Need help with purchasing my first fixie.
 

Hi all,

Im really to the fixie world and would love some advice. I borrowed my friend's fixie for a few weeks to see how using it will feel like. Im amazed at how fun it was and I really want my own bike now.

However, since im so new i am not sure if the parts I've chosen would work together or if there is other alternative to choose from.

Here are the parts I've chosen. I still cabt decide on the stem, tires and bars.

I'm really light, coming in at 50kg and im 165cm tall. The bike will be mainly used for city cummutes. What are some difference in bike setup for city and for long distance?

Wheel set : archtypes laced to paul hubs

Frame : cinelli mash bolt 2.0

Crank : sram omnium

Tires : -

Bars : -

Stem : -

Ive read that the frame and cranks chosen are pretty light. For the wheelset, are there anh lighter alternative that is around the same price point?


Thank you vey much! All advice is greatly appreciated

I wouldn't worry too much about weight. Archetypes are good rims, and fairly light at 450g. You could go a little lighter by getting them laced to low flange hubs if you want to. With that frame and wheels, it's pretty hard to build a heavy bike. For tires, I like the Rubino Pro series from Vittoria. Bars and stem are going to depend on what kind of riding position you want.

Thanks for the reply! This bike woll be mainly used for commuting around the city. Will a steel frame do a better job because it will smoothen out the ride (if so, what frame would you recommend?) ? Will a steel frame be a lot heavier compared to an aluminum one?

Another question, will I have to "baby" the frame if the aluminum / steel frame have a carbon fork? Or will it be able to take a beating? Going down curbs, bunny hopping, skidding ect.

Im trying to find a cheaper frame to that i can cut my budget but frames like the cinelli mash or bianchi SP looks so amazing.

A steel frame might give you a smoother ride, but the carbon fork will help a lot with that already, and the right choice in tires/pressure can arguably make a bigger difference in ride quality than frame material. I wouldn't say you have to baby it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to abuse it either. For what you're describing, going with a steel frame and fork might be better IMO. A few ideas -- Soma Rush, Surly Steamroller, All-City Big Block, Cinelli Gazetta.

Unless you have the parts already, it is really a waste of money to not buy a complete bike. You are going to tell me that you really want the experience of putting it together yourself and having the bike be completely custom to your specs. I appreciate that and believe me I felt that same excitement at some point but it turns to regret when you actually start building it and you end up spending three times as much on the bike as you would have if you had just bought a complete bike.

You don't have the bike yet so you don't really know what you need. Is there some reason why you need Paul hubs? Unless there is a really good reason for this spec you will probably find that a whole bunch of other hubs would have worked just as well for you. You say you want Omniums. They are stiff but the GXP bottom brackets have a reputation for having lousy bearings, plus frankly, they are ugly. Maybe it would be worthwhile to just ride on whatever until you decide that you actually want an upgrade.

This is just a little more than you would be looking to spend on just your frameset. Even if you wanted to upgrade the cranks right of the bat, it would come out a lot cheaper than trying to piece it together yourself.

Thank you both for your reply! Appreciate the feedback. Yea, maybe i should really get a complete. Maybe my thought process was wrong, i dont really like changing parts on bikes so i us all get a mid - high end one right off the bat. I did that when i got my first mtb but i might be too new to fixed gear bikes to do that. And im not going to lie, a huge part on why i like fixed gear bikes is because of how clean the bike looks so the aesthetic (especially the frame) was important to me when i was choosing it.


Curious on steel frame with a more "modern" design? Something that isn't just circular tubing all the way around.

This is just me, but if you have the bucks to spend on this project, I'd buy a Kilo TT complete and upgrade the wheels right away. That's what I basically did... and I'm slowly upgrading other stuff as they wear (or I get the $$$ to blow!).

As far as tires go I don't think I'll ever run anything but Gatorskins. I currently have 700x28s on my Soma Rush build

Not entirely true.

I agree with most of the things prooftheory stated here, but all in all, it may benefit you in the long run.

Let me explain.

Half the fun is building a bike entirely up to to your specs. Riding it is the other half.

Secondly, you don't have to spend 3x as much as buying a complete. Just do your homework and you'll find more-than-decent parts that might suit your needs without dropping all the $$$ (e.g. lightly used parts from reputable sources, parts on sale, etc.)

IF $$$ is not an issue, why not buy good brands once and save yourself the head & heart ache of them taking a **** on you?

Lastly, its COMPLETELY up to you man...that's why youre on here. To ask questions and get informed.

If youre gonna build a bike and youre sure riding fixed was "love at first ride": do your home work, get quality parts for the right price, and have fun with your build.

buying a complete doesnt always work out if youre gonna upgrade everything anyway...

also, i 100% agree with this.

I've heard Gatorskins 28 and wider are decent, but 23 and 25 ride like they're made of rocks and dry turds. I also hate their sidewalls.

I ride 25 Gatorskins and the ride is fine. I run them at 100psi most of the time and find it pretty comfy. I also commute on pretty smooth roads though, and can see them being a bit harsh on patchy or rough roads. I also have ****ty rims though, so who knows..

