so rather than hunting for weeks trying to find a bike that is no longer in production (old CRB) or some new bike that is not in any stores (langster/pista)... i have decided to get it over with and buy what i have always thought was a nice bike... the steamroller. i would love to get one used and there is a nice one that fits me on ebay... but if the bidding gets too spendy i would rather go new.

so my question is this. who is a good reseller that can set me up with a complete bike? i know i ran across a online store that had a 700 something deal but now i can't find it. i would also like to keep my options on the lower end for now and upgrade later.


i figure if i keep screwing around trying to save a buck or two, it will be snowing and the money will get frittered away on single malt.

oh yeah, i was looking at the sizes to figure out my size. i am 5"-10" & 30" from floor to bag... (with the AC on) should i go 53?

-ian in cleveland

Build it up yourself. It will be a good exercise in gaining mechanic skills and maintenance, fixies are inherently simpler devices than geared bikes. You will know your bike intimately, creating a wonderful connection between machine and man.

Plus, Aebike.com has the steamroller frameset here for $289 bucks in grey - all sizes. That is not a price to be beat.

I found my nearly new Steamroller frame on Ebay a couple years back for $200 and built it from the wheels up. It's a 53cm C to Top of top tube frame and I'm 5'8" with 30" inseam. This frame size fits me just fine.
Here's a pic:
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/leakos2.htm

you can go to a 54 c/t top also with your inseam. Riding a track in the snow is pretty fun and teaches you what bike handling is all about!!

S/F,
CEYA!

yeah, i would like to do that but i don't have any whacky bike tools... i am acabinet maker so i know how things need to "fit" but i have never taken any of my bikes apart past wheels, tires, bars ect. i guess if i could get a good list of EXACTLY what is needed or a build kit i could give it a go and bail out to the LBS if things get wooly. what i need is a "build a fixed gear for dummies" lesson.
this helps out, but i just need some detail on the headset, BB & cranks... obviously i would buy the wheel set, so that is all good... but it's the details man... how tight, secret lube, whacky spanners ????

-ian

like what the hell is this all about? (they left this one out on the IRO site)

"All I have to do is chase & face the BB and face the headtube" some poster talking about building up his surly.

i know what chase and face is, but do i need expensive tools? and how exactly is the process done?

i guess i need to stop by the mechanics forum and do some hunting.

Ok. Fixed gear bike, new frame, new components. Lets assume you are going to use Shimano since it is cheap and works.

You need a 1 1/8" headset, stem, spacers, and bar up front. You need a bottom bracket, crankset, chainring, cog, chain, and lockring down below. A seatpost and saddle round out the package on top. Brakes are an option. Wheels are good too.

The only special tools you would need to assemble this bike would be:

A headset press; I recommend letting the LBS do this for you, it can be done homebrew, but you can screw up stuff.

A Shimano B.B. tool; again let the LBS do this for ya, easy to get confused if you have never installed a b.b. before.

A Chainwhip and Lockring tool to install your cog and lockring.

A chaintool to break the chain down to the right size.


I would recommend letting the LBS chase and face the frame for you, the tools required to do this are quite expensive. Since they are doing that they might as well install the headset and bottom bracket for you at the same time.

The rest is just putting things together with a bunch of allen keys and a 15mm wrench. Simple. If you need to know sizes for things, ask anyone here or Surly for more info.

Good luck,

Pete

What about crank puller/pedal wrench/whatever you call 'em? That's another dedicated tool your average home mechanic might not have.

my bike is my chainwhip... is this wrong?

to tighten the cog, assemble, hold the wheel and stand on a pedal, or just ride really hard and stop with the brakes. then, tension the lockring. opposite for removal, just take off the lockring first. i haven't had any problems with this technique. anyone else do this or something similar?

i've done that. i think it's actually better than using a chainwhip because you tighten the cog down with the force you'll be putting into it with your legs. that way, it gets all the way on and there's no initial slippage.

then again, i've done it the other way, and it turned out just fine as well...

I always go out and ride hard without backpedeling too much to sink the cog in.
And, I've done the removal part of it in a pinch, but it scares me. I feel I'm gonna bend, crack or even break something using the extra force needed to break a well bedded cog free. Altho, I'm sure my skinny ass couldn't do too much damage :p !

Jaysus, if you have to ream, chase and face a frame when you buy it, something is definitely wrong.

Pugswitters, if you can make a cabinet, you can put a bike together. If the LBS presses the headset in and puts the BB in and builds the wheels, all you need is a few allen/hex keys and a chain breaker. Really, it's not that hard - It's even easier than programming a VCR!

yeah, i think i am going give that a try...
i was thinking of just ordering a stemroller and the vandessel flip-flop wheelset in the am. then i guess i will roll down to the LBS when the frame shows up. i have no parts laying around so i need to figure out the best way to buy the rest of the gear. LBS or online.

I now face the head tube and BB of any new low cost frame. I put together a new steamroller for my girlfriend last year and installed a cheap-o Cane Creek headset. I ordered a Chris King. A few days before it arrived, her headset started making the most awful noise. Upon inspection one side of the bearing cup was badly scored. After removing the cups, the headtube was measurably 'out'. I never had a problem with my steamroller and I certainly would have been more irritated if it had 'eaten' her new Chris King. I had both bikes refaced and that was that.

Maybe her frame had just 'slipped through the cracks' in production, I don't know. I figure chasing and reaming problems usually present themselves during assembly, while uneven headtube or BB faces tend to cause problems at the worse possible time.

It's cheap insurance, especially if you plan to use an expensive headset/BB.

Jim

PS I would defer to anyone who has more experience with the production of low-cost frames ... after all my case is isolated as far as I know.

well, i got the steamroller today!

& while at lunch i spotted a small bike shop and decided to take a peek. the guy that i spoke with told me that a few of his workers ride fixed and they are all into cross bikes, so at last i have found someone that will listen to me about a building up part of a bike. he was glad to put together a kit that fits my budget and even offered to use parts that are “extras, used, swapped out” ect... only problem is that i had planed on getting the van dessel wheel set ( shop guy felt this would be best due to his cost of building from scratch) but then i see that it is a 130 rear... are there any other nice wheel sets to be had for a good price?

Just to let You know how lucky You are, a Steamroller frameset in Sweden is about $700, a complete bike would be around $1200.............