and it was going to be s3 steel, traditional geometry (for mostly city riding, commuting, cruising, showing off, the usual), but could have any components you wanted on it, what would they be, and how would you vote for the following:

wheels: phil/DA/record hubs mated with open pros (or other rim?)
stem/fork: contemporary carbon fork with threadless stem, or steel with traditional quill?
cranks: campy/shimano/other?

i guess i'm somewhat of a traditionalist and like the idea of a whole group on a bike, but it would nice to lighten things up a bit with a contemporary front end, for instance...

hmmmmmm....

full campy track, IRD cadence rims,
'real' fork and stem--unless it's it's
straight carbon painted to match frame,
still hard to find a cool thrdls stem though..
next question?

yeah. i could get an ouzo pro painted to match for just a few bucks more.

but it's true... cool threadless stems are hard to come by, especially ones with nice negative angles. perhaps my builder could make me one.

how will those IRD stack up against the OPs in terms of durability? though this bike will be my baby for some time and won't get locked up outside the bar for 6 hours or anything, i will still ride over some rough roads, and the wheels will be carrying a 170lb guy who occasionally rides with 35lbs of groceries on his back.

Wheels: Suntour Superbe Pro track hubs mated to all black Deep V's

Group: Suntour (NOS) or Dura-Ace

Fork: whatever the material, straight gives everybody those good goosebumps.

Stems: If threadless, the coolest would be the Cinelli Grammo. Has same negative angle as a quill stem. Otherwise, there is a lug kit for building a lugged steel threadless. Your builder should have access to it. I think is a Long Sheng product.

my flange broke and i reused the rim without any problums, so i think the rims
are fine, but for the riding you describe, pista hubs prolly aren't the best choice
since they are unsealed, everyone raves about the Phil's but they weigh a lot...
always something

If you want a threadless stem with some drop, just get one of those "comfort" hi-rise stems and flip it over.

like this

Wow, that's the sexiest man/bike duo I've ever seen!

sure is...

[my dream set-up goes along the lines of:
wheels: american classic 68g front hub, goldtech rear hub, nimble spider or ird cadence rims, sapim laser spokes.

other stuff: those deda one piece carbon bar/stem combos look mighty fine [saw a naked set a couple of days ago]. but i prefer the idea of a quill stem that can be raised and lowered without too much hassle. in which case... the 3t moscow has always tuned me on....

drivetrain: campy pista cranks [stronglight are the cheaper, just as good looking option] with a cheap campy sealed bearing bb.
i wouldn't go for dura-ace because i'm not convinced about splined bbs... but that's a personal thing.]

fsnl
sparky

Well, I'd start by reconsidering using S3, unless you're a superlight spinner/climber type guy. The stuff is just too flexy and marginal. Consider using Foco or similar, or for the same price as S3 you can go Titanium - a much better set of options in MHO.

If you're a 'traditionalist', then a steel fork is a good way to go, as are the Open Pros. I've spent my first week on the new DT RR1.1 rims and like them a lot, too. I'd be lacing them to some of Pauls 'campy' like hubs and some nice 25c tires.

interesting comment, and i've given this some thought and brought it up with the folks who will likely be building this bike for me, but they've assured me that they both beef it up where it needs to be beefed up and also use another alloy for the headtube (853?) and it produces a beautiful ride.

i'm not totally sold on s3 yet (and man, i love 853), but my builder loves it.

I built 3 S3 frames when I was consulting for another company, and I wouldn't touch the stuff - Especially not for a track frame or anything that was going to be ridden in an urban environment, or have the rear wheel skidded etc. If you were a lightweight climber on the road or a triathlete I'd consider it IF a customer really wanted it, but otherwise, the extra 100g Foco or 853 or similar provides makes a huge difference to the stiffness and longevity of your investment.

As I said, for the same price you can get a titanium track frame, which in my opinion is a smarter way to go.

thanks for the comments, thylacine. are you familiar with the new lightweight, high-strength, thin-walled ti being made by (i think) TT?