If you have the funds for a full custom build then go for it. In the long run you will be happier and will be upgrading or swapping parts less.

To put things into perspective. I put together a full Soma Rush build over three years ago and spent around $1,300 but I was extremely happy and never had to touch anything after I first built it. However, I also recently purchased a complete Soma Rush build on Craigslist for $290 so I can swap frames... Granted, the used CG build didn't have as nice of parts as the build I put together but it did come with Omniums, Gatorskins, Fizik Bars and Velocity Deep V wheels.

If you can find a good deal on CG that's similar to what you have in mind you can save lots of $$$

Where are you located and what frame/size are you interested in?

Just to offer OP another perspective.

I have only experienced zero regret, complete happiness and total satisfaction after completing a build. The bike is perfect, no shortcuts, no compromises. I enjoy riding it because everything fits, feels, and functions exactly like I want it to. And unlike buying a complete bike, I don't spend the following year feeling dissatisfied every time I look at the bike and ride the bike. I also don't continue to spend money every month upgrading all the stuff that doesn't work well or that I don't like the feel or fit of.

Thank you all so much! I'm currently still debating if I should get a complete or drop the $$$ bomb on a custom bike. And I have to agree on building a custom bike. I'm currently located at Singapore. So loads of traffic stops and pavement riding to be done.

If I choose to go that route, the bike would be something I have an attachment to, because I built it and chose the parts AND would be a bike I like (based on looks)

I'm 165cm so I'm looking at either a 49cm or a 52cm frame. As for what froms I am currently looking at IF I do intend to go custom would be the Mash bolt 2.0 (already maxing out on my budget if i build around this). Sadly the frame that made me want to build a fixed gear years ago, the Bainchi super pista d2 cant no longer be found (Or is hard to find), I've given up on that. The other frame that I would like to build around is the Pelizzoli Legenda but that would be too expensive.

I'm curious on y'all thoughts on parts. If I were to build around the Mash bolt and would want to save up some $$ on the build instead of buying the "typical" Omniums and Archtypes laced to Phil or paul. What are some other quality (but not so expensive) cranks and hubs I should be looking at. I'd want to bike to weigh in at around 6-7kg build w/o brakes.

Was it your first fixed gear? If not, do you think you would have been as successful at building it up from scratch without already having experience riding the complete build? Did you use any parts that you already had? Did you use tools that you already had?

I think it is a great thing for someone who actually has experience and a couple bikes and a parts bin to buy the frame they want and put it together. Most of the long timers in here fall in that category. I just wouldn't recommend it to someone who titles their thread "Need help with purchasing my first fixie."

The pelizzoli legenda is a beautiful frame and if I were going to build up a bike I would save up for that rather than compromising on the most critical part at the very beginning. But that is also the kind of thinking that leads one to spend 3 times the original budget, so take it with a grain of salt.

My first SS build, and all subsequent builds were equally fun and satisfying.

Yes. For me personally, I already had a really clear vision of what I wanted the final outcome to be. Almost nothing changed from conception to build.

Nope. I had to buy every single component. It was my first build, so I had no leftovers laying around. No parts bin existed. And when something didn't pan out as expected, I had to lay out more cash for the new piece.

We agree here, building up from scratch is expensive. Buying a complete is always cheaper. If you are comfortable riding an off the shelf clone bike, it's way smarter to buy a complete bike.

Yes, many basic tools. But I did have to buy a few specialty tools for cranks and BBs. I also "made" some tools for head set press, droput alignment, frame spacing and alignments, and that was very fun and they were very satisfying to use.

We all had our first scratch build at some point, right? OP already had a bunch of components in mind, so I thought I'd share a different viewpoint of the money outlay vs satisfaction subject. For me, the mistakes and learning were a positive part of the process, not a negative.

Those same Archetypes laced to Formula or Gran Compe hubs will give you a fine wheelset and probably cost 200-300 USD less. Check out Velomine and Retrogression for some good offerings. You will not notice the difference when you're riding the bike.

Thanks for the reply!

Will definitely be getting a cheaper hub. I'm curious then, if both hubs will ride the same, what is the point of getting the more expensive hub? I know for mountain bike at least, comparing the hope pro 2s to chirs king. There will be a huge difference because of the POE etc etc.

I was also wondering, what other crankset would you guys recommend? The omnium does look kinda ugly. I've seen people recommending the Sugino 75s instead of them. And while they do look amazing they are also kinda pricey.

All-City 612's are pretty nice. I've got a set on my bike and I'm really happy with them.

The machining on those chainrings looks amazing!

Dave

I guess the Omniums and Sugino's are both hit or miss when it comes to looks. I think the Omniums look better than the Sugino 75s... Both great cranks and just a matter of cost difference and clooks. I ride 165mm Long Omniums btw. I got them from eBay as a complete crank/BB set for about $200. You'll need the BB socket but still worth it considering the low cost.

I would never say an Omnomnom looks better than a 75 crank. No huge logo just clean lines and simple looks or if you like it spicy Super 75s with a Super Zen Chainring HELLOOOOOOOOOO!

I just don't like the look of the Omnomnom logo, if they ditched that it would look way better, ATMO