Noema

I am new to fixed gear cycling, and I just bought the 2008 Steamroller complete from Surly. And so I turn to you, the fixed-gear gurus, to tell me which parts of the Steamer you would recommend upgrading first. I use the bike to commute 10-20 miles a day and to ride aggressively on roads and some trails about 150 miles per week (I have thicker treads for the paths). What components should I start to shop for now in order to upgrade this Surly to make it better than it already is for my purposes?

And thanks in advance for not being a ****head to the new guy.


Here are the specs on the Steamroller in case you don't know already:

Frame: 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double butted. TIG-welded

Fork: CroMoly, lugged and brazed. 1-1/8" threadless steer tube

Headset: Ritchey Logic Comp. 1-1/8" threadless, w/ 30mm spacers. Black

Stem: Kalloy 1-1/8" threadless. Forged. 25.4mm clamp. Silver

Handlebars: Zoom 25.4mm clamp area. Aluminum. Silver

Handlebar: wrap Co-Union Cork Mix, Black

Brake Lever: Tektro RL570 Front cross lever. Black

Brake: Tektro R356 Front caliper. Black

Crankarms: Sugino RD, Silver w/ 48t ring

Pedals: (my own addition): Crankbrothers Mallets

Bottom Bracket: Sugino 68x103mm

Seatpost: Kalloy - SP-248D Silver. 27.2mm

Seatpost Clamp: Surly Stainless Natural Silver

Saddle: Velo Endzone Steel rails. Black

Cassette: Surly fixed gear 3/32" 19tooth, Surly lockring included

Chain: SRAM PC-48

Hubs: Surly Silver 32hole, 120mm O.L.D. fixed/free

Spokes: DT Swiss 14g stainless. Silver

Rims: Alex DA-13 Silver. 700c, 32 hole

Tires: Maxxis Detonator 700 x 25. Tanwall

Tubes: Cheng Shin 700 x 25

bionnaki

saddle

Cyclist0383

Aside from maybe a saddle, which is a personal preference part, nothing.

Ride the bike and make sure it fits right, that will make a much bigger difference that any minor parts upgrade would.
Why would you want to upgrade a new bike anyway?

peabodypride

+1, get nice clipless shoes if you don't have them already -- to make riding clipless comfortable! get a pro fit if you can afford it. unless you're looking for bling the steamroller is good out of the box. like others said I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to ditch the velo saddle though. saddles are personal preference as much as pedals are, surly just threw on the cheapest one probably!

min7b5

Just got a Steamroller last week myself. I love this bike I took off all the decals yesterday, looks great. I'm going to change the saddle for sure. I'm thinking about some straight bars, and suggestions?

Noema

So, what saddles do you all recommend?

Cyclist0383

My personal choice is Brooks, and I like the B-17. I've been riding on them for over 15 years and won't ride on any other saddle.

peabodypride

on one extreme are modern race saddles like the fizik arione. these i call "flat pancake" saddles and you have to have a certain butt shape to find comfort in them. the other extreme are the concor-modeled ones: san marco rolls and regal, kashimax, and the concor itself. they have more dramatic vertical and horizontal contours and fit a different type of butt.

because of the brooks construction (leather suspended between two fixed points) and the inherent qualities of leather as a textile they give a floating effect that eventually conforms to one's tush.

i can recommend the b17 to most any butt! it takes many hundred miles to break in but eventually they are the bee's knees. the N version is for those with small taints.

jpmartineau

Brooks B-17 FTW. Not much better than other saddles at first, but after a while they get very comfy. The standard break-in procedure (Proofhide) is recommended.

I got it on both my bikes, one which is broken in and another which is almost there.

edw

saddle, maybe handlebar - brake lever setup (to suit your preference) and tires. other than that ride the hell out of it, when things break replace them. The steamroller has probably the best stock entry level parts group, you will be spending money for little performance gain.

jpdesjar

i upgraded the saddle after a month of riding or so to a brooks b17 and i changed out the stem before i even rode thing out of the shop for salsa stem...get yourself some decent pedals and you will be good to go

everything else on my steamroller is basically stock even the tires, but i have some all white vittorias coming to me soon

jpdesjar

i want some straight bars too and i was checking out these-i want the gold ones
https://store.somafab.com/sostba.html

jpdesjar

most of the stock parts are decent, i switched out only the saddle and the bike shope swapped the stem for free

for my 1st fixed i wanted something complete...i may start a side build project later

i don't plan on switching anything else unless it breaks

Noema

Pink. Terror: Why do people buy a "complete" bike and then turn around and start swapping parts? If your going to do that, then just build the damn thing up from scratch.

You'll get a much better bike


Noema: Bc it costs more to build a bike from scratch than to buy a complete, if you do not have the tools to build it yourself, as I do not.

jpdesjar

depending on what you switch out you may need to purchase the tools or get in good with a bike shop in your area

the wheel set has held up well for me and i feel like i have been riding them pretty hard, the bike can take some abuse for sure

peabodypride

we do have a quote button

xunchicrewx

i upgraded the saddle, then my gearing, bars..

Noema

I know.

Noema

There are a few different B 17 saddles. What is the difference between the B 17 standard and the B 17 Special? Is it just the plating? And what makes the Team Professional models more expensive than the B 17s?

jpdesjar

we have some sassy folks in here

roadfix

Instead of upgrading individual components I would get another wheelset with cross tires since you like to ride on dirt trails.
You can pretty much upgrade components as they break or wear out. But I would swap out the saddle or gearing if they're not working for you.

jpdesjar

+1 good call
i may do this also...switching out would be quick and easy

xiamsammyx

points of contact are the obvious choice, that is anywhere you touch the bike so saddle, bars, and pedals. from there depending on how hard you ride a carbon fork would strip some weight and dampen road and trail vibration, and then lastly a quality wheelset.

of course at that point you should have just built it up yourself since thats pretty much everything.

Noema

That is a good idea.

Noema

Does anyone know what makes the Brooks Team Professional models more expensive than the B 17s? Is it more comfortable, durable, or what?