Ok, I received one of Stratton's keirin frames tonight (he sent me an email asking if I wanted to buy it and who says no to an offer like that). I was planning on selling my converted beater fixie and replacing it with this NJS Bridgestone frame but now I'm confused. This thing is way better looking than I'd ever imagine; Blue metallic with silver flakes... aaahh!!
I can't have the Bridgestone as a beater-going-to-the-movies-shopping-and-messing-around, or can I? Should I dedicate the Kalavinka for that instead and go with a nicer wheel set on the Bridgestone? Or should I consider the uniqueness of the Kalavinka and save it for the summer rides? Do you see my problem here guys and gals? Thing is I can't afford building up the two of them like they deserve to be built. One of them is going to have to settle with Formula hubs and non NJS cranks.

Which one should be the beater/bad weather bike and which one should be treated with a little more respect?

sell me the blue one... problem solved

is that the 54? damn, I should have bought it! that's looking good.

I'd give your respect to the 'Stone, but don't ignore the Kalivinka. Sounds to me like you need one more bike.

yeah, get a thrift store beater or something. maybe not that drastic, but you know what i mean. for now, split 'em evenly.

Beat the hell out of both of 'em. Can't take them with you, and I'd assume you bought them to ride...

-brad

Maybe you're right. First I thought, ****it, they're only bikes and should be used, but now I feel I'm getting too attached to them both that I can hardly stand the thought of one of them getting abused in snow and salt. Hmm...

+1

oh Damn!
I can't WAIT until the day I get this type of dilemma.
Please oh please be sometime in the near future!
Those frames are on FIRE!

Hook me up with strattond!

Meh. They're both bikes. Ride 'em. Enjoy 'em. They can be cleaned, fixed, or replaced if need be.

Coming from the Vanilla man!

But ditto that.

Just have nice bikes - that way you don't ever have to have a beater. Just grab a bike and go. And it looks like you have nice ones indeed, so just ride 'em.

I can see when people say, they have a track-only ride or something but if they're all street then ride whichever whenever.

Seriously, it's a bike. My V gets ridden everywhere now. Got a rock chip on the third ride. So. That's what happens.

yeah, ride the hell out of them. but FYI, bridgestone is like trek of Japan, and even though they are hand built in a small shop, there's nothing really precious about them. It's one of the easiest to get hold of, and 54 is pretty common size for keirin riders. on the other hand, there aren't many kalabinka like that exist.

That's what I was thinking also. Bridgestone frames won't disappear from the market that easily but the Kalavinka has even a custom paint job which makes it a little more harder to replace.
[leaning back in the chair with a smile] aaah! I think I'm actually going to use these and such fun it's going to be. "Ride the hell out of them" - I like that

White bikes look better dirty, and the white frame is drilled for a brake, which would come in handy for nasty weather. The Bridgestone just seems natural for blingin' out, and it's not like you can't swap parts around if you change your mind.

Yeah. I wish I had problems like this.

how come you have all this disposable cash in socialist sveden? do you sell drugs to eurotrash in clubs that beep loudly?

Freddie, my bridgestone is my beater. And I love every second of it.

We buy cheap furniture at our precious IKEA. The money that's left we invest in the fixed-gear-bubble. On weekends we go for a ride on our imported track bikes, dressed in our imported American colllege sweaters and rolled up American jeans. We smile and wish we lived in the U.S. for a while, but only for a while, 'cause when the monthly student grant comes in we're happy we live in Sweden.