brabham79

pic of my commuter before the ride home, love this thing

sandiego25

Got this leader 725tr off craigslist for $200

seau grateau

Sweet deal. Needs foot retention tho.

sandiego25

i got a strap on the left pedal

TejanoTrackie 

Are you an amputee ?

T13

Not yet...

sandiego25

is it really that bad to run with one strap?

TejanoTrackie 

No, it's only half bad.

Scrodzilla

How "bad" it may be is outweighed by how stupid it is.

motobeCarnage 

depends on whether or not you ride your bike.

Why do people do this?

Scrodzilla

I love when people use the dumb response of "I only skid with my ______ foot so I only need a strap on that side".

Get ready.

sandiego25

I'm happy that my ignorance is amusing you guys, but my question is serious. I am not going to waste money to buy a whole new pair of straps when I ride fine with just one. That's why I asked so that I would know if it is worth it to buy another pair. So please reply to a newcomer with a valid answer instead of being a dick.

Leukybear 

Yes. That way you'll have a spare in case one of the new ones break

bwilli88 

Riding with retention is not just about braking, it effects how you ride over all. It allows you to use more of the pedal stroke than just on the down stroke.

GhostSS

Depends on what you think a waste of money is. Skidding, as stated thousands of time on this forum, is not the quickest way to come to a stop on a brakeless fixed gear bike. With both straps you can stop faster, accelerate faster, and have both feet secured when spinning out and descending.

Even for skidding, you have a greater potential for viable skid patches on your tires if you skid ambidextrously.

From what I've seen, most people who only run one strap simply haven't learned how to get their other foot in the strap once on the bike. Just learn to get your feet in the straps, a good rider should know how to do this. On the other hand, straps are also pretty cheap, give yourself more options.

sandiego25

Thanks for answering me with maturity, I will go to the local shop tomorrow to get some.

motobeCarnage 

I always assumed it was because some people couldn't get over the embarrassment of that first week of riding fixed when you looked like a **** trying to get your second foot in the strap.

I had no idea ****** was offensive.. I thought it was just booger misspelled.

Infinity2

Does anyone have any pics of 48.5 or 49 cm 721's? I found these 2 in this thread already, but it's huge!





I'm specifically trying to get a good look at the top tube angle on the 48.5.

TejanoTrackie 

^^^ The second bike is mine, and it's a 48.5cm frame. The first bike has more slope to the top tube, and is probably a 46cm. There is no 49cm 721tr, and the next size is 51cm, which has a straight non-sloping top tube. Here are some newer photos of my 721tr with the bar changed to a riser:

Scrodzilla

The top one was my wife's bike. It's a 49cm (from back when they made a 49cm). It was very long for how small it was and she never could get comfortable on it.

TejanoTrackie 

I stand corrected. Somehow the top tube appears to have more slope in that photo, so I assumed it was a 46cm. I didn't recognize it as Angie's old bike, and can see how a woman would not fit well on a bike with a relatively long top tube. Even mine is a bit long for me, which is why I have a very short stem, even with a riser bar.

Scrodzilla

The angle of that photo does make it look a little more drastic but that was back when all sizes of the 721 & 725 had a sloping top tube.

Infinity2

Thank you!!!!

The top tube on yours does look much more level than on the first. I love your bike by the way. I am going to do the same frame/fork combo.

Infinity2

I will be building a 48.5cm 721 over the next few weeks. I am 5'6" with a 28" inseam. Mind if I ask your measurements/how the frame fits you? I'm not sure what stem length to get.

From the pictures of your bike, the slope in the top tube is not very noticeable. How much slope would you say it has compared to a 51cm? Scrodzilla's Wife's bike appears to have a greater slant in the top tube.

TejanoTrackie 

I'm 5' 3" with a 28" inseam, and the top tube is a bit long for me, so it should be perfect for you. The stem length depends on the bars you use and your arm length as well as your torso. Anyways, the top tube on my frame is 730mm, which is quite long for a frame with a 48.5cm seat tube, so you can use that number in a fit calculator to determine the correct stem to use. I'm guessing that you'd use at least a 90mm stem with drop bars or bullhorns and a 120mm stem with risers, but that's just a rough guesstimate based on your proportions relative to mine. The 51cm should have no slope in the top tube at all.