divemedia

Hey guys, I'm just posting some ideas for a new singlespeed I'm working on and looking for any suggestions you might have. Thanks.

FRAME Valencia Frameset
HEADSET Chris King Threadless Headset
STEM Thomson Elite Stem
HANDLEBAR Soma Straight Bars or maybe risers?
SEATPOST Thomson Elite Seatpost
SADDLE Brooks B17 Standard
CRANK Sugino RD2 Messenger
BOTTOM BRACKET Sugino 103mm
COG 17t?
WHEELS Phil Wood Velocity Deep-V Wheelset
CHAIN Izumi Chain
BRAKES Tektro brakes?

I had originally been looking at the Traitor Cycles Luggernaut SS frame but had done some reading and decided to go with the Valencia from Mission Bikes in SF instead. It's a better deal and I really like whatI'm hearing about it. Let me know what you guys think.

PedallingATX

Is money much of a concern? If so, I would ditch the chris king hs and phil wood hubs. These two items are of indisputably high quality but are overkill for most applications. Same goes for the stem and seatpost: Thomson makes very nice stems and posts, but you'll be fine with something cheaper.

divemedia

I was kind of thinking the same thing though I can afford it. What would be a more modest choice but still be good quality and very durable?

Deshi

I think the Luggernaut looks much better. Be it double the price of the Valencia.

carleton

Might I suggest starting with a complete bike then replacing things as needed or desired. Find a single speed that's close to perfect and start with that as a base.

Buying a bike a-la-carte is expensive and only worth it if you are the type that knows EXACTLY what you want.

My random thoughts on your parts list:
King headsets are nice and colorful, but they finish off a bike. They shouldn't be the highlight.
Thomson is nice. I have Thomson seatpost and stem, but they are only available in black and anodized silver.
Brooks saddles are overrated. Plenty of normal saddles out there that look and feel better that do not require "hundreds of hours of saddle time" to break in.
You've got some nice small parts, why skimp on the cranks? Go for Omniums or something nice since this is a wish-bike.
The cog choice depends on the chainring size.
Phil Wood hubs are nice, but I'd pass on them.
Tektro brakes are budget. You can get some used mid or high end SRAM, Campy, or Shimano brakes used for a good price.


Buying best-of-breed parts may not be the best idea. Remember, synergy is important. Your parts list isn't awesome. I can't see this coming together and being a show piece. Maybe have a look at Globe (Specialized) Bikes. They have some nice stuff that will probably be cheaper and better coordinated than what you are proposing: https://www.globebikes.com/. Plus, assuming that you have cash now, you can ride today as opposed to gathering parts over days/weeks/months then assembly in order to ride.

carleton

Felt also has some nice fixed gear / single speed offerings at fair prices: https://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2011...ie-Series.aspx

It depends on what's important to you:
- Style
- Individuality
- Rarity
- Race pedigree
- Low maintenance
- Warranty
- Low Cost
- Weight
- Performance
- Etc...

If you buy a bike like a Felt or Specialized from a shop, if you have any issues just take it back and it may be covered under warranty. If you buy a-la-carte then you have to either fix it yourself or pay. If you buy from online like from Bikes Direct then you have to mail stuff back and forth and still install the parts yourself. Some are very comfortable doing all of that. Some are not.

Hirohsima

On my Surly 1x1 commute/kid-towing/in-town cruiser I have a CK headset, CK SS hubset, Thomson Post and stem, Easton carbon low-risers, XTR brakes, XT pedals, and cheap Campy Veloce triple cranks, and a Fizik Airone saddle. LOVE my bike. Its so much fun to ride.

Don't skimp on the brakes. You hit them all the time and if they feel like crap on day-1, which Tektro's do, you will hate them more and more every day you own the bike. You can get a nice set of DA 7800 brakes for ~100 used and will have some of the best and lighest stoppers out there. I like Campy brakes and have Skeleton's on my road SS. Pretty and light.

I don't like Sugino cranks, except some of the nicer road-style cranks. Omniums like others have posted. I have both of my SS's setup with campy rings, and I wanted the look of older Campy for my MTB, hence the Veloce. IMHO, good road cranks are far superior than so-called single speed / fixed cranks. If you pick up an old aluminm Chorus/Veloce/Centaur the fit and finish is light years beyond the the Messengers and they are dirt cheap. They just happen to use a funny bolt pattern (135 bcd)

Get a Brooks if you must, but I have 4 bikes, 3 have Fizik Airone, the other is a FS MTB which I don't want to muck up a nice saddle on the trail. Brooks saddles are too much for looks IMHO. My Fizik weighs 115 grams and is comfy as all get-out. Hate to see what a Brooks would weigh, and would never want to sit on one.

