bitpartinyrlife

I'm fed up with my junky fixed road conversion and have finally scraped the money together to start a build. I have a few components picked out, but I need help deciding where my money is best spent for high-end stuff and where mediocre will do. Basically, I know just enough to know how much I don't know...As a caveat, I live in New York City and this bike will take a beating--curbs, potholes, and general trying to stay alive stuff...I want everything black too.

Frame: I ordered a 57 cm Spicer Steel Track Frame/Fork. This is the closeout black over red deal. Same frame as a khs flite.

Wheels/hubs: Edit: Went with formula high flange fix/fix laced 3x to deep v's (machined front, non machined back) with dt swiss db spokes and brass nipples. handbuilt from superspokes.com for $250

Bars: NItto B123 or b123 aluminum. The weight difference seems worth the cost, but how do the aluminum nittos feel? Flexy? Lose their shape easily? Considering deda pista as well

Cranks: Lost here. Everyone and their mother recommends Sugino 75, but $$$. Anything a little lower (in all black) that does the job? Or is it worth it to just spend the money up front here as it seems lots of people end up upgrading to the 75 anyway? Zen Messenger chainring any good (for $30 less than 75 ring)?

BB: Completely lost. Sugino "recommends" the 75 bb if i go with 75, but is it necessary? what am I really gaining by spending the extra money? Basically, what's better/what are the benefits of the higher end BB's? What's a good, solid middle of the line?

Headset: I figure this probably isn't a place I should spend a lot of money. FSA Orbit, Cane Creek, Aheadset, etc, which do I go with (1 in threadless)? What are the benefits of a higher end headset besides the longevity of the Kings?

Stem: No idea. Probably something cheap to start out with until I find the right angle and length. any recommendations for solid black threadless stems?

Seatpost: Black, long, 26.8. Doesn't seem like a place I should spend a lot of money...although the miche primato is sexy as hell...anything stick out in the $40 or under range?

Saddle: Trying to pick up a selle italia slr off ebay. Does the gel do much for comfort? What about the center cutout to "relieve genital pressure"?

Pedals: Sylvans, mks clips, straps (anybody find black double straps for cheap anywhere?)

Cogs/Lockring: Don't want to cheap it here, but is there really much difference between an EAI, Phil Wood, Surly, and Dura-Ace cog or lock ring? I've seen the DA cogs for around $20 or less and the lock rings for $10ish. Seems weird that even a Surly is more than a DA.

Chain: Anything specific?

Brake: Any recomendations on a very small, black sidepull for the front?

Tires: Solid street tire recommendation that's not gonna kill me on price?

Thanks for your help.

citypigeon

soma has 40$ double straps
tires: get specialized armadillos. they last forever but are a little pricey (around 35 - Its worth it) They do have that maroon stripe that will eliminate your all black aesthetic. or you could get continental ultra gatorskins

thats all I got

Aeroplane

Wheels: Radial is pointless unless you are a slave to fashion, and love that fashion. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.
Hubs: I love the formulas. High or low flange is really a matter of style and how much of a weight weenie you are. Fixed-fixed is better than fixed-free, you can still put a freewheel on the fixed threading.

Bars: I really doubt that anything Nitto makes is crappy enough to lose it's shape. I doubt I would ever notice the difference in stiffness.

Cranks: 75's are the standard, and the cheapest way to get a 144 bcd. Otherwise, you'll need to get a road crankset (usually 130bcd) or stronglight or miche track cranks (130 and 135 bcd respectively).

BB: If you go 75's, any shimano cartridge BB will do you fine. UN52/72 of the appropriate spindle length. Miche's will need one with an ISO taper though (Sugino and Shimano are JIS). Stronglights, I don't know.

Headset: Any base sealed-cartidge model will do fine, probably. I thought the fork on those was threaded though?

Stem: Once you get your angle and length figured out, nothing beats a thomson, except maybe a cinelli alter or 3T mutant. Salsa Cro-mo stems are pretty tight too.

Seatpost: Nothing sexy I can think of for less than $40 in a 26.8... but it's a freaking seatpost, you know?

Saddle: Extremely personal decision. Nobody can tell you what to do there.

