pdedes

Elephant Bikes will be the maker. Here's the deal.

I'm not absurdly proportioned, off the shelf bikes fit me fine. I'll be racing m1 next year, team bike provided, so I won't need any of my current bikes.

My want is to replace my old Concorde squadra tsx with modern steel, bb30 and isp. I like the welded/filet brazed aesthetic, powder coated.

SRAM Force/red,group, I'll build some wide rim wheels on h + son archetype rims. Good plan?

rpenmanparker 

Excellent. I would go with the most advanced steel tubing you can afford. The stainless, ultra-high strength Reynolds if you can find any. Otherwise one of the non-stainless types but in the air hardened, heat treated, high strength variety. I don't know much about Elephant, but hopefully they know how to put together a really light frame, <3.5 lb. I would go with a carbon fork. There is some room for argument about this, but I think it only makes sense. As far as the components are concerned, the Force-Red mix is a great idea. Force derailleurs and brakes where the performance is great and the weight penalty is small. Red cassette where you can get a really nice weight savings. I'm not sure which levers to go with. You should really like the result.

pdedes

Ritchey carbon fork is standard. true temper is their standard tube set with 853, OX platinum and S3 as $200 options

rpenmanparker 

The Ritchey Pro fork is excellent.

halfspeed

Why steel? Why custom?

rpenmanparker is right that if you go this route, you should go high end. The modern oversized heat-treated steels ride far better than traditional 4130 or 531 and the like.

pdedes

I have a carbon bike. My team bike will be carbon. What I want is the bit of flex that comes with an ISP like my carbon bike in steel.

garciawork

I'd say go 853 or OX platinum from what I have read. Otherwise that sounds great. I am partial to Enve fork's myself though.

halfspeed

Does an ISP on steel really make much sense? You can get as much flex as you want without it and it seems like it would be heavier than a nice aluminum seat post. No?

BTW, definitely go fillet brazed over TIG welded. It looks much nicer. After all, if you just want a nice TIG welded steel frame you may as well get a Jamis Eclipse.

pdedes

Glen Copus is the builder, he uses a combination of welding and filet brazing. I won't interfere in his methodology. But I have been a fan of the isp in terms of comfort, and I think it will translate in steel. If I don't like it, i can always cut it off

qqy

You should really ask the builder, not the internet, and have faith in the result. Each builder specializes in certain styles and materials. Tell him what you want, and he'll tell you have you need.

datlas 

This. Go for it. I believe you will be pleased with the results.

halfspeed

Lots of old school builders work that way. Tell them what you want out of the bike, ride with them for a while and then they build you something. OTOH, a friend of mine let a builder run wild and ended up with this:

He loves it.

qqy

That is unbelievably awesome. Forget what I said and just get a custom singlespeed fatbike. The fatter, the better.

2 wheeler

Say what?

StanSeven

I don't think he has to worry about how much weight disc brakes adds

rpenmanparker 

Umm, not exactly. There are two kinds of people... Yep, there are those who think like you and there are others who appreciate and utilize the advice of the knowledgeable builder but who want to keep control of the process themselves. I see no inherent advantage to either approach. It is all about personality. The latter are usually (hopefully) quite knowledgeable themselves. Falling into that latter category myself I appreciate how OP may not wish to just give it up to the whim of a builder, but rather express his own preferences in the process. Naturally I hope anyone going about it this way will be sensitive to such advice from the builder like for instance, "You just can't do it that way," or "At your weight, riding style, power output, etc. that gauge tubing is just not a good idea." But that is very different from just saying to someone, "Look at me and listen to me, then build me a bike!" Many folks just want to be more involved in the nitty-gritty.

coasting 

if you want a non-carbon bike, wht's the advantage of steel over ti?

sced

or aluminum?

You already know the answer.

coasting 

no i don't.

rpenmanparker 

OP says he wants both steel and custom. First there is the ride quality. I am not saying one is better than the other, but their reputations are certainly different. One might simply like what one has heard about steel better than about Ti. There could be history with steel that is guiding the choice. There is a significant price differential between custom steel and custom Ti. There are also many more custom steel builders than custom Ti builders. It is easier to decorate steel than Ti. I can't say these are the reasons for OP's choice, but they are some of the factors to consider.

adrien

Go for it. Steel has an incredible, lively ride if built properly. It's one I haven't found in carbon bikes yet (I've ridden many, but not all, by any stretch).

And, the process and the idea that you have one of a kind is rewarding in itself.

sced

There aren't any of consequence. Whatever differences there are in the materials can be minimized by how the frame is designed and fabricated. This has been said by others in the know countless times and it's true.

coasting 

i'm not in the know.

pdedes

ti winds up being not stiff enough for me unless it's way overbuilt, and then it's weight advantages are minimized.

chaadster

That Peacock-thingy fat bike is sweet; the color matched calipers too outrageous! Dunno why one would want single speed, but hey, I'm sure it's not the only bike they've got!

BTW, what is this ISP you guys are talking about?