Originally Posted by tehz
i think i'd go with the nitto b 125s, since the drop seems shallower, is this good for commuting and such? also, i'm not sure which width to go with, i'm relatively small, but 36cm seems TOO narrow.
The B125s are about as comfy as track drops are going to get on the street - the drops are a little more usable than the B123s, atleast for me. Bar width is a fairly personal choice, but the rule of thumb is generally to measure from the bony part of one shoulder to the other and use that as a starting point. I have 38cm B125s (currently sitting in a corner gathering dust) and I find them to be on the narrow side of comfy - I'm around 5'9"/5'10"-ish with fairly narrow shoulders. I would think you'd have to be a really tiny person for 36cm bars to be comfortable, but then again [165] uses them and I think he's a fairly burly specimen.
Originally Posted by tehz
secondly! if i go with the nittos, i'll need to shim it to fit that stem, should i spring for the $10 nitto steel shims? i dont really trust the aluminum can idea
Don't doubt the power of the soda can shim. It works fine and costs significantly less than the nitto one. There are plenty of 25.4mm clamp diameter quill stems floating around eBay though. I bought a pair of nice SR/Sakae ones NIB for about $10ea. Not black, but nice forged stems nonetheless.
Originally Posted by tehz
thirdly!! i'll probably get champ grips, but should i want to slap some ourys or anything near the stem, how hard are grips to get off?
Kierin grips are not easy to get off. It involves a lot of cursing and a wooden spoon. I would say that you're better off putting the ourys on first - you can always just cut them off if you decide that you don't want them.
m.