Pedals: covered.

Cogs/Lockring: All are good, but I don't think a Phil will work on formula hubs. I've been using a Surly for well over a year with no bad stuff happening.

Chain: KMC whatever BMX chain is good and stout.

Brake: Zero Gravity makes some nice ones... Nashbar sells cheapies too. No road brakes are going to be huge.

Tires: Vittoria Rubinos get good reviews on here, and you can pick your color.

eyefloater

wheels/hubs - you can get the IRO/Deep V combo from IRO directly. There are also some really good options for even cheaper (take a look at the "best wheelset for under $200 thread from a few days ago).

bars/stem - the problem w/ buying B123s on a whim and throwing "any old stem" on is the clamp diameter. Nitto track drops are 25.4, so you'll need a shim to bring them up to 26.0 (much more common) or a stem that fits them perfectly from the beginning. Maybe just get some regular road drops out of the used bin until you get your stem length sorted out.

crankset - I like the Sugino RD2 Messenger cranks. They're an improvement on the old version and come with a 130 BCD Zen ring (46T). Merry Sales is the distributor that carries them, so look for a shop that carries Soma/Pake stuff (also from the same supplier). They can probably special order them in for you for about $70-$80 bucks. The accompanying bottom bracket (get the 103mm so your chainring is on the outside) will cost you about $30.

headset - I like the FSA Orbit X. You can get it in 1" or 1 1/8" ... cartridge bearings ... silver/black.

seatpost - go low budget ... like $10-15. That's needless bling if you're working on a budget and you can upgrade in the future if you want something pretty. Most budget posts can be had in silver or black for the same price.

chain - I normally use the KMC K810 (black/silver).

brake - I think with Tektro you can get singles. Some companies/suppliers require that you buy a set and bike shops generally don't want to get stuck with your leftovers.

tires - Armadillos are good for what they're designed to do, but I personally prefer Vittoria Rubino Pros. They're lightish, flat resistantish, and fairly supple. Good "high quality" tire w/out destroying the bank account.

dirtyphotons

modern stronglights are JIS taper

Igneous Faction

I built up the same Spicer frame for my first "real" bike. Here's my build list if it helps you out:

Rear Wheel: Iro Black Track wheel. (I saved cash by getting Tony's generic rim rather than a Velocity)
Front Wheel: Some Ritchey aero wheel. 16 bladed spokes. Black. I got it for way cheap, so I can't complain.
Cranks: I thought about the 75's for a long time, but didn't have the cash. I run the aforementioned RD2's with the Zen ring.
Pedals: GR-9's.
Stem: 3T Mutant.
Bars: Old mountain bike risers. With red BMX grips
Seatpost: Some generic thing; Bontrager maybe?
Seat: Soon to be a Fizik Arione.
Tires: Vittoria Rubino's Red.

Total cost is probably in the area of $650.00. Probably... At this point, I'm not even sure. Worth every penny though.

Igneous Faction

Oh, and a black Ritchey WCS Pro threadless headset. Smooth as silk.

bitpartinyrlife

Thanks, that does help. Since you have the same frame, i'm wondering if you are running 165mm cranks or 170? Are you getting toe overlap with clips? And do you know what your weight ended up at?

kbjack

Second on the ritchey wcs headset. I'm not sure what the exact retail is on these but they might be close-ish enough to a chris king to consider that as well...maybe not. I switched out a low-end sealed cane creek with a king and it upped my confidence in the bikes ability to take holes and bumps like 2000-fold. The ritchey would probably give you a similar feel. Either way, don't go cheap cheap.

Igneous Faction

I'm riding what Spicer calls a 53cm frame (the top-tube length is actually 55.6 cm...) and I ride on 165's. With 165's, 23mm tires, and medium sized MKS clips on GR-9's I get zero toe-overlap.

I'm not sure of the weight as I don't have a scale handy, but it feels nice and light when you're riding.

Red Riding Hood

Aeroplane: Vagina.

sivat

Most of the stuff seems to be covered, but I'll add what I can.

Wheels: Radial lacing will add to the lateral stiffness of the wheel, but it puts more strain on the hub flange. Most companies will not warranty a hub if it has hd radial spokes.

