triumph.man

Hello members,

I used to be an old roadie member from this forum (2005-2007?) and just forgot my sn/email that was associated with it.

Used to ride a rodie (Caad 8) and stopped riding. Got married during that time, and moved to a city where me and my wife want a bike to go shopping, gym, and some fresh air. So I decided to build us a SS w/ a flip flop hub. Luckily we have the same inseam length, so I pulled the trigger on a 47 cm White Kilo, as it's the one color we came to an agreement. I wanted black, she wanted white. You married men all know how it works... But she will let me build the bike to the way I want it to look, and hopefully my wife will get into cycling, so I can build another bike for myself.


So, ordered the frame and now it's down to the parts:

Here are what we're looking for in our bike.

#1 Practical Gearing - We live right across NYC in Edgewater, NJ and want a gearing that can handle small/medium hills (10% grade tops) and flat lands. I would think that majority of the riding will be 75% flatlands and 25% hills. Also plan on riding the bike in NYC. A good buddy of mine reccommened a 44 x 19 gearing ratio, but I might think that's a little tooo low... Not sure though, and wanted some further input. I know everything is preference, but for you NYC and NJ riders, what would be a good all around ratio (no 9W/Nyack route, no pedaling up the killer climb up to Fort Lee on River Road)

#2 Classical Style - aesthetically, I'm thinking of going all silver (stem/post/cranks) with risers for comfort, and a basket/cage in the front. Now browsing through these threads, I'm looking for something to this style:





In regards to the risers, can someone direct me to a type of riser that would help me achieve this look, as I know there are soo many different style/types/lengths.

Also, through reading the Kilo thread, it seems that the Kilo does not take threaded stems, and what I'm looking for is a Quill style of stem. Are there any other good alternatives for these style of stems that will fit the kilo?

I'm sure there will be other questions down the road, but looking for these answers at the moment, and upon searching for more parts, I'm sure more questions will arise. Can't wait to build this bike!

Thanks in advance for your help!

prooftheory

44 x 19 might be a little low but in general it is pretty good for things like going shopping. The good thing is that cogs are relatively cheap so you can always get a 17t cog and see which one you like better. There is a good thread on gears.

The issue with quill stems is that you need a threaded fork so it will be somewhat expensive to achieve if it is important to you. You might be better looking at something like the Velo-orange tall stack stem (with a shim), which will give you the look of a quill stem and preserve the advantage of being threadless. Good luck with your bike.

FakeFuji

Since you will be sharing with your wife I would say that would be a good place to start, I would suggest having a 17 tooth freewheel on the other side of the hub for you though

triumph.man

thanks for the feeback on the stem and gearing! maybe i'll put a flip flop hub, and put a 17 tooth for a fixed!