RoadWearier

Ok so I picked it up and overall I like it very much. Something about this bike wants me to do bad things...hop on and off sidewalks, run lights, lane split..
just break the rules! I'm going to throw it in my car and retrace the group ride route. It's 30 miles with hills so we shall see....

​​​​​​I guess I've heard so much about weight savings so I was surprised that it felt heavier than I thought it would be. But it's really not...22.4 by bathroom scale. It's a 56cm and I'm wondering if it's a little small for me.
​​​But it is dead silent. Wheels are straight. Brakes are fine, not like the expensive road bike I once owned but good enough. Dead simple which is at its heart why I bought it.

Questions:

1) Look at the picture, does it seem small to me?
2) I'd like to raise the handlebars. Do I need to buy spacers?
3) obviously the handlebar tape is a mess. Any recommendations that maybe make the bars a little more comfortable? I've ridden drops before and these are curved a little weirdly. Seem a bit less user friendly...
4). The Wabi I was going to buy was about 19 lbs...would 3.4 pounds REALLY make that much difference? Like $150 worth? If so may look at the Wabi. Buy I plan to ride this around a city and lock it up. Losing a $125 bike goes down a lot better than a $350 ish loss.
4) Right now it's running a 40/16. My understanding that I'd get the best bang for my buck going up on the rear cog...so 17? 18? Or should I change the chain ring or both?
5). Do I need special bike tools? There's videos online to do it without but I don't want to break anything...

Here's Pics...

Speedway2

About the only change I'd consider is going with a flat bar....and removing the reflectors

TugaDude

Bike height, stand over height anyway, which is what you are showing in the photos isn't the most important measurement. What matters is how it fits when you are actually riding. The seat placement and the reach of the bars are somewhat adjustable, but there comes a time when a frame just can't be "customized" enough to make it practical. How tall are you and what is your inseam? Do you have longish arms? Those will help us guess whether the frame is too small. I'm thinking it might be, personally.

Don't get hung up on overall weight. Focus on the ride. Is it fun? It seems to be. Removing a couple of pounds in overall weight isn't going to increase your fun in my opinion. I presume you won't be racing. So don't sweat the weight. If you fall in love with single speed riding then maybe one day you will want to upgrade to a premium frame and then you can knock yourself out with all sorts of high-end, lightweight components. In the meantime focus on just enjoying what you've got.

Here's my take on your questions:

1) Look at the picture, does it seem small to me? My gut tells me you need to be riding a 58, but it really depends on how it fits when riding.
2) I'd like to raise the handlebars. Do I need to buy spacers? You're about maxed out on the amount of steerer. There's only one spacer above the bars. You can get an extension and/or a stem with more rise. But if the frame is too small, it's too small.
3) obviously the handlebar tape is a mess. Any recommendations that maybe make the bars a little more comfortable? I've ridden drops before and these are curved a little weirdly. Seem a bit less user friendly...You might prefer risers. Or a bar with very shallow drops.
4). The Wabi I was going to buy was about 19 lbs...would 3.4 pounds REALLY make that much difference? Like $150 worth? If so may look at the Wabi. Buy I plan to ride this around a city and lock it up. Losing a $125 bike goes down a lot better than a $350 ish loss. The Wabi ismore than just a lighter alternative. It is a superior frame. Better tubing, better workmanship, etc. Is it worth it for weight savings alone? I'd buy it for quality, not weight. Whether that is important to you is for you to decide.
4) Right now it's running a 40/16. My understanding that I'd get the best bang for my buck going up on the rear cog...so 17? 18? Or should I change the chain ring or both? Do you even need to change? What did it not do that you want it to? But yes, changing the cog is cheaper.
5). Do I need special bike tools? There's videos online to do it without but I don't want to break anything...There are some tools you should invest in but many of the tools don't have to be bike-specific. You can remove the lug nuts with a regular wrench, for example. Allen wrenches are Allen wrenches and if you have ones that fit, you're good to go. You will need a special tool to remove the cranks for maintenance and/or if you should want to change them. Also, a bottom bracket removal tool for same. Are the hubs sealed or loose-ball type? If loose, then you might want to do your own maintenance on them and therefore you'd need a cone wrench that fits your hub.

There are some good maintenance videos online. Park Tools is one source for good info and then there are some folks on youtube that do some great "how to" videos.

Good luck!

Broctoon

1) Hard to say from a few pics. Based on how you can stand over the frame, it's apparently not too large... but too small? Don't know. The answer to this depends on whether you can comfortably reach the handlebar while seated, and whether you can get the seat adjusted to a height where your knee is just slightly bent with your foot on a pedal at 6:00 position. It looks like you have about 4-6" of exposed seat post. This is just right. Assuming your knee is slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke and you're not leaning down to an uncomfortable position, your frame is not too small in the seat tube length. If you don't feel cramped or "squashed" while seated and holding the bar, it's not too small in the top tube length.