Also, Freewheel. White Industies Eno or CK SS Hub (If you can get them to make you one in 120mm spacing, I have only ever seen them in 135 spacing). There is not better options out there and both are flawless in execution.

cc700

king hs on a valencia = lulz

you basically picked the go-to nicest of the nice parts for everything but the bars rims and cranks. get omnoms and put all that stuff on a nicer frameset(godzilla, gorilla, dodici, superpista, dolan) or just substitute 'origin8' for every name brand you listed and put it on a traitor bike or mission bike. if you can't afford the nice frame, don't spend the money on the nice parts. all city and origin8 make great parts for cheap. go with them.

fwiw i love traitor bikes and they make some really nice framesets. don't be fooled though, traitor bikes and mission bikes are both made in the same taiwanese factories and they put most of their work into paint schemes. the design of the frame is mostly taiwanese afaik. that said, i like traitor bike's offerings way more.

divemedia

Thanks for the input, Carleton. I do want to buy this bike a-la-carte though so I can get the experience of putting it together myself. I have someone who will hold my hand through the build process and I really want to learn how to do this stuff on my own. I'll definitely take your advice on the brakes. As far as the king headset, I already have one that I can use so that's why it's on there. Thompson is nice but you guys may be right- it is overkill and obviously if I want to have color options, I would need to go with something else. Brooks saddles may be overrated but I have been riding them all my life and enjoy them. I also have a Fizik that wasn't very comfortable for me as well as a Specialized Alias that I wasn't crazy about. For the cranks, I thought the Sugino was a pretty good one but I guess I was mistaken. I do like the look of it but that is not my priority here so I will check out the Omniums or whatever else you guys suggest. And I guess you guys are right about the Phil Wood hubs too- I just get carried away. What would be a more modest choice? I do want the wheels to be extra durable though. I ride all over Washington, DC and the streets are HORRIBLE here!

cc700

wide tires run at lower pressure will help with bad road surfaces, and thick spokes will help the wheel be durable. hubs, as long as they're sealed or maintained properly, will not be a factor in wheel durability. i'd go with all city hubs or formulas if you don't want the color option.

i would probably try to steal the bike as listed in washington dc. (not really, but it sounds like a theif's dream). that alone is reason enough for me to not get omniums and just get stem seatpost cranks hubs and all with cheaper components like all city or origin8 or dimension or andel or any of the thousands of rebranded dimension products.

so yeah, i think you should get a frame that fits 32c tires and run them at about 70psi. that will be more comfortable, easier to handle hazards, and absorb impacts and vibrations that would otherwise be absorbed by your wheels.

handbuilding wheels is not easy, i've heard. make sure your friend and you are up to it.

PedallingATX

i've had great experiences with Easton stems and posts. Deals to be had on jensonusa.com.

Formula hub to Deep V rim will eb plenty strong for you. For cranks, I would recommend Miche for something nice and a little different. But I'm also just repulsed by Omnium's design, so that's my main reasoning there.

divemedia

Thank you as well for your input. I can afford a nicer frame but I don't really see the advantage for me personally spending a ton on the frame when I am just using it as a commuter around the city. I will admit that I went overboard on some of the components though so I'm glad I posted this on here already. I was originally considering just having a frame made for me and I had been in touch with Bilenky in Philadelphia as well as a couple other places but after giving it more thought, I decided I did not want to drop that much for just a frame. I will take your advice and check out some other frames before pulling the trigger though. I just had a few people recommend both the Valencia and Traitor as great options for the price and the reviews seemed solid.

cc700

i just looked into the crusade ss frame and i may have been summarily harsh. i think a good portion of design is done within those two companies, and spec'd to the framebuilders in asia. not just paint.

a traitor ringleader built up with all-city parts would be pretty amazing, not terribly expensive, and pretty unique. traitor also offers some parts, i love their saddles.

divemedia

The ringleader definitely does look nice. Do you think the main reason for the price difference is because the frame is fillet brazed? I kind of thought that and that's why I was sticking with the cheaper Luggernaut. And I do like the look of lugs. I will also check out the other frame recommendations you made earlier.

divemedia

Oh, and we're definitely not going to handbuild the wheels. That may be something for further down the line. I am just going to buy all the components and he is going to help me assemble everything properly. Shouldn't be that bad. I just want to be comfortable with taking a bike apart and being able to put it back together with confidence. I'll get some wheels from Peter White. I've used him in the past for a few sets and think he does great work.

carleton

Do you have a budget?

