Good luck. I think you'll find 81" is a pretty tall gear to push day to day. I run 78" on a good day and I think that probably runs on the high side. Anyhow, ride what you like. That's my motto.

Personally, teh best deal I have found is if you can manage to find a used track-for-street frame that you can build up with decent parts as they all come with pretty entry-level or even trashy bits. I was lucky enough to lay my hands on a 2001 Fuji Track frameset (which has a more aggressive geo than later years) for $90 and added the rest of the pieces to end up with a better ride than what I would have paid retail for a complete. Rare for sure.