It doesn't sound like you're too strapped, so I would recommend one of the following:

-torelli
-bob jackson
-bare knuckle or toyo godzilla
-super pista (alu)
-de rosa
-look 464 (alu)

Since you are already have a ss/fg bike, you might want to spend some time thinking about what you don't like/would like to change about it. If I were going to spend the time and effort I would want to make sure my project bike suited me much better/was way sweeter than the one I already had.

Not entirely in the vein of this forum, but kind of ss related. This summer I wanted to take a Bianchi San Jose and make a Son Jos8. That's where you put in an 8-speed internal hub. But I found one on eBay with a dynamo hub and lights included, for about as much as I could get the bare bike for, it ended up costing me half as much as buying the components and building it myself.

really? are those the best options for someone who wanted to buy a mission valencia and is going to commute on this?

oh i see what you did there.

You can't go wrong with Miche stuff.
They have a decent headset
Quality hubs in both high or low flange with 36, 32, or 28 holes
The cranks are top notch I think. 144bcd (if you care), light weight, and very stiff with a quality matching bottom bracket. - anyone else notice it's hard to get middle of the line cranks. Either you get poor things for like $50 or nice ones for like $160-200. Where is the large selection of mid-grade cranks.
Seatpost is nice, has a sweet shape to it

http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/ki...r-270-rim.html
^kinlin rims are real light weight. still 27mm deep, from the reviews i've read they are nice.

Alpha Q also has nice seat posts and stems. I got a very lightly used carbon seatpost for like $30 off ebay to dampen my aluminum frame a bit

Money is not the real issue here though I don't want to go overboard. I don't want to buy the most expensive frame or components I can find when I'm essentially using this bike as a commuter. While this project is mainly to get some experience building a bike from scratch, I also wanted something a little more personalized/unique and a bit nicer than the Sputnik which I will either give to my brother or sell once I have the new bike finished. At the onset of this project, the Bare Knuckle frame was pretty much the top end that I was considering for this though I don't even think that is necessary. This is not a dream bike, just a nice singlespeed commuter for DC.

Here are some modified specs I'm working with:

FRAME Traitor Cycles Luggernaut Frame
CRANK Pake Track Crank
BOTTOM BRACKET IRD QB-75 JIS Square Taper BB
STEM ?
SEATPOST Nitto Crystal Fellow Post
SADDLE Brooks B17 Standard Saddle
HEADSET IRD Techno Glide 1-1/8" Threadless Headset
HANDLEBAR Soma Straight Bars
COG Track Cog
WHEELS Velocity Wheelset (Rims/Hubs?)
CHAIN Izumi Chain
BRAKES ?
PEDALS ?

i still maintain that the most important part of a commuter is the wheels, they are likely to give you the most trouble over the long haul if you dont get a quality set, if you've got a few bucks to spare, go big on the wheels. handbuilt, strong rims and quality replaceable spokes would be my priorities.

I definitely wouldn't skimp on the wheels- Maybe some Velocity Deep V rims laced to Dura Ace hubs or maybe Surly?, 32/36 Wheelsmith spokes custom made by Peter White. He makes really nice wheels- I have a few sets already. Thanks for your input though.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com

Try laced to Formulas. Formulas are going to give you the best bang for your buck especially for an all weather, good or bad day commuter. Dura ace are unsealed, which means repacking them more often if you're going to gnarly conditions. Formulas are industry standard, my bike is 3 years old on formulas running strong. They're sealed bearings, good quality and bomb proof. From what I understand Velocity Deep V's tend to be good at handling a beating just a bit heavy.

Cool, thanks. I'll check out the Formulas. I was reading that the DA's are unsealed but still do pretty well in the rain just as long as you aren't riding in really bad conditions but you are probably right to just go with a sealed bearing. And the Deep V's are a tad on the heavier side but can really handle some nasty streets. I have a pair on my Jamis right now and they have been fantastic. I'm not as concerned with weight anyway. I'm not racing or anything. I'd rather everything be more durable.

one lb off the wheels is two off a bike. Shaving weight off a wheel set can be great bang for the buck btw. A low profile light and sturdy rim would be win.

If there is a beefier set of rims that are lighter but just as durable, I'm all ears. I've just had a good experience with the Velocity rims in the past. I currently have a set laced to some Ultegra hubs that have been fantastic for commuting.

haha what is with some of the suggestions?

