eric400

so i've decided to go with the cross check over the rob roy b/c i don't know much about bikes and would rather have a shop to go back to in case there's an issue with size, parts etc. that being said... i'm going to need to pick out my components. i'm going to be buying the bike from bikes works nyc and here are the parts they offer: (link)

what i def. want:

bullhorn, single speed freewheel, brooks b-17 seat

if anyone has any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

thanks in advance,

eric

eric400

oh, and i'm looking to spend less that 800 dollars....

mander

The crosscheck is a rad frame, I love mine (running it geared as a commuter). I only advise you to run bigass 700*32 tires, because you can and it's fun.

peabodypride

$800 in parts? or with frame?

Nitto Rb021 pursuit bars (although I think a Xcheck really needs drops....)
White Industries freewheel

eric400

well, parts and frame...

i realize with the b-17 it may not happen...

jonestr

$800 will probably be tough to do at a LBS for a Surly as I imagine that they will be charging you at least $400 for the frame. That will probably make you have to compromise on the rest of the components, especially wheels, to hit your price point.

Honestly, you might just go with an IRO and buy Zinn and the art of Bicycle maintenance or just check out Sheldon Browns pages. Fixed gear bikes are not that complicated and you will probably be able to learn the basics of fixing them fairly quickly and easily. That is just my 2 cents though.

dewaday

It's not SS, but here's what I got. May spark some ideas. Parts list at bottom of page.
https://centurycycles.com/page.cfm?PageID=520

peabodypride

Yeah man.... you're not gonna get a good build at all for $800. Unless you're an ebay/craigslist master. The Xcheck complete is around $800 but it's geared I think.

eric400

well, i'm hoping they will cut me some kind of a deal b/c i will be buying all the parts from them.

gonna run down to the shop today and see if they can get me a quote.

mander

Ooh the lbs does make everything tougher. You can get crosscheck frames for under 300 if you shop around and take advantage of sales (I did), but perhaps not at your lbs. If i was building a ss crosscheck I would personally put wide shallow drops like midges on it and take it on mtb trails and off loading docks.

crushkilldstroy

930 to be exact.

Is this gonna be fixed or ss? If you're just running SS, you could pull the derailleurs/cassette/bar end shifters/etc off of a complete, buy a SS cog, and sell the extra bits. I'm sure that would get you under 800ish and you don't have to dork around picking up all the little stuff.

eric400

it's going to be single speed.

i've been trying to get a hold of iro for about 4-5 days now and to no avail...

that's why i started leaning more towards the LBS.

another question... why do all LBS's talk bad about IRO. seems that everyone i go in they say, ehh, you don't want to get one of them. are they just jealous that IRO is taking their biz?

ghostofcrujones

just curious, why did you choose a crossxcheck over a steamroller to set up a SS bike?

SaddleBags

+1 You can sell the lower-end Tiagra as a gruppo (FD, RD, cassette, barcons) for, I dunno, $200ish. With cross season approaching, people will start looking for 9 speed gruppos to build up their bikes. Buy a SS cog and spacers as suggested for $20 (the nice thicker ones and not the $3 ruin your freewheel kind). Remove the large and granny chainring and run the middle. IIRC, it should be a 42 or a 39.
You should meet your pricepoint then.
Then keep an eye out for a Brooks on fleabay or classifieds.
Good luck.

Bottomfeeder

I ride a Crosscheck single speed. Used to be a 1x8 'till I wasted my rear wheel. And that's one good reason to get a Crosscheck - you can gear it up if you decide SS isn't your thing in the future. But I digress. Anyway, I know a thing or two about bottomfeeding, that is, getting the most bang from your buck.

One of the best ways to save money would be to bolt the parts together yourself. As long as you're not trying to build the wheels, it's really not that hard. Most shops will do some of the things you might not be comfortable with - like cutting the excess fork steerer tube, facing the bottom bracket if need be (usually not necessary on a decent frame) - for a nominal charge. But installing handlebars and brakes, running cables and such is really easy, especially considering you won't be setting up front or rear derailleurs.

I don't know where you are, but I'd be willing to help you out if you were in the neighborhood. Honestly, once you have the frame, wheels and other components, assembling a single speed bike only takes an afternoon. And then you'd know what makes it tick, and not have to worry about going back to the shop if something goes wrong... which rarely happens with a well set-up single speed anyway. That's one of their main attractions.

