korean

Any recommendations on saddles?

oneangrytoast

im no expert, but i dont mind the seat. as far as IMMEDIATE replacements go, its not even on my top 5. its ugly, but it doesnt bother me. im also afraid to upgrade because i dont know many other people who ride so finding a seat to give a spin before i buy is basically out of the question. still though, not as necessary as most of the other parts.

definitely get yourself some clips, and straps right off the bat. it will increase the connection and "oneness" that people talk about having with their FG, plus its your brakes - dont cheap out on stopping mechanisms.

i think i just read your post in another forum about your budget, and it seems like you have enough money to go with the bike island frameset, and getting all your own components, but that will take time and im sure you just want to get out and ride.

you can find at least one complaint that at least one person has with each individual part on the bike. the one thing eveyone will agree on, though, is that the tires are garbage. i also didnt like the look of the bars, so that was a must go for me. the first major upgrade i did was to get a decent chainring, cog and lockring to get a better gear ratio, then shortly thereafter i replaced the pedals and straps. next up is going to be the wheels, and then some cosmetic upgrades here and there.

the most potentially dangerously crappy part on the bike seem to be the hubs, which strip out easily and, if it happens while your riding, can be extremely dangerous. to replace those you would most likely have to buy a new wheelset, which can be the most expensive upgrade on a bike in many cases. if i recall though, you have enough money to work with to get yourself a good wheelset. basically anything will be better than what you already have.

thats all i can think of for now, but im sure there will be plenty more chiming in by myself and others soon enough.

Redline927

Love my Selle San Marco Ponza...about 40 bucks, cant beat it.

oneangrytoast

my pedal choice was based on the width of my foot. gr-9's are popular but not nearly wide enough for me. im not looking to start sh*t, but to just tell him what pedals to get seems wrong.

also, lots of people run clips of various metals, personally i went with cheapo plastic ones. theyre still stiff and they wont crush if i ride on the bottoms of my pedals. (just something to consider, im sure most of you dont like the idea of plastic clips)

korean

It's a $750 budget with $100 every month starting next month. I don't mind waiting and piecing it together. I've built cars and waited 6 months for just one part that prevented me from driving (the wheels, hehe...). I run around plenty so I still get my workout.

When I buy stuff it always has to be something that I can use forever. I've been reading of people using Phil Wood hubs for 15+ years. And Velocity Deep V's...?

I'm starting to see a steep (financial) hill...

korean

toast: i'm 5'8", 138lbs and I wear a men's size 9.5 shoe. Average width foot, I guess...

flam

When i got the bike, the first thing that bothered me were the pedals. I got some MKS sylvans and metal clips. It instantly felt better having my foot under metal, I always felt like the plastic clips bent too much, making stopping a little weary. I agree with Toast, as the saddle isn't a huge bother for me, though i don't take much more that 10 mile rides. All in all you'll enjoy the bike, so just ride and upgrade as you go!

birthdaytronic

I've been skidding on the Kenda tires for about 3 months now. I'm running a 17t cog but they're holding up for longer than I thought they would. If you just use it for normal riding, they should be fine - I wouldn't worry about trading them out right after getting the bike.

oneangrytoast

while trying not to turn this into a thread about clips. i have these plastic clips that my friend (LBS owner) gave me that he gets for free. they are much much stiffer than the ones the bike came with and with the right straps (toshi's ) they feel amazing. they have two gates, which is nice, but i have a pair of all city plastic quad gates on the way from king kog, not even sure ill put em on. these free ones are pretty damn legit.

i have wide feet, and you should have your ENTIRE foot on the pedal, which is why i had to get the mks sylvan touring model:



pedal strike is, of course, an issue. my kilo came with 165mm cranks which seem to be short enough to make pedal strike almost impossible, esp since i dont ride on the track. i put my bike on the angle necessary to get the pedals to hit, its ridiculously far.

