Originally Posted by
blakcloud
First, V brakes vs cantilever. There is a reason that cantilever fell out of fashion.
Brakes -- Prefer cantilever over v-brake from an aesthetic perspective, mostly, I'll admit. On several bikes, I have had v-brake and didn't particularly find them harder-stopping or easier to adjust than a quality canti. (Though, I'm sure the physics
would show stronger clamping power, and thus braking performance. I'm just saying that I haven't needed such braking that the performance difference mattered all that much, in practice.) I'm still mulling, and am open to v-brake, but have spec'ed canti's so far.
Originally Posted by
blakcloud
Bottom bracket would be a Shimano cartridge, as long as it fits those cranks.
BB -- So long as the thing is sealed bearings, decently strong, and reliable, I'm open to whatever. Doesn't need to be a $150+ item, in this build. I'm okay with basic/functional, if of decent quality.
Originally Posted by
blakcloud
For seat post, that cheapie that Riv usually sells with their frames is just fine. I got it with my Rivendell and it works.
Seatpost -- Am mulling a suspended seatpost (a la Kinekt BodyFloat or Cane Creek ThudBuster. Not certain, yet, but likely. Though, with a suspended seat like a Brooks B67, there'll be less need for a similar seatpost. And so, possibility exists for a decent quality set-back seatpost. Needs to work with suitable anti-theft security bolts, as well, whichever gets selected.
Originally Posted by
blakcloud
... why so short on the crank length? Unless your really short, then by all means.
Cranks -- Shorter, yes. And old injuries, resulting in greater comfort with a shorter crank stroke. I'm okay with the comparative disadvantages. Have 170mm on the current bike, and they're okay, so I can tolerate crank arms up to that length (despite less comfort).
Originally Posted by
blakcloud
Also will you need a Wolf Tooth Road Link or Goat to get to the 42 with the derailleur? If you do, they are 10 and 11 speed and and don't know if this is feasible with your proposed 9 speed but someone can correct me if I am wrong. I am out of the loop on large cassettes.
Drive train (speeds) -- Am still mulling 9, 10, 11spd. At this point, have gotten some vendor suggestions for a 2x9 that'll get the very low gearing I'm after. I know that, if set up correctly, 10spd and 11spd can also achieve this. Initially, I began by imagining a 2x11spd config would function well and get low enough. It's still a possibility, given the parts combination I've seen. I'm also somewhat "out of the loop" on the more-contemporary configs and the ultra-large cassettes; so I'm reliant largely on past experiences with builds that qualified vendors have on their record. Anyway. Open to a different setup, here, ultimately. Still only the first few weeks' of planning, at this point.
One thing I'm fairly solid on, as well, is the overall look of the thing. Strong preference against anodized black as the color scheme, on all the components; much prefer silver, probably anodized over polished. Not all of the options are available in anodized silver, as so many makers have turned to black-only componentry.