In all honesty, it sounds like a conversion may be better. I love the hell out of my crappy '77 Raleigh Grand Prix.

http://store.citygrounds.com/store/p...r-722TS-Frame/
In red 51cm.
/not scrod

He sold his 51cm 722 because it was too small.

/not helpful

I scored a Sinz Elite for $30 at the LBS. I kinda like it, but bummed I have to run chainring on the inside, but other than that it's nice. 110mm. Seems stiff to me. Running cheepo rocket ring 43T on it.

derp. didnt read the pedalroom description.

I should have clarified, I'm not really looking for a beater as much as a budget build... I've been throwing around the idea of what direction to take for a while, and I agree that makes sense. The problem is that I'll be more likely to want to throw my shoes on and ride the Kagero than ride a conversion that I don't have much attachment to/care for, and haven't been about to put a whole lot of work in to. I hate threaded setups and quill stems, and I'd like to have most of the parts be interchangeable with my Kagero. I just want to be a semi-nice build that I'll want to ride because I was able to put some care and consideration into its construction, rather than just buying an old bike and putting a new wheel set on it. I did consider a conversion, and then buying a 1" thread less fork/headset, and if I find the right bike, I may do that. I don't know, I think I'm just trying to fill the void of wanting another project and thing to spend money on.:lol:

tl;dr summary:
I want to build a modern bike rather than buy a conversion and convert because reasons.

Scrod, what excites you to ride more? Your 722 or your BK? I built up a 722 like I always wanted and it just doesn't excite me to ride as much as I thought it would.

scrod, what 130mm chainring should I get?

My Bare Knuckle, hands down. I've been riding it every day and it's much different than both my 722 and my Kagero. Angie and I ended up doing a very spontaneous 48 mile ride on Sunday (as in, "Let's go out and cruise around town" turning into an all day thing) and the BK was amazing.

I still love my 722 but am a lot more fond of the BK's tighter geo, which is surprising.

What's your budget?

Build a Pake. For the money, they really can't be beat and are a lot 'nicer' than a lot of people give them credit for.

I just figured you'd want something with rack mounts and clearance for fenders if need be.

Nah, won't bother with fenders(not a fan of riding in the rain, especially since it's not necessary for me), just wanted to mount a front porteur rack. I'm actually considering the Eighthinch Scrambler too. I hate the unicrown fork, but it has rack mounts, and the $150 shipped includes a headset and seatpost(minute, I know, but just a couple less things to buy). Any thoughts, other than the horribly disfiguring top tube gussets?

A friend who helps out around the shop sometimes has a beater Scrambler. I happen to think it felt like a wet noodle the times I've ridden it.

Personally, I'd take a conversion over a Scrambler any day.

Hmm. I suppose I have some thinking to do. Thanks for the input!

Dear Scrod,

What are your favorite handlebars? Also what is your favorite rim? And why?

Those questions are too broad.

Scrod makes me want a bare knuckle. I'm going to get it in blue too, and when I ever visit MA, I'm going to follow you around everywhere. :innocent:

I'm curious - why did you choose the Bare Knuckle over the Godzilla?

With a rasta wig on? :lol:

The Godzilla is better suited for riders weighing 185 lbs or less. That's not me. Also, I've always been fond of oversized steel tubes.

On your BK, where did you find the lever-strike stem mounted bell? I checked VO and only saw the spring striker ones.

I got it from Velo Orange about three years ago.

Scrod, is it easy/safe to drill an Alpina carbon blade aluminum steerer fork?

Is the part where you'll be drilling aluminum with carbon molded around it or all carbon? If you're not sure, I would probably contact Dolan/Alpina.

damn that's a strong opinion

any noticeable quality differences in your EAI cog vs your Soma? I really love the quality of the chromed out Soma ones and the fact that I could throw them on PW hubs is nice too, but I find myself wanting to test out an EAI once and for all

Picked up a pair of Bontrager race gxp cranks (see also Truvativ rolleur. chromed silver w/black rings) with BB today for $25. Seemed like a decent upgrade away from square taper cranks (still have my all city 1/8" chainring on there). They're already on and noticeably stiffer, but the scene man, the scene.

Is this a lame ass thing to do, or did I just find a pair of budget omniums?

Also found a flawless 70s vintage shimano 333 freewheel on some muscle bike wheel at the coop.

Soma cogs are definitely awesome but in all honesty EAI cogs are so silent, it's kinda ridiculous. The beveled tooth profile really does make a huge difference. The other day when we were out riding, Angie kept talking about how she was losing track of where I was because she couldn't hear my bike at all (yes, I was behind her because she's usually faster than me).

If shiny stuff is your bag, we've got a handful of EAI Superstar cogs on the way.

You basically bought a set of S300s. 25 bucks is a decent deal but I wouldn't necessarily call GXP an "upgrade" from square-taper.

Square tapered ftw.

Seriously.