well, since you are mr money bags (jk, im just jealous) get yourself some toshi double straps, or something comparable (MKS, Kashimax, thats it, only those three are worth the price). depending on where you live, having them stolen can be an issue. my LBS told me that if you get the white ones and dye them you can hide the toshi logo easily, making them less noticeable (to most, at least). if you want me to explain why these are the best straps money can buy i will, but seriously, i highly doubt any body can argue with me on that one. just take my word for it, and everyone elses too. toshis are the TRUTH!

a lot of people will say "for the price of toshis and pedals, you can get some nice clipless shoes and pedals". sure, i bet i could, but then i have to walk around in riding shoes? or carry an extra pair of shoes? not really something im interested in.

the wheels you choose depend on what youre going to do with your bike. velocitys are very durable, and if youre even considering weinmann dp-18s, stop right now. if youre going with veeps, just get the velocitys.

as far as hubs are concerned, i recent started a thread entitled "the truth about hubs". give that a read, it should give you enough info to make a good decision. i think im going to be looking into the bolt on cogs. seem to be the surest best. basically no chance whatsoever of them stripping, slipping, or failing.

ZiP0082

I'm still using the stock front kenda tire after quite some time, but had to replace the rear one due to frequent flats (glass, metal shards, etc).

korean

Wow, toast. That helps tremendously! I did some number crunching and...

Kilo TT $350
Deep V $220
MKS GR-9 $30
Toshi $115

That's already $715...

I didn't even factor in a seat. I'm going to ride the stock one and see how it holds up.
Also have to get tires...

My next concern (should have been my first) is a front brake. What brands should I be looking at? edit: This is one area where I mustn't skimp!

Nietzsche

https://bikeisland.com/images/mini-123%20021.JPG

brendon_ak

Get a pro, they already come with a bomb wheelset, front brake, and far superior cranks

korean

nietzsche, those look nice but i have no clue what they are

brendon, I like the idea of customization. Yeah, it costs more but it's ok

Nietzsche

ahhhhh sorry for the bad link... here's a better one...

https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1085

korean

Thanks!

So these should suffice? Any other recommendations?

I feel bad for asking all of these questions. It must be annoying Thank you, everyone for your help!

Nietzsche

it's whatever... pretty much once a week someone asks if the stock chain is 3/32" or 1/8" and what size frame would fit them...

more pictures would be nice... I would shoot mine today if it wasn't raining...

korean

I'm a news photographer (secondary job) and so once I get plugged into the community I plan on taking plennnnnnnnnty of pictures

korean

Err, I was driving while my friend took this shot. Taken on Mohr Rd, off Santa Rita Rd in Pleasanton, CA.

oneangrytoast

i respectfully disagree. maybe if it was a better frame, the parts will be upgraded anyway, might as well have a choice in what he gets, rather than have BD choose for him.

korean, if you have any more ?s just PM if you want.

again this all doesnt have to be done right away, you have 100/month to play with.

korean

Will do. I just want the bike to be safe.



What a great forum. I'm a long time member of other forums and people aren't nearly as helpful and kind to noobs like me.

ZiP0082

Unless you're set on the Velocity's deepness and color options, there are other solid wheelsets for less than that price, such as Mavic CXP22s with Formula Hubs (for $140-150). Additionally, I'd argue that Toshi doubles are excessive for a first-time purchase, possibly a later upgrade.

In terms of brakes, while I use that Tektro kit from Bike Island that was referenced above as well, I hear very good things about the Shimano 105 series, in terms of being very compatible with KoolStop brakepads, some of the best on the market. But I don't think there's a Shimano all-in-one package (lever, caliper, housing, wire) out there to my knowledge, it'd have to be picked up in pieces.

korean

Yeah, the toshi's seemed a bit too expensive for me. I wouldn't mind getting them if they'll last me like 10 years.

I pm'd toast about brakes. I was heavily into autocross racing and brakes are ridiculously important. I have a mindset that says not to skimp on brakes. I'd be willing to skimp on other parts just to get a really good braking system.

ZiP0082

Cool - the Tektro's the least expensive option, but if you're able to more easily integrate KoolStop pads, I think you'll like your brake even more.

5h0m3d4m0n3y

do you go to uc davis?