Bike Forums - pista or steamroller?

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- - pista or steamroller? (https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/386901-pista-steamroller.html)

i prefer the pista frame but hate unicrown forks; the chrome pistas look classy. get a flat crown fork from a khs and you're set.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase. (Post 6141753)

i prefer the pista frame but hate unicrown forks; the chrome pistas look classy. get a flat crown fork from a khs and you're set.

+1
for sure, unicrown is fugly.

Putting all this nonesense about which bike is cooler to hate aside, both are good street fgss frames. The steamroller is more of a "road" frame. The pista is more "trackish". Neither of these frames are good utilitarian all-rounders, though the steamroller is a little more versatile. The steeper pista geometry would perhaps be more fun to ride, but either will work as a basic street fixie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase. (Post 6141753)

i prefer the pista frame but hate unicrown forks; the chrome pistas look classy. get a flat crown fork from a khs and you're set.

Yup, take the decals off too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nayr497 (Post 6140141)

but I don't think posting a Nagasawa with a tri-spoke and all that jazz is that exciting if the owner is just some d-bag with a Chrome bag, rolled up $200 denim, some slip-on Vans and the comb over I-listen-to-the-Shins haircut.

nice rant, nagasawa aren't cool anymore? man i gotta sell mine =(

What I like about the Steamroller is the fat tire clearance. I like a plushy ride. And all in all, it's a pretty frame.

also, check out the pista thread on here for some examples of what they can be

Two very nice bikes.

I like the Pista's handling and prefer it to any bike I have ever ridden.

Other folks have different preferences.

I like quick and agile.

none

of

the

above.

atmo

Real helpful, dookie.

The reason I limit it to these two is that the company I work for carries them both so I would get a good discount.

If they both suck so horribly that it is not worth getting either I am open to that possibility.

It seems likely that you are suffering from not-liking-either-because-it-is-cool-to-hate-them-itis, however.

Just mo.

Getting back to the subject, though, if a family member asked me which bike he or she should get, I would say I like the Pista for me, but I would recommend the Steamroller for value and the type of handling most people like in a street bike.
In fact, I've seriously considered Steamrollers for my wife and my youngest son.
I would give no consideration to putting my wife on a Pista.
Maybe a Pista for my son.
However, the Steamroller represents a zero gamble for either or both of them.

AND, a Steamroller will run Nokian 106's and fenders.

Steamroller for the clearance, crowned fork, and easily removable decals.

Try them out and pick the one that fits you best.

From everything I read I was expecting to really like the Steamroller but the Pista's geometry felt a lot better to me.

It's worth pointing out that the steamroller isn't quite as "track" as the pista but its hardly "slack" either. The geometry is a fair bit quicker than your average road frame, and is arguably more "track" than some actual track frames.

The only people who hate Pistas are fixed scene fashionistas. Seriously. Nobody else knows or cares.

Well, my MTB buddies know about fixed gears, but they still don't care, since they're old and stopped riding fixed decades ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tehz (Post 6140519)

i would absolutely ride a fixed steamroller with fenders and 35s before ever touching a pista

haha. talking about my old surly?

Yeah I'd pick the Surly so you have room to mount winter tires, and cause I had a Surly in the past and loved it. Also, not that crucial, but even with a messenger/racer owning it and then selling it to me, no scratches really managed to penetrate all the way through that thick ass powder coat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schnee (Post 6145190)

The only people who hate Pistas are fixed scene fashionistas. Seriously. Nobody else knows or cares.

+1

I ride mine everyday and nobody ever gives me crap. I love it.

I own one of each. Steamroller has a better fork in my opinion and has a water bottle braze on. Pista is lighter and tighter. Depends what you want to do with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oleanshoebox (Post 6143441)

It seems likely that you are suffering from not-liking-either-because-it-is-cool-to-hate-them-itis, however.

take a deep breath there, big guy...

or, it might be because neither one is suited to the kind of riding i'd use it for. since you gave us zero info on how you'll use the bike, it's all i have to go on.

in a nutshell i prefer something else because:

pista...too steep (er, quick and agile), TT too short, no bottle bosses, generic steel.
steamroller...geometry more to my liking, too utilitarian, heavy, generic steel, one bottle boss.
both...crappy components as pre-built, props to surly for offering a frameset option.

ps - i'm not hatin', just sayin'. mine is a sputnik, built from a frameset. works well for me.

i think they both ****ing suck cocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by nayr497 (Post 6140141)

A stock Pista is definitely not heavy. If we are talking a full carbon road bike, maybe, but as for steel framed bicycles, it most certainly is not.

Pistas were already standard issue in some major American cities a few years ago. But, most of those "riders" have already put them up on craigslist since the fun factor has worn off for them. Ain't nothin' like getting the gear to get into something first and once trying it realizing it is harder or more work than one is ready to put forth.

And while were on the topic, since I feel a "I hate Pistas and anyone who rides one" post coming, I don't think there is much a difference between someone who runs out and buys a Pista and someone who spends a few more weeks looking around and sourcing parts and has a shop build them a full NJS track bike. I think a line in the sand needs to be drawn.

Pista riders getting bashed left and right, and some deservedly so, for jumping in so fast. But what about the people who either have more money or drop more money for some high-end bike but can't point at their bottom bracket if you asked them to?

I think the person who spends $2000 on a track bike but doesn't ride more than a few miles a week and can't even replace their tubes is a much bigger ****** than someone who throws down $500 on a Pista. The person with the more expensive bike is really just working harder and that much more concerned with street cred and appearances than the Pista owner.

I'd like the pictures thread to have the requirement of posting what you did to the bike yourself. Posting a stock Pista picture isn't exciting, but I don't think posting a Nagasawa with a tri-spoke and all that jazz is that exciting if the owner is just some d-bag with a Chrome bag, rolled up $200 denim, some slip-on Vans and the comb over I-listen-to-the-Shins haircut.

And as for this poll: I think both frames/bicycles have lots of potential.

Cookie for you. Cheer. :beer:

I dig the steamroller, but I like decent-width tires, so I kinda have to.

I think the entire poll is based on a false premise. Lets review first principles:
n is the optimum number of bicycles one could own, and
p is the number of bicycles currently owned, then
n = p+1.

So the thread should really be renamed Surly Steamroller and Bianchi Pista? and the answer would obviously be "yes."

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhcommons (Post 6146776)

interesting... hrmmm.... [thinking face]