You do need a decent wheel set to go with a frame as nice as a Crosscheck. (By the way, I've been riding mine for 5 years. I don't baby it. It's taken a lot of abuse and is as solid as the day I bought it.) A decent set of wheels will set you back in the neighborhood of 250 - 350 Benjamins. Mean Todd of Webcyclery in Bend, OR has built me a couple wheel sets (one for touring with a geared hub, the other single speed) and they've lasted 5 years and are still running tight and true.

One other thing you should not skimp on is the crank. It doesn't have to be a 'single speed' crank. You can probably find a good deal on a quality road double that happens to be a few years old but brand new... not necessarily obsolete but not the latest thing. Bolt a 42 tooth chain ring on the inside and maybe a bash ring on the outside, if you have any money left, and your done there. I've been running the same FSA ISIS carbon road cranks I bought new with my frame. They were expensive at the time, but have proven to be a good investment. They have outlasted 2 bottom brackets and several sets of cheap pedals.

As far as everything else goes, you can find it pretty cheap on the internet, or in the used parts bin at your local shop. A stem shouldn't cost more than 5 or 10 bucks. Personally, I'd go with a MTB bar and some cheap MTB levers so you can run V-brakes, just because I hate Cantilevers. But if you've just got to try the bullhorns, look for a used road bar in the parts bin, flip it over and cut the ends off. Bingo, you've got bullhorns. There are road levers which will work with V-brakes, but they're more expensive, or you can get some inexpensive conventional road levers and Cantilever brakes and the best of luck to ya.

So I would encourage you to rise to the occasion and do some of your own wrenching. It's not rocket science and ultimately, it's very empowering. Imagine not having to wait on the bike shop to get your ride going again. Just take it one step at a time. And there's lots of help here if you have any questions. Ask lots of questions before you buy.

Sorry for being so long winded. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

All the best. DanO

eric400

wanted a back brake...

eric400

disregard that comment. it was b/c of geometry.

i want a more upright riding position and also don't want my big ass feet to hit the front wheel when i turn.

eric400

thanks for the genuine response!!!

i actually live in NYC so i think our hoods are a bit far from each other.

i appreciate the offer though.

(for those of you living here in new york, i hope you've been out riding the last few days. the weather has been off the chains) -no pun inteneted with the off the chains comment in a bike forum..

dirtyphotons

just in general there's this stigma associated with buying parts online. a lot of shops are being hit hard by the fact that websites are selling stuff for way less than they're able to. some shops are more realistic about things than others, but just about every one i've been in has encouraged people to at least price things out through the shop before buying online. speaking from experience, people who order everything through the shop and are involved in the decisions about components etc. are rarely dissatisfied with their bikes, even if they do pay a little more.

speaking of compatible parts, the crosscheck's rear spacing is 132ish. the most expensive purchase besides the frame is going to be your wheelset. yes, it is possible to put a 120mm track wheel there and pinch the rear triangle, but it does make wheel changes more fussy and could cause a slightly misaligned frame. there are also 130 and 135mm fixed/ss specific hubs available, or youyou might be able to space out a set of track wheels (if the axle's long enough).

if you're sure you want singlespeed, i'd definitely look into multispeed freehub wheels. the spacing will be right and you can select cranks with any chainline and just rearrange cassette spacers to geth the chain straight. plus it really widens your options for wheelsets. some 105 or ultegra hubs laced to open pros or the like would make some very nice ss wheels and could come out cheaper than comparaple ss/fixed specific wheelsets.

ghostofcrujones

Not sure if there is a cost difference, or if your mind is pretty made up, but the steamroller has a relaxed enough geometry where you wont be getting any toe overlap.

Might make issues with sizing rear hubs/wheelsets a bit more reasonable in terms of ease of finding and cost.

theconquerorwor

yeah, i've found all of this to be true for me as well. as long as the place is reputable and the people are genuinely involved, things will work out 500% (quote me on that) better than just relying on internet advice from lame doods like me.


great points about the rear spacing as well. i'm ordering a rob roy frame at the end of the week and getting it built up with a shimano nexus 8 speed internal hub, which lands right at 132. no messin around.

Bottomfeeder

YES. 132 spacing rocks because you can do so much within that spec - as long as you're not looking a true track set-up, in which case you're looking at the wrong frame anyway. But for a single speed run-a-bout set up: nothing beats a symetrical SS MTB hub laced up to a 700cc wheel. Stronger than anything out there.

DanO