I need help picking out a new frame.

Here is the deal. I rode a mtn bike around Boston for 10 years (high school into adulthood). A few years ago I decided to get a more street orientated bike. I ended up with a Redline 925. I am now looking to start piecing together an upgrade over the next few months. I don't know much about bike geometry, but I do know that I wish the 925 had a little shorter wheelbase for more agile city / traffic handling. I also don't know much about long-term quality among the major manufactures. The frames I am currently considering are:

Pista
Iro Mark V
Kilo TT
Surly Steamroller

In looking at the specs of these, the geometry difference among them seems negligible. Yes, I am going to test ride before I drop money. That said, I am hoping some of ya'll could point me in the right direction as to these frames, and anything other ones I might consider looking into. Thanks in advance!

If you are a good long distance rider--- the Surley
if you are a sprinter--- Kilo
if you are a messenger--- Iro
if you are a roadie-- a motobecone....
if you are serious--- PINARELLO-- TRACK-- NO BRAKES-20c's and insurance..........................

go for either the mark v or the steamroller. there are too many kilo's and pista around these days.

Thanks for the info. Can you explain why each is better for those respected categories?

So my cranks are f-ed. Thought they just needed tightening up, but no, "they're f-ed," says local bike shop. Please don't make me explain why, because I'm not sure how. They're loose even when tightened, if that helps, and getting worse all the time.

The Skinny:
The f-ed cranks I have now are Truvativ, 1.1. Naturally, I'd like to keep using my old chainring.
I don't know what the f*uck my BB is: came stock with the pista. Probably ****. Willing to replace if so, or if it allows me to pick up some other type of highly recommended crankset.

I'm not rich, but I'm also of the "you get what you pay for" mentality, thus I'm willing to go a step or two above cheap.

Help.

what the f*ckle, ignore post...

I'd go for the steamroller dude. It seems like the most versatile of the choices.
I had one and loved it. It was super strong, light, nice comfortable geo, and it can take bigger tires for these minneapolis (or in your case, boston) winters.
my .02

seem every time I suggest this I get flamed but here goes: LEADER 720 TR. For a $160, its a pretty good deal for a light and stiff frame...very cool finish and nice welds. The geometry is road-ish but I think the reach is a stretched. head tube angle is road, feels really nice when down on my aerobars too. I ride mine in half and full centuries and its awesome.

Also when looking at frames, I would go with a threadless tube, I find the quill stem/threaded headset to be like noodles when climbing or sprinting...but if you want some shock absorption, maybe you want the threaded.

The Mark V's are pretty far back ordered i think.

I like my steamroller.
It might be my favorite bike.
It fits big tires, fenders, has a nice comfortable ride.
Not a whole lot of street cred though ifyouknowwhatimsayin?

Please. If I was worried about that I wouldn't have ended up with the Redline in the first place. Although, I did spray paint it flat black 30 min after I got it...and will do the same with what ever I end up getting next. I don't like brands labels / advertisements on my stuff. No logo is the best logo!

you cant go wrong with any of your choices. so don't fret, you'll be happy on any of those choices.

Ha! This by far both the most and the least helpful response at the same time.

Thanks for the info everyone.

I said that because there's not enough difference between the bikes you've listed. 4130 steel track bikes. I've owned 2 of those and ridden the other two. i'm just saying, you're picking one of the many taiwan-made (maxway) basic entry level track bikes and you'll be happier riding it, so pick your bike based on price and availability, those are all the same.

i'm new to the forum and hijacking a thread for my first post isnt a good start but oh well. i'm thinking about building a new bike too and was wondering if there are any opinions on FBM, Spartan (saw it on ebay), pake and masi frames along with those the original poster mentioned.

^resource thread.

thanks

From riding three of the four bikes you mentioned, here are my opinions:

Pista -- my brother owns one. the chrome looks the cleanest of the choices, super lightweight, great bike, responsive. super smooth with sugino cranks.
Kilo TT -- i own one. very good value, perhaps the frameset even moreso than the complete. the angles are in between the Pista and the Steamroller, and feel pretty good. i replaced the stock wheelset and other parts on mine, but with just a frameset, you won't have to deal with low-end stuff.
Surly Steamroller -- my cousin owns 2. a bit more roadish geo, but feels great and sturdy. when we went to the beach, he put on slightly larger tires and it was a lot of fun.

^+1 (in regards to pista, despite the haters)

I'll vouch for the Surly Steamroller as well. Built strong and light, great geometry and of course you can run big tires on it. I have no complains about mine, its my favorite bike.

cervelo p3 track. the ultimate commuter bike

What does that have to do with geometry and handling being a factor?

OP: The geometry in those bikes is actually fairly different, as opposed to "negligible"

Hey, I admitted I didn't know much about geometry. Educate me on difference of their respective feel and handling (basics listed below for quick reference).


Mark V(56) Pista (57) Kilo (57) Surly (56)
Head Angle: 73 74.5 73.5 73.5
Seat Angle: 73 75.5 74 73.5
Top Tube: 55.5 56 59 56.8
Chain Stay: 39.1 38 40.5 39.8
Wheel Base: 96 96.7 99 97.8
Seat Tube: 52 67 57 56

if you're looking at the 57 pista and the 57 kilo, you'll want a 59cm IRO. their sizes are a little different.

that said, i love my IRO. it's simple, it's a good middle ground between track and road geo (some call it aggressive road). it fits pretty big tires and fenders. i ride an angus but the mark v is just as great. my roommate owns a pista and it's alright, but i'm glad i went IRO

Thanks for the info re sizing. Why, specifically, do you like the Iro over the Pista? Handling? Fit? Etc.