Thanks to Scrod's response in other post and along with the slight fortune of living in Taiwan (when talking about bike components), I was able to get in touch with Andel directly to find a LBS that carries their crankset (still took a couple hours of googling and a few phone calls). I finally found and bought the crankset i wanted. Without having to place orders on a US website, and pay for int'l shipping for something that was made here.
Now, i am in the market for a classic seatpost for my Brooks B17. I have my eyes set on the Velo Orange grand cru that has the right setback designed for the b17, but I am facing the same problem again. I can't find it anywhere in LBS in Taiwan. Perhaps you could shed some light on the maker? Or recommend a similar seatpost with good amount of setback base on your broad range of experty and professional knowledge?

Thank you.

I have no idea where VO's seat posts are made. Living in Taiwan, I would think it would be easy to find unbranded parts.

The Nitto S-83 has a considerable amount of setback too.

Cinelli Caleido tape looks like it feels more corky than it looks... if that makes any sense. How does it feel compared to microtex?

It feels similar, both are kinda leathery. The Caleido is definitely thicker though.

Sweet, exactly what I wanted. Thanks mang!

Thnks Scrod. You are correct on finding unbranded parts considerably easier here for most cases, but this VO really got me good. I did a bunch of possible keyword search with no luck, even looked into the national bike components manufacturer list to check out each individual catalogues. my last resort was to spend 3 hours scanning product photos through our Largest online auction website (similar to ebay) for any look alikes, but still end up empty handed.

I'll check out the Nitto s83. Thank you!

what's the difference between the Leader 735, 735tt, 735tr?

Hey Scrod,

I'm looking to build a custom wheelset with Kinlin XR270 rims at Retrogression while I'm in SD to replace my 'veeps', and was wondering at 140lbs (on my way to 145-150) and commuting/street riding, would it be reasonable for me to have 20/28 for the spoke count? If not, what do you suggest? (24/28, 28/28, etc?)

The streets where I'm located are alright, (Davis) basically like this, except with a couple more cracks. Nothing too crazy.

Also, what's the difference between road front hubs and fixed gear front hubs? I found these road hubs that are pretty light (<100g), but fixed gear front hubs from novatec/miche/formula are a lot heavier(>220).

Thanks a ton!

Are Sun CR18 wheels adequate for a clyde? 230-240lbs? Did some research on this forum and while most testimonials regarding them are good, there are some detractors(in terms of clyde use).

Doing a spare parts build on an old Raleigh Reliant frame I've been carting around for years to turn into a SS. I'm out in Montana now in a crappy city rife with bike stealing and I don't want super expensive rims, but I know CR18s are pretty tried and true.

CR-18s are awesome. At 205 lbs myself, I use them on my townie without any issues at all.

We don't stock Kinlin rims anymore but we may still be able to order them from one of our oddball vendors. I would need to check on that, though.

Spoke count is entirely up to you. I'm not a huge fan of low spoke counts but I would think 24/28 would be fine.

You already answered your own question about the difference between road and track hubs. Road hubs are generally lighter because roadies are weight weenies. :)

Hey Scrod, haven't been on BD for a while, but my life is basically without purpose these days, someone has stolen (or maybe I lost) my "Truth in Reality" shirt. No more superpowers, no more supermodels, can't even get out of bed most days. Do you have an extra laying around?

I don't, man. Sorry!

Probably the last update on the whole 2015 Leader 725 ordeal:

The replacement frame came today, after I was denied a replacement/warranty because I was told the frame I received was acceptable (see page 357 for story). It was only until I found a divot in the bottom bracket shell, that they sent me another frame. The frame I received appears to be structurally sound. However, there are still welding imperfections, and a tooth-sized piece is missing from the welding from where the top tube and down tube connect to the head tube. I doubt I'll be able to get another replacement, as it took an insane amount of effort to even get this one. Pictures are attached: Head tube weld , and Brake bridge weld

tl;dr: Hassle to get a replacement frame, even when I sent pictures of welding imperfections. Finally got it replaced because part of the BB was melted off. New frame comes, structurally sound but cosmetically even uglier. I've had Leader frames before (2007 735TR and 2010 725) and none have had this problem.

Ehh. Those aren't great and neither are the welds on your previous frame. However neither were/are unsafe. It's about what I would expect from a budget Chinese frame. I'm not surprised that they were reluctant to issue a replacement. .

Hey Scrod, is this one of those questions that makes it so wonderful to own a bike shop?

Agreed.
While they aren't beautiful welds, I'm not really sure what you expect from a 500ish dollar frameset. If you're riding your bike, it will get scratched, and dented.
If you aren't stoked on quality, there are 10 other companies that make almost identical frames but probably have worse customer service....

Damn Scrod that is a sweet old bike....oh yeah and I agree CR-18's are great and one one of my favorite rims

ive put my cr-18s through hell and they barely needed any truing at all and have not caved in or sploded

serious offroad that i have no business being on with slicks, 167 mile climbing rides, daily commuting, on a 35lb bike (most likely closer to 40) and im 155

Hey Scrod,

If I am replacing a chainring on a one-piece crank will any one-piece chain ring fit the crank arm?

Interbike report ?

Interbike and the King of Vegas race were awesome but we've got an absolutely insane amount of orders to catch up on here at the shop so I probably won't be on here much today.

We did manage to post a few pics on our Instagram but we didn't take nearly enough.

That Leader Cure looks interesting.

Also, is the new Cretin meant to replace the discontinued 721 ? The DT looks more round though.

Scrod's mentioned he's busy, so I'll give a quick answer. Read up on BCD - it's the diameter of the chainring mounting bolts. It's a regular thread on here so you should find answers.

I think it's a one-piece, aka Ashtabula, crank which has no spider, where the chainring slides on the left side arm and is held in place with the stationary cone and a pin cast on the inside of the right crank arm. They were common on old Schwinn Varsities and other models, but I'm not sure if they are interchangeable with other brands. Google Ashtabula and read one of Sheldon Brown's articles in the subject. Cranks with spiders, where bcd is an issue, are commonly referred to as 3-piece cranks (left crank arm, bottom bracket, right crank arm).

Certain 1 piece cranks are truly 1 piece where the chain wheel is permanently fixed to the crank.

Yeah, that's a difficult question to answer without knowing exactly what he's got.

Yeah it's an Ashtabula crank. I have the old dual chainring off. Just want to get a single, 44t chainwheel for it. Like this one: [img]41BH2-osBGL.jpg[/img] Looking at a sheldon brown article he states that they are almost all interchangeable so I guess I'll take his word for it. :) Unless of course someone else has had a different experience.

Went to a cool, oldschool, local bike shop that got me sorted out with a cool blue and chrome 44t chain ring that fits like a dream.

1) Thinking about building a pake rumrunner as a commuter. How are these framesets?

2) I have DA 7600 cranks, which work best with 108mm JIS BBs. Would a UN55 107mm be alright, or is it best to overshoot if you can't find the right length?