garage sale GT

I am looking for a new fg/ss with a road-oriented geometry as opposed to a track bike with a really short top tube.

I checked a model or two on bikesdirect and it seemed pretty short.

Can anyone suggest a bike or frameset near the lower end of the price spectrum with a more relaxed geometry?

bigvegan

You might be a good candidate for a conversion. Singlespeeds are cheaper than fixies, and you could do a fixed gear conversion for around the cost of a Kilo TT, if you have access to tools.

Singlespeed:
Craigslist roadbike w/freewheel rear wheel (not freehub) $100-$150.
BMX Freewheel - $25
Shorter Chainring Bolts - $6
New Chain - $10


Fixie:
Craigslist roadbike $100-$150.
Low end track wheelset $100
Cog / Lockring $15-30
Chain - $10
Pake (or other affordable) Track Crank - $60
Bottom Bracket - $25

gotmyusernamechanged

would the specialized langster fall into that category?

Leukybear 

It's price sure wouldn't... if the OP calls for cheap bikes....

And $luts; your name gets auto censored in this forum

preston811

Surly Steamrollers run long in the top tube. (As do the Kilo WT which is their direct ripoff at every frame dimension.)

letsgetsandy

you want a bike with road geo? why not just get a road bike and convert it? the only difference between a track bike and a road bike that have a relaxed geometry is the fork ends on the rear.There is nothing wrong with a conversion.

garage sale GT

There isn't anything wrong with a conversion, no, but if you build one up proper and make it clean and sano, you won't wind up saving too much. I realize it's not about maximum frugality for some of you all, but I just want a clean, classy single speed for fitness' sake.

One small but important factor which tipped the scales in favor of new in my mind was some secondhand advice reportedly from outsized bike builder Leonard Zinn to replace your stem and bars every four years because they can fatigue.

A singlespeed is a bike which might require you to strain against the handlebar while dancing your way up a hill. You don't want undue worries of breaking the bars or stem or popping spokes. I have heard of guys breaking half their bar off on these forums.

So you factor in the cost of a new quill stem, handlebar, and rear wheel and there go your savings, even if you don't need headset, bb, cables, paint, pedals, tires, etc. I guess you gotta have the love.

garage sale GT

Thanks for the heads up on the Langster. I might try to snag a used one.

AEO

buy an older model 'racing' geometry road bike with horizontal drop outs.
'racing geometry' in those days meant slightly longer top tube so you could stretch out and get more aero.

gotmyusernamechanged

yeah! it rules

forsure. I've seen em go for really good deals on craigslist. maybe you'll have some luck

JacoKierkegaard

Masi Speciale Fixed is definitely road-oriented.

Mongoose441

Redline 925,

schnee

Gary Fisher fixed is quite long, especially in the bigger sizes.

Jamis Sputnik is another road-geo fixed.

stryper

didn't bother to read above, but A few of the Leader frames have a longer top tube.

hairnet

you're worrying too much. Most of the stuff you find on craigslist was hardly ever ridden anyway. You're possibly going to want new bars anyway because there is a chance the bars your new bike comes with won't be the "correct" size. You can also ride old wheels just fine, just make sure they're tensioned, plus it isn't unthinkable that you may change the stock wheels on your new bike, eventually

ianjk

sense... this makes none.

just curious as to why you think a wheel with a fixed cog will require you to get a new crank and bottom bracket, while a wheel equipped with a single speed freewheel does not...

bigvegan

Because if you're using your chain to slow down, it's a little bit more vital that you have a reasonably straight chainline to avoid throwing your chain (especially when riding brakeless), and that is sometimes hard to achieve without replacing the crank, even if you move the chainring inboard (unless you want to kludge a solution with spacers/washers).

If you've got a freewheel, you're never putting that kind of resistance on your chain, so you've got a little more room to work with, although it's always good to have a reasonably straight chainline.

Which part of this doesn't make sense to you?

ianjk

The part where you assume that one will require a new crank/bb while the other won't.

fuzz2050

you do realize 98% of all road cranksets out there will give you a 41mm chainline with the stock bottom bracket, just by using the inner position? I know it's not the exact 42mm, but it's damn near close enough.

filtersweep

Is this about fit? Or "comfort" (which is more about angles)?

To the OP-- I don't think you are thinking this through entirely. Since most track bikes have higher bottom brackets, the top tube ends up being a bit lower relative to the seat tube measurement. Many track bikes are measured to the top of the seatpost collar--- which means the TT itself is several cm lower -- thus you are not measuring a triangle per se. This is compounded by a shorter steer tube (which is common). You will likely end up showing more seatpost than on a comparably sized road bike, and if you are not running a ton of spacers or risers it significantly affects reach. My track bike has the longest reach of all my bikes.

From what I have seen, there is an abundance of bikes that are too small populating the internets.

This becomes even more confusing when you look at a sloping top tube track bike

Brian

I've got a Wabi Cycles Classic, which has more relaxed geometry. Not sure about your budget though.