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Old 10-09-18 | 07:56 PM
  #18  
veganbikes
Clark W. Griswold
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Originally Posted by nightfly
Don't worry too much about the crankset. You likely won't be able to tell the difference between a cheapish one and an expensive one.

Spend most of your money on a nice wheelset and then you can cheap out on everything else and upgrade later if you're unsatisfied.

Most important stuff are wheels, tires, control surfaces (seat, grips). I'd spring for a nice EAI cog as they aren't much more than a cheap one. KMC Kool chain is like $15. No matter what your crankset a decent cog and chainring and a smooth chain will make the drivetrain feel nice.

You can cheap out on things like headset, seatpost, stem, bars etc as long as you get the fit right.
Don't cheap out too much on some of that stuff. Cheap headsets are garbage, make sure you find something with sealed cartridge bearings. I prefer Cane Creek as I have used them for many years with no issues. Cranks are also a good place not to be so cheap, remember rotational weight is the worst weight so having something a a little lighter there will be handy. Also again the cheaper cranks can use a softer aluminum which can strip easily when installing pedals or the taper could deform and you won't have a tight fit. Also sealed cartridge bearings are great for your bottom bracket as well and if it is a square taper BB make sure they use metal cups not plastic as those can crack easily and are just not worth it when you can get a metal cupped version pretty cheap.

Everything else said is pretty reasonable though. A heavy seatpost or bars won't really effect much aside from weight. Good wheels are helpful and preferably find ones that are hand built by a professional wheel builder because they typically will last longer and not go out of true often if at all and you are quite unlikely to break a spoke (except maybe for low spoke wheels or super heavy touring). Your contact points are also important so get some good grips or bar tape (and certainly if it is a drop bar find one that is comfortable rather than just cheaper) and a decent saddle but know most manufacturers will make a similar saddle with a range and the nicer ones will have ti or carbon rails and possibly other lightweight benefits but the overall shape will be the same.
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