I don't see why not.

I'm looking into the Schraner book. I like that it's spiral bound, as a mechanical reference should be. Thanks for the help and the encouragement.

Scrod,

Is it possible to use this http://www.retro-gression.com/produc...lite-25-4-stem with 26mm bars? Will .6mm give me issues or be unsafe?

I wouldn't do it, especially considering Thomson faceplates are prone to doing this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2408/...2ed67f6cf2.jpg

Holy CRAP. Thanks for the heads up.

long-time lurker, 1st time poster. Soooooooo--

bought a kiloTT frame used on CL back in July, and it's been a great upgrade from my previous ride in all ways except one-- unbeknownst to me, the fork is bent; local LBS took a look at it, which explained why the bike likes to pull to the right when going fast. Should I a, get it bent back in place; b, get a new fork (about $80 is the average of what i can see online), or c, get a new, non-crashed-and-then-sold-on-CL TT frameset? I get the sense that the pulling is wearing the headset oddly as well... dang.

gracias!

Welcome to SS/FG!

It was a common problem for new Kilos to come with bent forks right from BikesDirect so your bike may not have even been crashed. If you do think it was indeed crashed, are there any signs of damage around the head tube?

^ hey Scrod, thx for the reply and glad to jump into SS/FG. Took a look at the headtube, and there's no immediate signs of trauma around it. That said, headset's never been 100%, always both too tight and too loose until i overhauled and repacked it. Good to know about the orig forks...

There is a dent in the top tube, which is why the frameset was a steal, but it doesn't seem to have affected much else-- on the same inspection, the LBS guys checked it out and the frame is aligned.

but yeah, hadn't thought about checking the outside of the top tube. Been a great bike, but the pulling and odd headset have been frustrating.

If it's the stock Cane Creek caged-bearing headset, it should most likely be replaced anyway. Those things are junk. If you think the frame is worth keeping and it's your size, shop around for a fork with a 1" steerer. I've seen a few used ones go through eBay for a lot less than 80 bucks.

i found a free download of The Art of Wheelbuilding if anyones interested
http://www.icelord.net/bike/ArtOfWheelbuilding.htm

That rules. :thumb:

Scrod,

Why do [you think] people build such stupid Leaders? The frames aren't dirt cheap, so what is it about the brand that causes idiots to make jackass bikes out of them?

I honestly have no idea. It seems like at least 90% (if not more) of the builds I see are totally stupid. It's even more baffling when someone posts their jackass build on Leader's FB page and everyone "likes" it or comments on how awesome it is.

I feel like there should someone at Leader who would say "Don't keep that **** up on our Facebook". It makes it looks like the company makes stupid bikes. There are plenty of tasteful Leader builds out there, we just never see them.

Dave, would you ride a 727?

No.

any thoughts on cane creek volos? some popped up locally here but I don't really see any builds around here with them. I read they're hard to true (aka I'd pay a shop to do that), but they're light, "fast" and strong so I was wondering if there's some reason you could think of as to why they're vacant from bfssfg. I figured you never considered them due to the spoke count, but I really don't' know much about them anyway

It's prolly because of our friend "Fruity Pebbles."

Actually. What is even crazier is that you barely EVER see any quality Leader builds.

The ratio is totally lopsided and I seriously think that Leader should think about what they're doing. Unless they're paying some kid to post them up whenever he searches the net.

Maybe we should start posting all the decent builds we can find all over their Facebook. Someone might get the hint that jackass bikes are jackass.

Edit: I've only seen one really jackass Kagero build though. Perhaps the hefty price tag eliminates most of the jackasses.

What drives me even more crazy is that when my 725 was on Leader's fb wall, all these fools from Jakarta would say say dumb **** like "needs deep rims". :wtf:

Jakassta

Dear Scrod,
Just got my Hour from Bike Island and the chain was shortened to the point where I had to break it to get the wheel off (that is crazy, right?). I had a couple links left over from a KMC single chain and this one is spec'd to be a KMC Z410 (has Zs on it), and they fit together as far as I can tell. Aside from a couple links being silver and the rest a darker color, am I safe? Is my bike gonna asplode?

As long as both chains are the same width (either 3/32 or 1/8") you'll be alright.

Hey, I was going to buy a pair for Durano Plus' later on, but noticed they're a significantly heavier than their normal counterparts. Have you ridden them yet?

Is it worth it?

:twitchy: That's crazy, and mildly amusing in a way. Are all of the photos user-submitted?

Scrod,

I'm cheap and lazy at the moment so my black 722ts will have most of the black components off of my Kilo TT Pro. Everything will be black, except for gold nipples and a gold chain. Is that too jackass?

(I do realize I'll have to buy a black seatpost/seat/headset)

What are your thoughts on Lucas Brunelle?

One more question: What's the chainstay length on a Leader 722ts?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ION/722Geo.jpg

Is it the 390mm number on that chart?

hi scrod...a few days ago there was an intense discussion in this thread re decent, moderate price pre-built wheelsets

what an amazing coincidence...i was shopping for wheels over the past week & the very sets that i narrowed my final choice down to were both mentioned

hate to admit it, but on the final decision i have caught paralysis by analysis & need help choosing :eek:

they are meant for a steamroller so i had in mind to use big tires...

1st choice is a very reasonably priced set of all silver sun cr18s with formula hubs, 36 spoke, should be pretty strong. i will likely throw cx tires on this bike occasionally to take it off-road, so these are appealing but they are heavy, i mean really heavy.

the other option is a wabi wheelset, which of course is about as light as you can get for moderately priced, pre-built wheels. they are black & i don't think they can be nearly as sturdy as the suns, but they are about a pound lighter.

scrod...which of these 2 would you choose?

btw, i would love to hear opinions from other bfssfg posters, if you don't mind them answering in your thread

and please don't suggest custom-built, i am not up to making all the decisions involved in that...