After my Christmas buying season is over (for four freaking grandkids), this winter I might buy a really nice steel frame to build up. I want it made in the USA, but for a "reasonable" price, like less than $1500. Here's a few I'm looking at, if you know others please post it up. Two bottle mounts is a must.

Very nice price built by Waterford. Probably the best deal.

https://www.benscycle.com/milwaukee-..._20834/product

The Gunnar SD. I love the stainless track ends. But $425 for a steel fork painted to match hurts.

Street Dog

High end of my price range but my personal favorite so far. Has everything I really want. Lugged, two bottle mounts and a pump peg. Looks like a classic 1980's frame. He actually has a single speed in my size ready to ship for $995 but it has horizontal dropouts.

https://www.oasiscustomcycles.com/

Rodriguez.

Shiftless Track Bikes - Rodriguez track bikes for Men and women

Base price is $999 with 20+ off the shelf sizes to choose from. +$200 for custom sizing.

You can add options such as better tubes, internal routing, custom paint, etc.

If you get sized for custom geometry and it come close to one of the stock sizes then they may offer you the custom without the upcharge.

Edit: [MENTION=392125]79pmooney[/MENTION]'s post reminded me that Rodriguez does vertical dropouts with a Bushnell eccentric bottom bracket.


-Tim-

I frankly don't get wanting track ends for the road. Bigger pain changing the wheel and fenders are a real pain. Horizontal dropouts make pulling the wheel fast with clean hands easy. Yes, if you are doing big gear changes on the road, the long track drops make it possible, but if you can spend the bucks, a custom road dropout is far better. (My ti custom has a road drop that allows any cog from 12 to 24 teeth without messing with chain length. It also opens down at the front so getting the wheel in, even with hill-climbing cogs, big tires and fenders isn't hard. I had it angled 11 degrees from horizontal, less than a true road dropout but it allows the brake pad to stay on the deep Velocity Aero rim while minimizing the height change of the back of the bike. Works really well! Rode a 9800' day up to and around Crater Lake unscrewing cogs twice and doing all the other changes with quick wheel flips. 42 X 12. 17 and 23.)

Ben

Wabi Cycles

I did think about that. I know Surly makes those chain tensioners. If that Oasis is still for sale when I'm done with Christmas I may get it.

I like the Classic frame and it's on my list but they're made in Taiwan.

Tim beat me too it. Rodriguez for sure. I am one drop in the river that got him to get his in the first place and it is certainly one I am still wanting to do but so much came up and now I am not flush with enough cash to start a new project like that.

FBM makes single speed frame sets and also they do custom frames as well.
https://https://fbmbike.co/custom-fram...-single-speed/

The Sword Single Speed Frameset - FBM Bike Co.

To quote myself: " I frankly don't get wanting " chain tensioners. The only tension a fix gear or single speed chain should ever be under is from your legs. The rest of the chain should be slack. Not on the bike? Both the upper and lower runs should be slack. How much slack depends on the use of the bike and quality of the components. Go to the velodrome where the surface is smooth, the components are high quality and you will see a lot of slack in the chains of best riders. For the road, I try for about a 1/2" total slack. (I can push or pull the run with a wrench about a 1/2" total. After I set this, I spin the cranks and see that the tightest is still has some slcak and the loosest is withing an inch. (That's with mediocre quality non-track cranksets. My bike with Sugino 75s and a track hub has almost no variation)

To achieve this "tension requires no mechancal advantage at all. So I have no idea why anyone would want to install a device that accomplishes getting the proper chain "tension" much more slowly, then has to undone at the same slow speed to remove the wheel. "To keep the wheel from being pulled forward by my massive quads"? I never saw a tensioner on Nelson Vails' bikes. Somehow he managed just fine. (Look him up. This country hasn't seen many stronger riders.

Ben

I would say Wraith but it looks like they are not making their track frame anymore

Exactly what I was going to suggest.
I have been wanting one of these myself for some time now.
The only thing missing is the bottle mounts, but they can add that, just not sure what the added fee would be.

Pedal Driven Cycles in Georgia also makes a nice looking frame called the Wolfpack. I am not allowed to post the link until I have 10 posts, but a Google search should get you there.

Get yourself ten posts it is super easy on this forum, I was able to get there rather quickly without venturing much past touring and SS/FG and have since strayed all over. You can also talk about other stuff other than bikes but I rarely go there.

Do you mean the head badge?

Went down a rabbit hole of Sword builds on FBM's site. Yuck. Definitely don't buy one of those, even if you might get throwback John Watson street cred.

My vote is Rodriguez or Gunnar.

If you're budget conscious, Spicer Cycles are budget friendly at $599 starting price.