boxerboxer

I would like to build up a rig with the following characteristics:

* Lightweight modern frame with road geometry
* Road drops, front and rear brakes.
* Fixed gear

I have ridden fixed for about two years now but my current bike is old and heavy, and while it makes a great commuter and general knockaround ride, I want something a little more nimble for distance/training rides. Basically I want a fixed gear bike to do similar riding to what roadies are doing. I know there are plenty of nice track-inspired frames that are plenty fast but they're not really built for distance. I know people do long rides on frames with track geometry and I'm not dead set against doing it myself but I'd rather be on a road frame with fixed drivetrain.

I am interested in either a relatively lightweight road frame designed with track dropouts or in a staight-up road frame that would be convertible. Both seem to be in short supply with the way road dropouts are now, and with the fixed-gear crowd's obsession with track geometry.

Anything come to mind?

Jaytron

Modern road bike frames won't have track dropouts.

There are some track frames with slightly less aggressive geo though. Somebody else can chime in with that. I think somebody on here converted a carbon Litespeed M1.

hairnet

You can use an eccentric hub or bottom bracket to convert a frame with vertical dropouts.

There are frames with road geometry and track ends, you can do a search or wait for someone to chime in - I dont know them off the top of my head

Jaytron

Damn it, I always forget about those. I'm not even 100% sure about how they work.

oneeyedhobbit

Surly's Steamroller is much more road than track feeling to me. I can't think of too many other off-the-rack options at the moment, but I'm sure they exist. I started cycling on a Torker U-District when I didn't understand a whit of geometry, but it was much less aggressive than the geo on my Madison.

As someone who commutes at least 14 mi almost everyday and has done 3 fixed centuries now, if money was no object I'd already own a Steamroller, so there's that for you.

thirdgenbird

i used an eccentric rear hub on a modern aluminum road frame. they work very well but make setting up a rear brake a pain. i just went without. it was fixed anyway.

someone makes a modern road bike that has replaceable/switchable dropouts. it also comes with track ends.

edit:

found it
https://www.probikekit.com/us/frames-...-frameset.html
or
https://www.probikekit.com/us/frames-...rameset-1.html

hairnet

With BBs the axle is not centered in the frame's BB shell so you can rotate it to adjust for chain slack.


With hubs you move the whole unit around the axis of the bolts in the dropouts.

Robofunc

A guy I ride with has an SE Lager that seems more relaxed than a Kilo, etc. HT angle seems much more relaxed, especially. I'm not sure what year it is, though.

EpicSchwinn

Dawes SST Al from Bikesdirect comes to mind. Aluminum frame and carbon fork should be light weight for this price range. Comes with everything you want including rear facing horizontal dropouts, road drops, and both brakes. It doesn't have super tight track geometry but it may be a little steeper than your typical touring bike. I don't know your frame size, but in a 54 or 56cm the head and seat tubes are 73 degrees.

$369.99 complete and shipped

TejanoTrackie 

Get something like a Wabi Classic frameset >>> https://www.wabicycles.com/classic_bike_spec_11.html Very light steel frameset with road geometry, and now even have hidden fender mounts.

GMJ

Agreed on Wabi, but if I could do it all over again, I would probably go Lightning. I ****ing love this bike.

https://www.wabicycles.com/lightning_bike_spec_11.html

Hirohsima

Langsters have road geometry, compact frames, taller headtubes, track fork ends, and are cheap since nobody seems to like them. I like mine however.

AEO

jamis sputnik.

one thing to realize, is steering quickness is a function of HTA, fork rake and wheel diameter, which makes up caster angle.
If the forks are the same, then generally the HTA and STA will be between 72 and 74deg for road frames.

8bits

the Leader 722TS doesn't have that tight track geo but it isn't light. But I do love mine

Nuggetross

seconded on a sputnik, specifically the '09 sputnik (some still available on ebay and if you're in the boston area, at simple living).

seau grateau

I was about to throw Giant Bowery into the mix, but then I saw the most recent stock builds (they suck). Not a bad frame though, if you can find one.

boxerboxer

Thanks for the responses. I realize what I want is a little weird, and I did a lot of searching and pondering before posting. In the end I may go back to my original plan which was to buy a Caad 10 for road riding and keep riding my conversion for shorter hops. What I'd really like is a Caad 10 frame set up single speed. Are eccentric hubs/bbs available at a level of quality worthy of that frame?

As for the lightning (or other Wabi), it's one of the lighter completes out there but the frame is over 4 lbs and most of the rest is stuff I'd replace, so it doesn't really meet my criteria - same with the steamroller, even though both are good frames.

It's all pretty academic for now, since building up my gear fund will take the winter and then some.

cruiserhead

That Dawes seems like a great deal. I'm tickling the buy button on it!

Cannondale has the Capo, which might suit Cdale lovers. Not sure if it's still being made.
https://www.biketype.com/pages/3128/c...ale_capo__2008

caloso

The more I ride it, the more I like my Nashbar Nekkid FG. It seems to meet all the requirements you listed. It was cheap too.

cc700

The wabi lightning is very light. it can't be 4 pounds for the frame, i'd say frame and fork maybe.

FKMTB07

There are eccentric bottom bracket inserts made for BB30 bottom bracket shells, so if you get a Caad 10 and later want to convert it, you could use one of those.

I think they're made by "teambeer". Google it.

thirdgenbird

The white industries hub is also a very very nice part. It can also be converted if you later decide you want to use it in a different frame. Mine started out as a a 130mm eccentric and is now 130mm standard. 126 and 120mm axles are avalible as well.

vw02

isn't a built up wabi frameset w/ wabi wheels and decent components ~17lbs? That's pretty damn light considering the price. Anything lighter would seem to cost a substantial amount of more money

homebrewk

It's not.

Scrodzilla

But you'll find a bunch of them here.