bl4ckmagic34

Hi there guys and gals, new to the forum just looking for some help. A friend and myself are each building a fixie from the ground up. his father is a cyclist and has all the tools we need i was just curious of what frame i should get. im 5'11'' and still growing. Open to all suggestions. thanks.

vw addict

save lots of money and buy complete, may i suggest a kilo tt.

boxerboxer

Spend some time searching and reading the forums.

Come up with a budget.

Come up with a list of things you're considering.

Explain what sort of riding you plan to do on the bike.

THEN ask for advice.

This is something that gets talked about endlessly and chances are you can find what you need with the search function alone.

One good thing to do would be to look at the stickied "post your bike" thread to get some inspiration for your build.

At some point, someone will tell you to just get a kilo tt. This is perfectly normal.

boxerboxer

Ahahaha.. the tt already got thrown out there by the time I finished the post. So not suprised

bl4ckmagic34

sorry, and thank you. What is a kilo tt?

DC_United_Fan

Buy an IRO frame. Make lots of mistakes building it up. Crash the crap outta' it a few times. Make more mistakes building it up again. Become older and wiser in the process. And don't forget to have a lot of fun along the journey.

chenghiz

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=kilo+tt

carleton

1) SERIOUSLY man. No one is going to hold your hand for a custom build from SCRATCH. ESPECIALLY when you don't even have a starting point.

2) Custom builds are only good if you are going custom to improve on something that you can't get from an off-the-shelf bike. Going custom because you can is a waste of time and money. Basically, you will buy whatever we tell you...which would make your bike OUR bike and you a fool for buying whatever we tell you. (not insulting you. I'm just putting that out there.)

If you say, "Hey, I have a _______ bike and I have issues with _____, _______, and _______. I want a bike that solves those particular problems and custom seems to be the ONLY way to go, then and ONLY then is custom a great option.





That being said...I think you should get a Felt TK1, and since you are 5'11, a Large should fit right. The cool thing is that it's available as a frame only. Not drilled for brakes, but a Keirin brake should work.

TheBikeRollsOn 

Well, building from scratch is a good idea because it forces the builder to become familiarized with bikes, so when the bike messes up, they can fix it themselves. It's a fantastic learning experience and since you have access to tools and your friends dad will probably be able to help you out a bit, I say go for it. It'll probably cost a bit more than buying complete, but you'll end up with what will probably be a little better than buying a kilo tt and you'll have the experience.

Now, the more important part is what type of riding will you be doing? What type of frame material are you looking for? What is your budget? etc.

Aside from all of that, if I were in your shoes I'd be interested in building up one of the Wabi frames.

carleton

I think this is the worst advice ever...and it comes up a lot. I could build a microwave from scratch...that doesn't mean it will heat my sammiches better.

The whole "you'll know how to work on it" argument is invalid, too. I learned how to properly maintain bikes long before I ever built one from scratch.

If you want the same invaluable "learning experience" from an off the shelf bike that you'd get from building a custom bike...at half the cost? (because it's the learning experience that makes it worth while, right?). Here's what you do:

Step 1: Buy a complete bike.
Step 2: Take it apart.
Step 3: Re-assemble it.

Now you know as much as the guy who spent months buying parts and building a bike from scratch. Seriously. That's all you gotta do.


It will cost A LOT more than buying complete. Not a bit more. A lot more.

hamfoh

I think you need a massage or a nap or something.

carleton

Is that your way of saying that I'm right?

hamfoh

You're right, especially considering this particular thread, but it was my way of saying it's not what you say, it's how you say it

carleton

Sorry for my tone.

TheBikeRollsOn 

Jesus Christ, worst advice? The kid asked about frames because he wants to build up a bike, the first piece of advice he got was to buy a kilo tt. He didn't ask "what should I do, build a bike or buy an entry level bike that everyone owns?" I get that no matter what the question, bikeforums jumps to Kilo TT, so much so that's it's become a running joke. But he wants to build a bike with a friend, which to me sounds like a lot of fun and a bonding experience that will give the bike a lot more sentimental value than buying complete. Now buying a Kilo TT has it's place, but it's not for everyone, not everyone wants the same generic bike that every ****ing idiot gets after coming to BFSSFG asking the same question that's been asked 100,000 times in the past month.

Now the problem with you answer to learning about bikes is this: Nobody is going to get an almost completely assembled bike and then not want to ride it. It's instincts to want to use something new as soon as you get it, so they aren't going to break down the bike and build it back up before at least riding it a little bit. The second problem is that once they start riding it they are going to stop just so they can take it apart and put it back together. That's why I said it forces the builder to familiarize themselves, because they have no other option. Just because you or other people learn to maintain bikes before building one means that everyone will.

If someone wants to build their own bike, why shouldn't they, to deny it's sentimental value or the value of the experience is just down right ignorant. To try and deny the kid of a great experience just because you think it isn't a wise move financially is ridiculous.

However, I second the Felt TK1, I hear it's great for beginners just looking to get into cycling, plus at that price point who can argue against it?

motobeCarnage 

"Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy." - Miss Frizzle

cc700

it's SO expensive to piece together... i would strongly urge you to buy complete.

carleton

I took the liberty of highlighting the massive assumptions you have made.

If this kid builds a bike from scratch I will mail you $10 (ten dollars).

If he buys a complete bike (new or used) or doesn't complete the project (for ANY reason) I'll gladly accept $1 (one dollar)...and a public "You were right."

If nothing happens (buy or build) within 2 months, we can assume that the project is a failure.

Deal?

Put your money where your mouth is.

chambers078

And to the OP:

If you must start from the frame up, my vote is for a the Leader 725.

hamish5178

Carleton said so many smart things in this thread that I'm almost willing to forgive him for being the cool black guy I'll never get to be.

TheBikeRollsOn 

I'm not arguing whether or not the OP will or won't buy complete, if they are open to buying complete and have a tight budget then I think they definitely should. However, if OP really wants to build from scratch and has a big budget, then why shouldn't they. I'd say that people are making a pretty big assumption in the fact that everyone assumes the OP is concerned with money. Maybe they have a huge budget and don't mind spending upwards of $1000.

Unfortunately none of us seem to know anything about what the OP is looking for, because they haven't given us any sort of details about budget, goals, etc. So really all of us are making assumptions.

carleton

EpicSchwinn

But carleton, if he buys a complete and dis/reassembles it will he learn anything about part shopping and part compatibility of a fixed gear? If I get a pizza, take the toppings off, and put them back on again, will I know what it's like to bake a pizza from scratch? Are children small or just far away?

8bits

Let me chime in here in because my experience is oposite of what Carleton said....my first fixed gear (read: assembled bike) was my 722TS and I had a blast researching the hell out of names, acronyms, ISOs, manufacturers, forums, blogs...till I was 68% confortable to buy the parts on my own.

Granted that it was a frightening experience but I came out VERY knowledgeable (not experienced) about what parts, standards, acronyms are. Would I re-do everything again? Hell yes, it was the process that was fun, don't get me wrong, the bike is sweet and I do ride it everyday, but the process of research, getting to know this world was the most fun. Did I get everything correct? No, I would say that I get 85% correct and to me it was worth it.

I'm not advocating that everybody should do this, everybody is different, have different priorities, likes no hassle things or not...but to say that it shouldn't be done, well...that's just wrong. If you like to research, learn new things, then go ahead...be advised that it will be a twisted path but it's a fun path.

csj0952

Jazzy Jeff says "Carlton be trippin"