2) You might be able to raise the handlebar 1 cm by simply rearranging your current setup: take the spacer that's above the stem and move it below (so you'll have 3 spacers below and none above). You most likely have a steel or aluminum steer tube, so this change should cause no problems. (It's not recommended for a fork with carbon steer tube.) Alternatively, you could get a steeper stem. If you want to go a lot higher, there's an adaptor that effectively lengthens the steer tube--it clamps on where your stem is and sticks up several centimeters, and then the stem clamps to it. This is the most cost effective way to get more than a very slight increase in bar height. Some people don't like it, because it adds some weight and looks kind of awkward, but there's really nothing wrong with it. In any case, moving the bar up much higher might require you to get longer brake cables, but they are cheap and widely available. In my answer to Question 1 above, I hinted at the possibility that you're leaning down more than you prefer (either too much weight on your hands, or else your back, neck, or shoulders aren't happy). If this is the case, maybe a flat or riser handlebar will be a better choice for you.

3) If you don't like the shape of your handlebar, replacements are not hard to find or install. And for bar wrap, there are tons of options, some cheap and others quite spendy. I like the materials that are a bit thicker and foamy. There are some rubbery ones in various thicknesses that are really nice. (Some of my favorites are Lizard Skins and Supacaz.) If you want a very thick, cushioned grip, you can get little gel pads that stick to the handlebar in strategic locations and then get covered with the wrap of your choice. Search YouTube for the video from Park Tool on wrapping road handlebars. Watch it all the way through. Then watch it again, pausing to study the tricky parts. When it's time to wrap your bar, have everything ready and within reach before you start, including scissors and finishing tape. Work slowly and carefully... the guy on the video goes pretty quick, but you should take your time.

4) Do you know for a fact that's how light the Wabi is? 19 lbs. vs. 22+ lbs. is quite a difference. You would probably notice it while riding, especially if you go up hills a lot, or do a lot of stopping and starting (like riding in city traffic). But weight isn't everything. If you're going to lock up the bike, you're better off with one that is not as expensive or as nice looking. You'll worry about it less, and it might even be less likely to get swiped. Or when it does get swiped you'll cry less. Get a lighter and prettier bike for situations where you can keep it inside; use the Nashbar for rides that will require a lockup.

5) If you want a lower gear ratio, it's usually more cost effective to change your cog rather than your chain ring. Going up from 16 to 17 or 18 teeth will make a very noticeable difference. Sometimes you can find a good price on a smaller chainring, but you're limited by your crank. Yours appears to be a 130mm bolt circle diameter (BCD). The smallest ring that will fit on it is a 38 tooth. Going down from 40 to 39 or 38 teeth will not make as much difference in your overall ratio as going up a tooth or two on the cog.

6) You might get away with using cheap or improvised tools for most of your maintenance/repairs/modifications, but I recommend buying decent bike tools if you plan to do more than the occasional task. If you just want to get your bike dialed in once and have no interest in making mechanical work a part of your lifestyle, you should take it to a shop and pay the professionals. They can do something like swapping the cog at a reasonable cost, and should also be willing to look the whole bike over for you. Nice thing about a fixed gear is it will last a long time with minimal attention. You clean and lube your chain once in a while, keep an eye on brake pads and cables, and watch the bearings in your hubs, pedals, bottom bracket, and headset (usually won't need attention, but it's good to check periodically). Otherwise, you just ride and don't worry about stuff. Fixing tire punctures is the thing that's most likely to come up repeatedly... all you need for that is a 15mm wrench or socket, some tire levers, a patch kit, and a pump.

RoadWearier

Thanks for all of the great responses. Apparently the culture is to have the drops really low. My last bike was more touring/endurance so maybe I'm just not used to it being low. The ride isnt cramped so I'm thinking it's "on the small side" of being acceptable. Probably a good thing for the city.

I've been watching Zach Gallardo on YouTube. He's entertaining and a good introduction to fixie/ss. Of course he pretty much works for Wabi so his bike suggestions might be a bit biased.

TugaDude

You didn't respond about your height and inseam.

Also, don't worry about culture. Worry about how to set your bike up so that you want to ride it more and for longer.

RoadWearier

Sorry I'm 5'10.. I wear 30 length jeans so short legs.
Inseam is about 32-33 inches

TugaDude

No worries. At that height you could go 56cm or 58cm probably. 58cm especially if you have long arms or a long torso. If you think you'd prefer to do most of your riding in a more upright position rather than down low in the drops, a tall stem and a riser bar with not too much sweep might be the ticket. So if you find yourself rarely going to the drops, maybe you would be better served with a different set up?

Rolla

Dialing in your bike fit on a forum just doesn’t work. It might help to get a side-view shot of you riding the bike, but we still can’t know what feels good to you or what you’re used to. The Wabi had more leeway in the handlebar height than this one does, so your options are limited to the spacers you have and changing the stem angle, unless you get a riser drop.

The bike’s weight is pretty irrelevant, IMO. A 22-pound bike feels like a featherweight compared to a beach cruiser, but it’s a lead weight compared to a carbon racing bike. Just ride it; it weighs what it weighs.

As for gearing, you’re probably going to have to try a few combos before you figure it out. Cogs tend to be cheaper than chainrings. I like 39 x 17, but that’s on my terrain. Get your gear inches somewhere in the low 60s and try it for awhile. If you’re walking up the hills, get a bigger cog. If you’re spinning like a hamster on the flats, get a smaller one.

TugaDude

https://acegif.com/wp-content/gif/hamster-wheel-26.gif

ThermionicScott 

I like how everyone told you to buy the Wabi in the other thread, then...

Rage

I woulda gotten both...