Felt bikes are pretty good from what I've heard.

I guess I want something in-between a strictly track bike, and one that I use for paths and recreational riding. I'm finicky, I know.

Maybe I'm chasing something that doesn't exist?

There are plenty of bikes that will be perfectly suitable for both. Most of the bikes owned by members here are track bikes, and many of our bikes spend a significant amount of time on streets and paths. Just choose a bike that you like, it will likely be fine for both. Personally, I love my 722 and would recommend it to anyone.

No IRO mentions yet? I was considering surly/pake/all-city and went with the Mark V Pro because of the Reynolds 631 steel as opposed to good ol' cro-mo. I actually bought the complete bike stock and only upgraded pedals and bars so far. It's been about 6 months of riding every day-- commuting and some polo but no racing beyond alleycats and casual stuff (not close to any tracks), and I can't complain.

Definitely recommend a fixed/fixed rear hub. I had a fixed/free hub on my last bike (road conversion, R.I.P.) and didn't ride the freewheel once the whole time I had it.