well, i just scored my 1st fixed, an 04 bianch pista. totally psyched. any advice for a new fixer is always appreciated. i'll post a pic when it arrives.

Take the brake off!

Find your stash pocket!

Fill it with pie!

Congrats!

Advice: Start looking for deals on tires, once you start to skid you'll go through 'em like a fat kid goes through pudding...

if pie's what i think it is....i'm never without!

dude, pie is pie. welcome to the ss/fg forum.

enjoy the experience. I know I have.
If you are near a velodrome, be sure to check it out when the season comes around. If you are not, build one.

start pricing headsets... trust me.

have fun man!!!!

Is there a correlation between fixed gear riding and headset failure? I would surmise that more pressure from hammering hills, but i dunno. Please explain!

I think he's referring to the headset on the 04 pista.

there is a correlation between the headsets on bianchi pistas and headset failure aheadsets must be serviced religiously or they go to crap.

True dat. Just picked up a 05 Pista as a replacement for the lost Gretchen (the bike en accidente). A Chris King is being priced out. Though I'm debating an FSA Orbit X.

my experience with aheadsets on any bike has been bad!

actually i got the bike on ebay, a barely ridden 04 model, the only thing not stock is the seatpost(been upgraded to an easton) and the headset to a CHRIS KING!!!. got the whole package for 400 even. it's a 55 and mine was the only bid. it was actually the headset that pushed me over the edge.

Get the wrenches and have somebody show you how to adjust the headset, if you don't already know. My '02 loosens up about every 1,500 miles. It's a great bike though. I'd buy another if somethin happened to mine.
Is it hilly where you are? I put a 20 tooth freewheel on the other side of my flip-flop hub for climbing mountain passes here in Vermont. An 18 tooth Surly cog on the fixed side handles everything else.

hmm, before I knew anything about headset brands and quality I bought one of the 'Aheadsets' [cause it was cheap]. A threadless one for my DMR ss. The way it came assembled in the package was odd, no instuctions and the aheadset website told me nothing. The bottom cup and bearing race are a sloppy fit or the ball bearings are too small, or something. But I've had the damn thing apart and back together about a dozen different ways thinking I screwed something up, but I have failed to get it to fit together like my FSA one does. Steering is sloppy and the fork slams around in the steering tube of the frame..... perhaps the wrong size..but I don't think so. The only way I got it to fit properly was by sitting on the bike forcing all my weight down on the front of the bike while I torqued down the stem to keep the headset from springing apart.

did I get one that was the wrong size or are they that sketchy....?

Something is definetley wrong there. Ther headsets shoud fit and work reasonably well. Something is way wrong there...
ovailzed headtube?

I don't think so, the cups pushed in fine, just a light tap with a hammer. It's the way the top and bottom races meet with the bearings. The bottom one especially, i think it should 'recess' into the cup, but it doesn't; both chamfered edges of the cup and race touch and rub together, I don't think that's right, but I flipped cups around and get the same thing....
just waiting till the holidays are over so I can buy a different one and install it.

Send me that shiny saddle instead of tossing it out.....