Hello BF!

I was thinking of building a track bike but realized that i wont be going to a track very often so it would be kind of a waste for me. So now i want to build a really fast commuter bike. budget would be around 1500. and i need suggestions on everything. This bike will basically be the bike to last me my life, with the exception of occasionally swapping out parts if necessary. all opinions welcome

Could you give us some more details about what you want? Right now all I can recommend is this:

https://www.wabicycles.com/special_bike_spec_red11.html

It doesn't have rack mounts though. That may be an issue for you, I'm not sure.

There is no bike more versitile than the Surley Troll.

If this is the bike to last you for a long time. Use your 1500 and get yourself a custom frame. Parts aren't that big of deal, stuff goes into fashion nowadays just as quickly as it fades. And there are a ton of custom options out there. Hell, a custom Kalavinka is under 1500 bucks. If you don't feel that's an option, then get a road bike because a 1500 dollar road bike would be faster than a 5000 dollar fixed gear.

Is this going to be your only bike? Do you plan on riding anywhere else or just commute?

no braks? hipster.

i do plan on taking it on occasional long rides. where do i get a custom frame? i just need something light, looks pretty, and is able to take an almost smooth road. let see what i can think of:
- steel frame
- drop handle bars
- thread less quill stem
- a saddle better than a cheap velo or origin 8
- deep v's
- a rear hub that won't break on me cause the lock ring somehow slipped...
- pedals with cages and straps (not sure about leather or nylon)
- a gear ratio that will have me flying to work that's 1.5 miles away (i currently have a 47/15 but i feel like i have more power than what i'm putting out on this set up)

thats all i can think of now looking at my current fixie.

threadless quill stem eh?

Why would you want these? Neither fast nor light.

And dat cap. So twee.

sup grrrl rock.

wut?

well thats why i'm asking. so i can build something better.

Deep vs are strong, but not light. I have them on the Schwinn I use for 'round town stuff (lots of old brick roads). IMO, for a commuter/townie strength is more important that weight.If I were you, I'd seriously consider a build like my '84 LeTour. It's very sturdy, Only cost about $350 to build (powdercoated frame+fork, Brooks B17, SRAM S100s), not too heavy and has all the braze-ons if you decide you want racks, etc. Then you can spend the rest of your money on food and beer.

go to pedalroom and find a bike you want then google the parts and buy em. custom frames will take a while to build, and you'd blow your whole budget on one. I don't know why people are suggesting that; I think they're trying to cause you trouble because of your vague, open ended thread.

anyone know anything about the toyo godzilla frame?

From what I've heard the godzilla frames are really high quality and possibly handmade but don't quote me on that. Those and the bareknuckle frames are about the same in quality from what I understand. So meaning there pretty good

Somebody else knows better but I thought that it was EAI's successor to the Bareknuckle and as such should be awesome plus people dig that it says godzilla on the frame.

ooo i like the sound of that. any opinions on having the SRAM Omnium crankset on a commuter bike that might see some track?

Omniums are the most popular crankset on the forums right now for just about everything unless you have a frame with thick chainstays. The spiders on the omniums are really thick so there are sometimes fit issues. I don't think this would be an issue with the godzilla.

godzilla + omniums + a bunch of other ****
would be a cool bike

I see you want to build a commuter bike, but you seem a bit clueless when it come to the options. Before we can really help you we need more details concerning how you are going to use the bike. You may have a short commute now, but what is the possibility that your commute will change or you want to be able to go on longer rides without killing yourself? I can suggest that you look for a bike with slightly more relaxed geometry than the average track machine, especially since you state that velodrome riding will be infrequent at best. I would look for a frame with road or cross geometry. Since you plan on commuting, I would try to find a bike that is at least capable of being fitted with full length mudguards so as to leave you options open.
As it stands, that's all I can realistically recommend given the info you have provided. Good luck!

Cheers
lverhagen

hmm any frame recommendations on frames with road/cross geometry? and will it really make that much of a difference on a long ride?

no it won't. i ride an aluminum track bike on long rides and it is fine and dandy. just get a track bike with some cred and buy expensive parts. get what you want - your budget is huge, you could get whatever fixed gear bike you want if you shop wisely.