I went ahead and buy the used 722 from craiglist. The frame has slight scratches but nothing major. His fork is cheap steel fork that actually has some dings and it's mismatched. So now I'm going to change it up, my questions are:

Which carbon fork fits better the I803 or the S805? I dislike the thick blades and prefer a more traditional tapered looking blade common on steel forks. Also wanted to make sure that the new fork I get isn't oversized like some Leader forks that are made specifically for the oversized headtube 725/735.

And was thinking while I'm at it, I'll get a new headset. I'm thinking Cane Creek 40 Series, would that work and fit on the 722 combined with either the I803 or S805 carbon fork?

The only carbon fork Leader makes that doesn't have an oversized crown is the S805.

You can use any standard cup 1 1/8" headset you'd like.

Ok thanks. So i should be looking for internal cup 1 1/8" because I see some thats EC external cup Cane Creek

Standard cup = external cup.

@SourSkiddles the s805 isnt thick or chunky at all, its thin and elegant (and featherweight)

as seen on my bike:

good thing for your response because I almost bought the wrong headset. The item description says:
40 SeriesBlack oxide, sealed cartridge bearings
Internally relieved AL-6061 T-6 cups and covers

and another website description says:
Cane Creek 40-Series EC(External Cups) assemblies feature press-in cups with bearings outside the frame.


Are these 2 the same headset? Because I can't find any Cane Creek 40 Series external cups except ebay.

Mumonkan, Dude I live on Staten Island too. What part are you in?

GTFO. im in Huguenot, you?

I'm by the mall now, I use to be in Rosebank. Not many fixed gear riders on the island. Any suggestions for places to ride on the island? I usually venture out to brooklyn and the city.

ill pm you so we dont **** up the thread

thanks for the columbus carbon track fork, i like it a lot.

as for the questions. I have a kmc 710 sl chain. I used to like it a lot. The other day I took it apart, added a 1/2 link, and then re-connected it on a new frame. Chain, chainring, cog are all the exact same, just new frame. And holy hell, my chain is incredibly loud . I'm pretty sure my problem is that the half-link is just super stiff. I've worked it around, oiled it, etc. My local LBS recommended stretching it horizontally back and forth, which I've done. But it's still super loud. I can literally hear it at low speed every time it rounds the cog. It's driving me nuts.

Long story short, do you have any tips for helping to loosen the little guy up? I've tried playing with it and oiling it and bending it and riding it. It's been 2 days and 25ish miles and it doesn't seem to really be loosening up or quieting down. I had a PC-1 chain that I added a link to that was stiff at first but loosened up with riding. Do I just ride it and HTFU or do I get a new chain? This one little noise is almost ruining my new frame. almost.

thanks for any help you can provide

I don't even know what to say. I'm nearly in tears.

One link isn't going to make your entire chain loud.

In my experience, sometimes the flared pins on those chains can be pushed back in without any trouble and other times they end up producing an annoying click on every revolution. At any rate, if the pin on the half link is too tight, just use the loosening shelf on your chain tool to free it up a bit.

edit: Also, did you completely remove the chain when you added the half-link? You may have put it back on running in the opposite direction, which would probably make it run a little louder.

this easily might be the culprit. either way I'm probably just going to un-install and re-install my whole drivetrain just to try and narrow it down. I'll definitely flip the chain around to see if that's it. The half-link is definitely still stiff and loud though, i'll try and play with that with my chain tool to see if anything helps. The pin seems pretty long on it though. When i pushed it in to add it i got it even on both sides and it still seems like it's sticking out past the rest of the chain (width-wise) a little on both sides. It seems like the pin was designed to be that long, it just kind of weirded me out since KMC's instructions say it should be flush with the sides of chain when installed properly.

I don't know, I've had so few problems in my fixed gear building lifetime that this one is just really bugging me. I'm hoping flipping around is the easy fix and the half-link will just loosen with more riding. we'll see. thanks for the help sir

your thoughts on dia compe gran compe seat post scrod?

i ask because i have the zenith/dia compe quill stem and i figured since i need a post with a mild setback why not match? even if the quill is unbranded.

Yo Scrod,

You may not have an answer - but I figured it'd be worth asking since you ride a Bare Knuckle and probably see lots of bikes through owning a shop.

Do you know of any road bikes with similar geometry to the BK? I'm looking to build up a road bike in the coming months, but I've never been more comfortable on a frame than my Bare Knuckle. I always hear people describe it as having "tight track geometry" so I'm worried that finding a similar road frame won't be easy. Thanks for any insight.

So I've been researching wheels to upgrade on the 725 and I always just come back to Archetypes or TB14s.

Which to pick?

Or am I totally missing some other perfect option?

I know there are multiple threads, but I figured not many people have had as much experience than you with both sets and leaders at the same time.

Both are awesome rims. Having ridden both, I'll say that Archetypes generally build a stiffer wheel (in theory) and are lighter but I tend to prefer the TB14's slightly more springy ride, especially when on an aluminum frame. I can't really say which you'll like better.

Yeah, I have no idea. Sorry, man.

Sorry I missed this.

The GC seat post isn't Nitto perfection but the finish and overall quality is very nice. I just ordered one for a customer's build recently and was pretty impressed by it.

So I have a weird problem. I'm putting a 1 1/8" stem on a threadless 1" fork using a shim. I have no problem setting the preload but I can't tighten the top bolt of the stem because the top cap literally fits inside the stem. The shim is about 5mm shorter than the stem, so I'm preloading against the shim instead of the stem. Do I just need to get a 1 1/8" top cap, or is there a longer shim I should be using?

if you don't mind going oldschool 1990 and older cannondale road bikes with the 'crit' designation have undersquare geometry[taller seat tube, shorter top tube] with steep headtubes. i have a 1990 sr600 crit that by comparision is way more aggressive than some bikes marketed as 'track geometry.' rear spacing is odd at 128mm as the 7 speed bikes were 126mm while the duraace 8 speed of the time had gone to 130mm.

pic of my bike when i first got it all original except for tires[originals were cracked due to age]


brochure pic


and as a fast commuter setup 1x8


currently half way built up as a SS.

You should always use a 1 1/8" top cap when using a 1 1/8" stem and a shim on a 1" steerer.

The miche pistard hubs have me stumped and I was hoping you could help me out, everywhere seems to have conflicting reports. I'm considering buying a set from a friend and I know the lockring is italian threaded and I should get a Miche or other campy spec lockring, but can I use any cog? Some say that using a standard cog will strip the threads upon removal, some say it's fine. To keep my ratio the same I'd be using a surly. Thanks in advance!

Any standard (English-threaded) cog will work. You will need an Italian-threaded lockring.

That rebel8 sticker really spoils the beauty of the bike. =/