I've ridden the valencia. my friend was interested in it so we went down to SF to check it out. the shop had the demo rides set up kinda jackass with a freewheel and one brake with risers that were too narrow. however, the frame rode nicely, felt like a typical steel frame, like an iro mark v that was a little more responsive.

i'd pass on the ck headset, i have a couple and the only reason i have them is because they came on the bikes i bought used. The cane creek S3 is nice and only around 50-60 bucks. if you're dead set on the color or the shape then chris king is kind of the only game for that (or the cane creek 110, but they're about the same price).

cranks are cranks, I haven't really found a difference between, say, my sugino messengers and my sugino 75s. I feel like the difference is negligible.

i'm personally not a fan of brooks saddles at all. i'm more of a rolls/regal/turbo guy

wheelset i'd honestly go with just formulas to rims of your choice. deep vs for your colors, kinlin x300s for lighter weight with the deep section, open pros for kind of the standard in clincher rims

stem and seatpost i usually just get what fits unless i find a deal used.

brakes i really don't know about. only dual pivots i've used are a sora on my fixed (which i don't use much so i've never paid much attention to its feel) and sram red on my road bike (which do feel better, but are also much more expensive)

one advantage of buying pre-built is that you'll get an idea of what works and what could be replaced. i think you'll find that a lot of parts don't need to be as fancy as you think.

Thanks for all of your suggestions, Lupin. I'm still not sure which frame I want to go with but I definitely have it narrowed down to 3 price ranges (Valencia, Traitor Luggernaut, Bare Knuckle) and if I do end up on the more economical side of things, I am definitely going to go with a more modest set of components. I don't think the above config is such a bad start. I'll definitely check the s3 headset out though.

Oh yea, and depending on when you went to Mission Cycles to test the bike out, they very well could have been using the IRO Phoenix frame. Mission recently replaced it with the Valencia which is supposed to ride a little nicer.

I liked the initial parts list better. Your second one sounds booooring. I say spend the money if you can.

I do admit that I got a little excited in the beginning but it really doesn't make sense to put the best of the best parts on a cheaper frame- especially when they aren't necessary for it's intended use. Honestly, I want a more unique setup anyway so I'm going to keep giving it some more thought. Looking back on it, I think ck, phil wood and thompson everything can be a little boring as well because no real thought was involved. You just pick the most expensive item and slap it on the bike.

Chris king I have no opinion of. There are far more expensive stems/posts out there than Thomson. They really aren't even all that expensive. Buy they are of very high quality. There is a reason they are so popular. After working with a multitude of seatposts I've come to appreciate the quality even more. Phil woods are also really nice. They may not work any better than formulas but the quality there is also evident. If you wanted a bike that just worked then I don't think you'd be thinking about this so much. Nothing gets me less excited than cheap, reasonable parts.

That sounds like a good plan. Since you're going to be setting this up yourself I'd go with the best frame and wheels you can afford. You can upgrade everything else later.

I don't know if this is correct, but components in order of priority (also in order of price):
1. frame
2. wheels
3. cranks + bottom bracket
4. everything else...

I suppose you are right. I would like some more unique components though. Something a little more fun.

Thanks to all you guys for your input! You all seem to really know what you are talking about and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out with my first build.

And yea, I'm leaning more towards the Bare Knuckle or at least the Traitor at this point. I think they are both very nice frames and I would be very happy with them. I don't think I need to have a custom made $2000 frame even though I could technically swing it if I really wanted too. Maybe much later on once I have done a couple builds and have some more experience with this kind of stuff.

the frame I tried out was definitely the valencia, they had a few iro mark vs in the shop for sale super cheap to clear space. it's not exotic and felt like a pretty typical steel track frame.

I think it's more unique to find nerdy, hard to find, or obscure parts. a basic build is about as interesting as going into a store and buying the fanciest everything they have in my opinion. but i'm kind of weird.

and i think the most important parts in order
1)frame that fits
2)saddle, handlebars, pedals/foot retention, and stem that fits
3)tires
4)hubs, wheels
5)crank + bb, chain, headset

it's not the best way to put it, as with a bike there are so few parts even the "least important" will play a factor in ride, but you can get by just fine with a 20 dollar shimano sealed bb and it won't feel all that different from a 100 dollar sugino 75 bb. that 80 dollar difference would be much better put into clipless shoes or a proper saddle.