Hey folks, new to the Forum; dig it though. I wanted to pose a question or two. I've been riding a Fuji conversion (fixed) for about a year and want to step up and get a better frame. Right now it's between an All City (Big Block maybe) or an IRO (Mark V Pro). I would like some opinions here, preferably fact based, on which is a better get. Also, why the price gap? Is the quality of All City that much better, if so, what makes it better? Most of my riding consists of a 13 mile (round trip) ride to and from work 3-4 days a week, also longer (20-30mi) rides 2-3 days a week in the city and country. Please weigh in and help me decide which frame to get! Thanks.

...non fact based opinions?

Dude, relax. It's not like we're all sitting at our computers just waiting for someone to come along and ask if a Big Block is better than an IRO.

IRO makes decent frames but personally, I'd go with the Big Block because of the BBD factor.

Haha, fairly relaxed - just trying not to dissuade any opinions in favor of facts: I apologize. Anyway, I appreicate the opinion, though being fairly new to the world of cylce jargon, I'm assuming you are refering to the Bottom Bracket Drop? What do you mean by the 'factor'? How does this differ from the way IRO fames are made?

Dude...Bell Biv Devoe!

I currently have both of these bikes.. the Big Block def is > than the IRO Mark V in terms of ride & overall quality, though I think the IRO is a little lighter (possibly just due to the more compact frame). Each has their oddities & they also have pretty different geometries... Mark V has more road bike like geometry but with a slightly higher BB than your conversion. The big block has more track like geo (steeper head and seat tube angles), but with an oddly tall frame that might appear too large if you size based on top tube length (rather than standover) like I normally do. To me the ride of the IRO seemed average, maybe a little below average while the Big Block feels a little more solid & has an above average ride. I bought the complete BigBlock build & feel that most of the componentry is decent. The crap parts of the stock big block build are the tires, grips and chain. Both have kinda crappy quality paint, but the Big Block's is much nicer looking at first!

I have had the Mark V Pro for nearly 3 years but I've had quite a few different frames and bikes and it continues to be the main ride no matter how many times I think I want to get rid of it. The Mark V Pro uses Reynolds 631 steel which is a little lighter than the 4130 steel that the Big Block uses. And the combination of Reynolds 631 and 1 1/8" head tube with the road geo, just feels so nice. The Mark V Pro isn't pretty, quite plain actually, but some of us like that and it's the best valued frame that you can buy in terms of quality. I've been quite satisfied with the paint myself. The only chips have been from dropped tools. The All City definitely looks better though. But the one thing that I dislike about the Mark V Pro is that it's not drilled for a rear brake, as it gives a pretty nice ride especially if you ride more than 10 miles a trip. It would be nice to set it up more as a road bike with both front and rear brakes. You shouldn't be dissatisfied by either. I like all of All City's bikes actually. But you seem to ride for a distance and in the end I think you would be more satisfied with the ride quality of the Mark V Pro. I have the FBM Sword Fork on mine though, I got rid of the stock Iro fork quickly.

^ +1 Nice write up.

I absolutely love my Mark V Pro to pieces and the only gripe I have is the lack of holes (fender eyelets, rear brake, bottles mounts) but other than that, it's a blast to ride.

Go with the Phoenix. Slack geometry makes for a very comfortable ride. Clearance for big tires helps to soak up the bumps. Longer chainstays let you hang a rack and panniers without having to worry about kicking them. Finally, there are two water bottle braze-ons and provisions for cable routing if you decide to add gears later.

I built one up recently, and it's a very good frameset for the money. The welds look great, and so does the paint. Pick up a build kit from bikeisland, and you can put together a slick ride for ~500 bucks.



[EDIT]: BTW I commute ~20mi. round trip on this bike. Coming from a track frame, I would not go back.

get an iro phoenix...it's why they say "you only need one."
https://jensonusa.com/store/product/F...+Frameset.aspx

with the disclaimer that I have never ridden a Mark V pro and the suggestion that you ride both of them and make your own decision about what you like the best, I want to say that I am constantly upset with my surly steamroller (although I love it) for not being a big block. Basically, my opinion should be meaningless to your decision, but I feel compelled to express it because I really really like the big blocks. also, you might miss having a rear brake one day. AND I'm from grand rapids originally and think a big block would look awesome locked up around east town somewhere.

Thanks everyone for weighing in. It sounds like I can't really go wrong with either. And I appreciate the detailed opinion on what type of riding I do mostly. Regarding brakes, if I ever put them on (unlikely but possible), I will probably just use a front, and as far as aesthetics go: it's not a concern at least as being a factor in which to buy.

trafficcasauras
- thanks for the link! Thats a sweet deal, I dig that blue one too.

Paulypro: I envy you.

camashtorcal: - thanks for that bit, thats good to know.

It will be a tough decision because you all love your bikes, but thats good. I would like to throw this out there for the IRO cats: I do most of my riding at distances longer than 10mi, but still like to mash pretty hard and am not too worried about comfort. I keep my bike pretty light, free of accoutrement, and wondered between the Pheonix and the V Pro, what would be better for hard riding.

Thanks again everyone.

I got a blue phoenix frame a few weeks ago, but have been traveling for business since. The metallic blue is great looking, and the workmanship on the frame and fork is great. I had a mark v a long time ago and it was a great bike too. The phoenix is going to take the place of my cross-check as my daily single speed commuter while the cross-check goes back to off-road duty. I look forward to getting my phoenix built up as soon as I get back into town.