Chazzmeister

I read up on what's been said about these frames on this forum, and it seems that some people have gotten english threaded BB shells and some have gotten Italian. Is this the case? I'm getting my frame in the mail this week and I want to try and get parts together before it comes. What do owners of these frames have as threading?

I'm lucky that Seattle has a ton of "LBS"s to go to, but square-taper axle Italian threads seem to bring on a chuckle whenever I've asked for it over the phone (I guess the Lance craze has everybody using Octalink Dura Ace BBs now), so it looks like I'll have to mail order it. Does anyone else receive scorn going into bike shops looking for barebones/old components (Square taper BBs, Threaded Headsets, quill stems, etc) that are normal for us, but kind of heavy/outdated/whatever for the roadies on their titanium road beasts? Bike shop elitists can kiss my ass...lots of places in Seattle are as rude as they come. Do any Seattle people out there have commentary on this?

adamkell

sounds like you're patronizing the wrong kind of shops. Seattle must have some co-ops or shops that deal mostly in old and used bikes, yea?

Cynikal 

As an ex-Seattle person you might try the eclectic shop near greenlake (sorry I forgot the name). Stay away from the eastside with the exception of the shop in Redmond that Kent Peterson works at (sorry, forgot that one too). I guess I was lucky to find a strong light BB with italian threading in town (here, not Seattle) for $30.

pitboss

Did you check the shop down on Boat Street? Recycled I believe...very cool shop. Been there 2 times now during my visits. Great staff.
As for frames, I have Italian threads in mine. I order my BB from American Cyclery. They had the one I needed, and no one else did.

Chazzmeister

Yeah I cut my self off to save you all from my further opinions, but there is one joint in the Fremont district of town called "Wright Brothers" which is a co-op workspace ($30 lifetime fee for complete use of their shop and tools) and a really cool place to hang out and get information and parts. I guess I am learning to steer clear of the high-perf places.

Treespeed

You should check out Elliot Bay Bicycles at the end of the Pike Market, on Western I think. Bill (can't remember his last name) is the most down-to-earth, cool guy. It took a while, but he hunted down a strange sized BB for my Cilo with no attitude. He also scrounged from his personal stash the original Campy Seatpost and sold it to me for almost nothing.

Another option if you don't want to head all the way into downtown is Recycled Cycles on Boat St. in the University District. Very cool again, and they have bins of old parts and great mechanics. Ti Cycles on the Burke past the University Village is nice, but pricey and R+E cycles have a little attitude, but also great mechanics.

The most elitist LBS's in my experience were Greg's Greenlake, Montlake, and of course Il Vechio in Leschi. I've gone in there on my beater touring bike and they wouldn't even speak to me.

In my opinion, Seattle is a cycling Mecca especially when it comes to LBS's. By my count there are at least 3 framebuilders in the city (Davidson, Rodriguez, and Ti-cycles) and such a huge selection of different shops that if one of them gives you attitude you can move on to the next one. Though I would at least speak to a manager and tell them why you are taking your business somewhere else. A lot of the people you deal with on the front lines are just kids who may not have a clue what you are talking about and you may be mistaking their ignorance for attitude.

I'm sure we could start a whole new thread on stupid things we've been told at our LBS. My fave example is a kid telling me it was impossible to put road bars on my mountain bike.

Good luck on your search.

Litespeedy

I too am a member at the "Wright Brothers Bike Shop'. It's low key and friendly. The other members or the owner, Charles, are happy to help you with your repairs. All the tools and workstands are there for your use and some cool vintage Campy parts etc.
Charles really knows what he is doing and has been helping me to dial in a vintage track bike. He is currently working on a new wheelset...Dura Ace HF hubs with tubular Velocity Escape rims. I'll be doing some of the work on those too.
You will learn a lot and really can't go wrong.
Seattle's popular "GG" shop was rude, dismissive on my comments and sloppy on their work. I won't be going back.

gustave

I must agree with some of what has been posted in response. I too live in Seattle and had some trouble at first when it came to finding bike shops that shared my vintage-because-its-cheap/fixedgear mentality but now I know where to shop.

Recycled Cycles, on Boat street in the University district is ok for cheap parts, and the employees and owners are very cool. A better source for parts might be Bikeworks on Ferdinand in the Rainier Valley/Genese business district. Bikeworks is a non-profit that teaches kids how to do basic mechanical work on bikes and runs a shop in the front. They have a constant source of used parts cycling through inventory from what I have observed and are just cool in general.

Wright Brothers is a great place if you need a stand and tools. As stated already in the thread Charles is a knowledgeable source and even teaches classes in wheel building and basic mechanics. I highly recommend joining the co-op workspace, it is well worth the price.

Lastly, there are two sources on the eastside, both in Redmond: the first is Kent Peterson, who works at Sammamish Cycles, which is close to the post office and the 7-11. Kent is all about everything bike, and has a low-cost solution to almost any problem you could dream up. The second source in Redmond is a guy by the name of Chuck who runs a shop out of a house around the corner from Sammamish Cycles. There is an "open" sign when it is open and a cycling jersey in the window of the blue (if I remember correctly) house. Chuck seems to be some sort of super mechanic with access to all sorts of parts, although you often have to hound him to get a response (at least in my experience).

I have not yet been to Elliot Bay off pike place, but have heard it is a good shop.

skitbraviking

I have Italian on mine, and it's solid. I even found a spare BB cup when I cracked mine on a long haul. Chicago seems more well equiped? I don't know. But if they're giving you attitude, I would ditch their sorry asses. Find another LBS. If you have to order, I know Yojimbo's in Chicago has had them in the past. It's where I bought my frame and Marcus had one in stock when I needed one.

habitus

i second bikeworks and recycled cycles for old parts, although at recycled most of the old stuff in the bins is pretty crappy. you need to ask for the good stuff.

counterbalance helped me a ton when i was converting to fixed. adam is a nice guy and knows a ton and is the messengers' favorite.

i go to montake bike on 24th, primarily because it's the only shop that i pass every day coming home from school. there are a couple dedicated fixie riders in there, eric and matthew, who are really great--i'll only have them work on my bike.

i've never been to wright brothers but i keep hearing great things.

seattle is a big place and sometimes it's a pain to trek all the way across the city to hit up a shop. if the shop is good, proximity influences support in lots of cases.

harlot

Ditto Recycled Cycles, Wright Bros, Counterbalance. I've heard legendary stories about Kent Peterson, kind of the Sheldon Brown of the PNW. There's a LBS niche for everyone, you just have to sort through the spandex to get to the wool.