Bicyclettes

[seenmy]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SINGLE-SPEED-ROAD-BIKE-MESSENGER-COURIER-25-65cm_W0QQitemZ260106007734QQihZ016QQcategoryZ33503QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

anyone any opinion on this?good buy for beginer?its not currently fixed?

[eldave04]

I think that might be too big even for you. 65cm is huuuge.

[seenmy]

yea i did a bit more e-search after posting worked out i think i need about a 61 went to check out a pista at my local store but they dont carry it which isnt suprising as riding fixed here would be a bit counterproductive. im liking the look of the pista alot reviews seem good,am i right in thinking as a bike noob its prob best to start with a ready built bike can i on a pista easily switch it to flip flop?

[zelah]

yeah with flipflop hubs, as long as you have a cog on both sides, its simply a matter of turning the back wheel around, all you'd need is a 15mm wrench

[canice]

if you want to buy a complete bike, peep this post: http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showpost.php?p=308040&postcount=243

there's a site called thebikebiz which sells frames and allows you to custom add parts, and they build it for you too. great idea. here are some dece frames:

soma rush, good beginner frame, good quality tubing - http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-soma01.htm

soma delancey - http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-soma02.htm

de bernardi thron (paint chips easily, but the frame is pretty and lugged) - http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-deb01.htm

eai brassknuckle (alu frame, sloping top tube. not my aesthetic/feel, but could work for you if you want a lighter stiffer frame) - http://www.thebikebiz.com/product_p/bk-trk-eai02.htm

the parts they offer are quality though, so it'll run you way over your budget if you buy EVERYTHING from there. maybe buy the frame, fork, bb, headset and cranks from there (all the major installation stuff), then buy second hand parts for everything else.

decent stuff comes by on ebay, but stay away from those mass auctions with ten identical listings. those bikes suck.

[seenmy]

sweet thanks for links im deffinatly leaning towards buying a complete bike to start off with my linited knowledge and understanding of whats good and more importantly what suits the way im going to be riding(i wont know unitil i get a good few miles under my belt i guess) seems to make sense to start with a good stock bike and then customise acordingly astheicly and performance wise.this is a good thread thanks to ml project for the bike fourm links aswell good read even though lot of terminoligy goes over my head at the min.

\

the iro mark v looks really good also anyone any experience of these/

[Le Dirte]

I've got an IRO Angus and love it. Tony, the owner, is a great person and will basically do anything you want on the bike, ie. choose what types of bars, color and size cranks, colored rims, etc. I would definitaly reccomend it. Just give him a call and see what he can do. Good luck.

[seenmy]

sounds good,i got some learning to do on what i actually will need/want gear ratio etc having not rode fixedfor any distance im not sure what id need etc,guess i culd order from iro get it sent to friend pick up when i go out to states in summer.

[vee_dub]

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/articles/steve-cadence/

check out the gear ratio here.. good luck.

[canice]

don't get a mark v. they're cheap, but the tubing is heavy. spring a bit more for the angus, you won't regret it.

[seenmy]

all good,yea i want something thats gonna be a easy weight to carry up stairs etc.iro got dealer in philly so i might go check them out in person when im out in summer,

[TragicBliss]

For the dude who has no idea what size whip he needs, here's a link to a page that explains how to find your fit pretty well:

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

And here's a gear ratio and skid patch chart to check. (Important to consider if you're planning to run brakeless and don't have endless money to burn on tires.) Bianchi complete track bikes come 48/16 which is pretty weak as far as skid patches go (because they are assumed to be used solely on the track), you might want to cinsider swapping out your cog if you go for a factory complete.

[hipset]

arrrghh.

i got my hands on a thomson X2 but now i am in a bit of a jam. of course it uses oversized bars, so i am shitty on luck with my stock bars. i could go for new bars, but do i really want oversized? im not sure if i should keep the stem and go for new bars or order a thomson elite and switch it. oversized or not?

[canice]

OS bars mean you have lots of new generation road/ergo type bars to choose from. and tt/bullhorn bars if that is your thing. deda also makes a pista bar that is 31.8.

[hipset]

yeah, i've actually been looking into the deda pista. my stock raleigh bars have less curve across the top, how much of a difference am i going to feel in riding? can i mount a brake on the cross bar of the deda pista? i sort of want a bar that i can have a bmx style brake on. canice your bike tips are epic.

[aaronS]

i don't really follow this thread but i was wondering if any philly (or surrounding area) people did the reload april fools alleycat yesterday. I did, it was a bunch of fun. anyone else?

my bike will be up one of these days

[canice]

i dunno whether the deda bars are sleeved, maybe it tapers out to a 26.0, but i'd ask to have it measured/spec'ed before you buy one.

true track bars have a very wide curve, so if you ride in the tops a lot you'll have to keep your hands close to the stem (but a lot of people prefer that anyhow). i don't suppose you'd feel too drastic of a difference between two models of drop bars.

i don't have a life. all i do is ride or talk bikes. or read bikeforums.

[vee_dub]

Picked up cliptoe padeals:

Going to get some straps now..

[mlproject]

^ those shimano 600 and dura ace versions are some of my favorite pedals, but beware as those clips are IMPOSSIBLE to find alone.

[canice]

no way... peep these. my friend has a pair on his bike, buttery smooth even 20 years on.

[vee_dub]

U mean the clip as in the toeclip???...

it is really hard to find metal toeclip pedals this days..in australia. :S

[vee_dub]

no way... peep these. my friend has a pair on his bike, buttery smooth even 20 years on.

HOLY SHIT THIS IS HOT!!......

[mike lowrey]

hmm. I just ended up buying a super nice old road bike which I need to fix up, any ideas for regular pedals (non-bike shoe ones, whatever they're called in english..)?

pics coming soon

[knucks]

MKS Sylvan^

[mlproject]

yeah i have a few friends with the super record versions of those pedals and they are ridiculously nice. same problem too.. the clips are hard to find.

i run the budget steez mks sylvans. the RX7s are probably the nicest thing out there that has easily replaceable parts.

[seenmy]

http://velospace.org/files/my_chrome.jpg

think this will be my ideal achievement for a starting set up,love the look of it.

[Ryan]

browsing craigslist...specialized p1's look fun..

[aaronS]

81 centurion frame and fork

iro hubs deepv rims

brooks b17

mks sylvans

surgino cranks

[i andrew]

here's my bianchi pista i got maybe 3 weeks ago. Completely stock right now.. probably gonna get some new pedals, with cages i think. and a new seat.. the one it came with is mad homo. Got a strip of faux leopard fur on it. anyways, for the first fixie its been a dream.

Seenmy- i'm 6'3" and this is a 61cm. fits absolutely perfect.. any bigger and i would have a bit of difficulty standing with my feet on the ground. At 6'5" ( i think thats what you said you were earlier) i imagine you could ride this or at the most a 63".

Any recomendations on pedals(not clip in) and saddles that won't hurt my wallet too much?

[mlproject]

^ ben'sbike on ebay usually has an auction for a clips/straps/pedals for MKS sylvans for under $50. the straps aren't too awesome, but they'll last awhile.

i do not recommend riding brakeless without clips/straps - i.e. on platforms or anythign else. if you slip off the pedal, its not pretty.