Hubs: sealed are the way to go for inexpensive and low-maintanence. Go fixed/fixed, and I like the look of the high flange.

Bottom Bracket: if you get the 75s, you can use the shimano 107mm bottom bracket. The tange bottom bracket is the same thing apparently. the lack of maintanence needed for a sealed bb is worth if for street riding. The loose bearing bb wil be a little smoother, but need more care and cost 3 times as much.

Cogs: EAI and DA seem to be the best value for the money. Harris carries a cheaper version of the surly.

Brake: Shimano made the 105 brakes in black. You can usually find a set on ebay for pretty cheap.

Aeroplane

WTF?

dirtyphotons

yeah i was wondering about that too

shishi

All I can say is stick with catridge BB and hubs...I think I put my bike together for $600-700 so it can be done.

bitpartinyrlife

I've seen those on the site, but i think they're unmachined only aren't they? Also, spoke pattern--his are 3x back and 1x front. Are 1x or 2x any weaker than 3x? I definitely like the look a lot better.

eyefloater

I'd personally be fine with 1x on the front. But hell, I still think tied and soldered spokes are a good idea for track bikes (eat a dick, Brant).

bitpartinyrlife

So new york people, who should I have build up my bike?

So far I have the frame, wheels & hubs (deep v's on formulas), seatpost (cheap kalloy), saddle (selle italia flite gel flow), toe clips (soma), double straps (soma), and bars (deda pista).

I'm willing to buy the rest of the parts from an lbs if they give me a break on the build. Basically, I need $40 or under sealed cartridge 1in threadless headset (fsa orbit or the like), 1in or 1 1/8in with shim threadless stem with 31.7 clamp, black sugino 75 165mm crank, 45 tooth sugino zen messenger ring, sealed cartridge BB, black chain, 2 DA lockrings, 2 DA cogs, black sylvans, cheapy black sidepull and lever for front, and tubes and tires (vittoria rubinos seem to have the biggest concensus, which model? slicks? 23mm good width for NYC streets? Any considerations for the upcoming winter assuming that if there's snow on the ground i'm leaving it home?). Any recommendations? Bike Works seems to have just about everything I'm looking for and for decent prices, but i'm open to suggestions.

exfreewheeler

Go to BikeWorks or TrackStar in NYC. They are Fixed Gear Gurus and are not out to rob you. They have alot of used options too which is great for seatposts and bar/stems.

bedian

+1

vpower

cranks, I would spend the money up front.

Stem-go to an LBS that does pro-fits and see if they have any pull offs.

saddle-I have terry flys on a few of my bikes and they are very comfy. The cut-out makes me feel better but the research on impotence is still inconclusive.

Seatpost: generic. it's a seatpost. kalloy or pyramid. You can get kalloy in black.

cogs: My favorites are somas. after putting tons of miles on them, I've changed them and cleaned them and they looked brand new. The surlys are great but they still showed a little wear (although it could just as easily be a chainline issue on my end).

Chain: KMC KOOL chain is expensive and heavy but they stretch very little if at all.

Brake: tektro. cheap but good enough.

roscoenyc57

trackstar and bikeworks both do a damn good job and could give you some reccomendations on the build/points to save a little dough. I've been riding 25's of late and they have been good on the street.
looking at your parts wish list I think t-star may have more of that stuff in stock.

get_nuts

You'll wear through those Rubinos pretty quick on the rear, but it would be great on the front. The Soma Everwear is a durable tire which I would recommend for heavy duty urban usage on your rear wheel, especially if you skid.

john_and_off

everyone is giving good advice, but the one thing i would add is you might consider spending just a little bit more money on a nice chain - i've tried kmc and sram chains, and when i upgraded to an izumi eco, my bike ran about 10000 times quieter and smoother... they're only about 20 dollars on the interwebs, too

born on a bus

+1. Love my Rubinos, but mine wore out pretty quick in the rear. I'm currently running a Maxxis Re-Fuse in the rear, it's better in the rain than the Rubino, but I prefer the Rubino on dry pavement. 23's have been good to me so far. Another option to consider for your build is Time-Out, you can bring your stuff there and they'll help you build it, just an idea.