I, like many others here, have done similar dream bike projects. I completed mine (below). It helps to have a spreadsheet with actual prices (including shipping). You should count on paying the prices you see advertised. Make no assumptions for killer ebay or craigslist finds (such deals are bonuses!). I forget what spokes cost, but assume maybe $1/spoke. Don't forget labor $ for installing or wheelbuilding that you can't do yourself. You can only assume that you will buy everything new. If you find it used for less that's a bonus, but you cannot assume that for the sake of budgeting.

ADD 20% for MISC. And I really mean take the running grand total and multiply it by 1.20. THAT will be your budget.

Now, take that number and see what else you can get for that amount.

Now, ask yourself, "Is my final bike gonna be nicer than _________?"

I say this because such projects really, really benefit from planning. A great many of these dream projects never make it off the ground. Though, I've seen some that were well-financed actually come to fruition, only to be expensive, well-planned, well-executed mediocre "meh" bikes.



I have since changed the cranks to Omniums, trimmed the steerer tube, and switched to Dura Ace pedals.

carleton

I, for one, believe that I can love equally custom and off-the-rack bikes...provided that the off-the-rack bike is hot enough

divemedia

That's a really nice looking bike! And I'm definitely going to take your advice and plan this out as best I can. I'm in the very beginning stages right now and just trying to get some good ideas. I do need to put a solid number on my budget but it's not that much of a concern. I mean, I could spend $1700 on just the frame but I don't think it would be a wise way for me to go about this. I'm not racing or doing any hardcore competitive cycling, just commuting around the city so I don't think I need to spend that much. That said, I do want to put some thought into all of this and have the finished product be a very nice, functional and unique bicycle.

AngryScientist 

buy the best wheels you can afford. they can be with you through whatever projects you dream up if they are nice enough.

canyoneagle

I just built up a wheel with the All City "New Sheriff" large flange hub (homage to Campy C-record) and it is quite nice. I bought the matching rear hub in fixed/fixed but ended up building the rear wheel around a SA S3X instead. Anyway, the All City's run about $100 a hub and are quite nice.
https://allcitycycles.com/products/co...sherrif_front/

divemedia

I was kind of thinking the same thing. I usually have my wheels made by Peter White up in New Hampshire. I was just going to shoot him an email once I was further along with the project and see what his thoughts were. But he makes fantastic wheels that will last a lifetime. Def worth the money.

xavier853

+1 BUT it is a blast to build up your own bike. If money isn't a big obstacle, building up your own is a great learning experience.

carleton

It's a blast for *some* people. Case in point...me.

My last road bike was built from the frame up. A buddy gave me a nice frame that he wasn't using. It took me about 2 months and LOTS of cash to build it up with used parts. The ride was "meh". Nothing to write home about. The thing is, you won't know what it rides like till you build it.

Cut to 1 year later...

I'm in my favorite bike shop and I hop on a Specialized Tarmac just to see what it's like...an hour later I ride by and say, "I'm not bringing this back. I'll bring you a check tomorrow."

The thing is, yes it can be a learning experience. But, sometimes it's better to let people who know better do it. I know how to make a steak dinner...but sometimes I want to go out and have a trained pro do it for me.

I'm not fighting for or against the idea of building from scratch or buying off the shelf. I have obviously done both and been very happy with the results of both. I just wanted to share my story. I think that if you can get what you need from an off the shelf bike, then why bother building from scratch? You can learn about bikes as you maintain your new bike.

peach-picker

divemedia: i think your best bet would be a off the shelf bike, first of all if you are not going for a higher end frame why would you want to put expensive parts on a cheap frame, thats like putting $2000 wheels on a $600 car. also because when you are just learning how to do anything mecanical you run the chance of messing stuff up. i know this from being an auto mechanic for years, with the off the shelf bike you can learn the ropes whenever your chain tension is loose or when you get a flat. i myself would much rather learn on some cheaper parts that if they break/strip/etc. no big deal. i myself, with years of experience get nervious working with high end stuff.

divemedia

I guess I'll just have to go with a nicer frame (Bare Knuckle maybe?) to make this worthwhile or pick some cheaper parts for the Valencia/Traitor frame. I already have 3 off the shelf bikes (Jamis Coda Comp, Jamis Sputnik, & an older Nishiki road bike.) I'd probably get rid of the Sputnik after building this new bike though. I know how to do all the basic maintenance as well- I just have never built a bike up from scratch.