bmontgomery87

One involves paying extra to advertise without getting an upgrade in quality, the other involves having a nice frame and wanting people to know it's nice and not an Aventon or a 17tooth bike.....

I agree that it's stupid to pay 20 bucks for a logo tee.

Plus I think advertising for a company that is good to you is an okay thing to do. I seriously doubt you've ever had a good interaction with ______ clothing company. Call them and tell them their tee shirt was defective and see if you get anywhere. Leader, on the other hand, would find a way to help you out.

kite991

A few new pics from when I was in SoCal for spring break

TejanoTrackie 

Scrodzilla

An explanation of that frame should probably be posted as well before everyone freaks out about how wacky it looks. It's one of three artist frames to be auctioned off to benefit this ride.

More info on the frames here.

Leukybear 

I would ride this or at least hang it up on my wall. Not so much for the baby blue & silver one however.

bmontgomery87

I think the red one looks alright.

The blue looks pretty bad though, head tube looks kind of blemished up top and overall it's just kind of tacky.

BPx

Don't have a Leader yet, but I'm planning on purchasing the 2014 725 frame soon!

My favorite aspect from these frames are the clean welds. Definitely a plus in my books! Stay tuned

bmontgomery87

As someone who frequently gets buyers remorse, or sells stuff he buys to "upgrade", I couldn't be happier with my 721.
I put in about 130 miles last week and can't wait to get on it tomorrow.

BPx

Thats awesome! I don't mind shelling out the few extra $$$ to go with the 725. I know the clean 'welds' are nothing to brag home about, but I'm a man who loves clean designs. Can't wait to slowly get things together.

kite991

I was that way too, I ended up with a 725 after someone outbid me for a 735 going for about $280. I always felt like I had settled with the 725 (which I got for a pretty awesome $250.However, once I got the components I liked my handlebars/saddle, and finally adjusted the bike properly since I found out my legs had about another half to another inch of extension which once I had adjusted it, made everything easier and more enjoyable. Also, I like the thinner tube (the one with the leader sticker, someone fill me in on my terms) on the 725 as compared to the thicker 735.

nohandlebars

hey guys. so I'm picking up a 722ts frame tomorrow (the non-heritage/older one). I'm wondering what kind of fork i should get for it. I'm trying not to shell out more than $100 or so.

(1) City grounds has the s803 for about $60. It seems like a good match for the frame, even if it's a little heavy. also it seems like a decent fork overall. Only problem is cIty grounds only has it in Gold as a closeout. I wouldn't mind stripping it to raw to match the frame (also raw)

(2) Nashbar's carbon fork ( Nashbar Carbon Road Bike Fork - Normal Shipping Ground ) good weight, still affordable. I've never ridden a carbon fork before. I'm not super conscious about weight. Most of my riding is in the city and potholes and curbs are pretty regular.

(3) What about some of the leader aluminum forks? would the i806A V3 ( i806A V3 - Close-out Products - Shop | Leader Bike LLC )fit this frame? Is an alumnim fork on a steel frame a bad idea?

(4) I guess this could be another option.. would this fork fit? straight blade lugged track from retrogression? ( https://www.retro-gression.com/produc...ed-chrome-fork )

any input is appreciated. thanks

nohandlebars

The more I look at the retrogression chrome fork, the more it looks like a leader s803. it's pretty similar in rake, right?

prooftheory

28mm and 41mm rakes are not similar.

Scrodzilla

They're totally different forks. Aside from the large difference in rake, the blades are nowhere near the same shape.

It's a terrible idea. Also, the down on the aluminum fork is oversized to match the head tube on Leader's aluminum frames and will look pretty goofy on a steel frame with a standard 1 1/8" head tube.

nohandlebars

I see. You guys have any suggestions on a fork that won't break the bank?

LeaderBike

The original Leader 722TS used a 45 rake fork. with 41 you should be fine.

Scrodzilla

ddeadserious is using one on his 722TS.

I misread and thought you were putting it on a Heritage Edition frame.

sheepdog84

any thoughts on the renovatio? I'm looking to move parts from my vigorelli, which i've been feeling cramped on lately (56cm)...

I dig the understated look... but I feel like I'm between a 56cm and a 58.. any advice is welcome.

nohandlebars

Ended up going with the s803 fork. It was only available in gold, but for $60 not a bad deal. I thought it was going to be super ugly, but it turned out alright… it doesn't clash with the raw frame as much as I thought it would. What a fun project - my first time hand-picking parts and building up a bike. I used my brother's old campy record wheelset that he gave me, and his sugino 75 crankset, bought the 722ts frame from Craigslist (some guy had bought it years ago and never built it!), and bought the rest of parts from a bike shop and universal cycles. Might change out the fork in the long run, but for now this set up feel great - my other bike is a ss 29er for getting around the city, so this leader bike feels way different in the best way possible.

Scrodzilla

Judging by your stem length and saddle height, it looks like you probably picked the wrong frame size.

nohandlebars

Scrod, it was actually a hard decision for me. I stood over a 55cm 722 and it felt like it would have worked, but also felt like it was on the smaller side. The guy who was helping me at the bike shop said he thought I was in an awkward spot where 55 looked a bit small and 58 a bit big. He advised me that it's "easier to make a smaller frame feel big" than the vice versa (obviously). The problem is, I always end up going with the smaller frame when I'm "in-between" and use longer parts, but then later on end up regretting it and wishing I had gone with the larger frame and used shorter parts. I did this with a Steamroller a few years back and ended up selling it for that reason (I think it was 56cm). I admit that I could be on a longer stem and probably still feel comfortable, and I'm also still playing with the saddle height. With that said though, I feel really comfortable on the bike now (the saddle was raised just a few mm from the pictures, but not much). I went on a 25 mile ride and it felt awesome. I'm 5'11 for what it's worth. I still think I would have regretted the smaller frame. Either way though, I love this ride. My research shows me that you rode a 58cm 722 a while back, and that you're 5'10 or 5'11ish? how did the fit feel to you? --- you're right though, it almost felt too big. it feels good tho

One4Five145

Hello,
New member & new rider. I use to race BMX when I was a kid but I haven't been on a bike in probably 15 years. I recently purchased a used Leader 725 55cm Frame & Fork & Cranks off of a friend. I have been building it up slowly. I'm so glad I bought this bike. I'm hooked on cycling again & so far I have been riding every chance I can get. Only issue I have is this frame is a little too big for me. I'm only 5'8. Oh well.
Anyways here is a pic of my bike what do you guys think? Im still playing with seat height & seat angle. Trying to get it right & comfortable. Its been a battle....lol

GhostSS

The effective top tube length of my 51 cm Leader 725 is 3 cm longer than my 54 cm SS roadie project frame and I'm 5'8" as well, they are long and low. The max I would have gone at our heights would have been a 52 cm frame. I think if you use shallow/compact drops with your current stem it might bring your arms in at a more comfortable range. Too bad the fork has already been cut and slammed.

It's much easier dealing with a frame that's too small rather than one that is too big.

One4Five145

Yeah I plan on getting a new frame at some point in the future. For now it will have to do. But I agree I want a 51cm.

One4Five145

My Bottom Bracket started going bad. So I picked up some Omnium's. I installed them the other day. Feels a lot better. Bout to do a 40 mile group ride this weekend then we will watch the AMGEN Stage 1 race as they finish in Sacramento. Here is a pc of the bike with the Cranks....