TheLizardKing

I've been riding fixed for a little over a year now and I'm coming into a decent amount of money so I'm planning on putting together a build to satisfy my N+1 itch and I got sent this way The main focus of the build is to have a decent track bike for me to start get my feet wet riding and racing on the velodrome. I also plan on riding it and training occasionally on the road for when I don't want to ride my current bike, which is a beater. I have a budget of between $1,500-2,000 but would like to keep it on the lower end of that. I do not wan to go with a complete so I can spread the financial load out over the next 6 months and end up with something personal to me. I would appreciate some input on the components and the overall build. As far as the frame is concerned I don't care about the material but want it to be a suitable track frame and my budget for it is $600ish so I can allocate more money to other components. Thanks for the help and input!

Frame:

Colossi Al Colossione - $650

All City Thunderdome - $650

Crankset/Bottom Bracket:

SRAM Omnium/SRAM GXP - $200

Sugino 75 165mm Silver - $225

Tange-Seiki 109mm ISO BB - $60

Pedals:

Shimano R450 SPD-SL - $30

Chainring/Cog/Chain:

Sugino Zen track chainring 48t/Dura Ace 16t/Izumi Eco - $155/$30/$16

Saddle/Seatpost:

Fi'zi:k Arione/Thompson Elite seatpost - $132/$80

Handlebars/Stem:

Deda Pista bars - $70/3T ARX II stem - $60

Nitto B123-AA 40mm - $105 Nitto Dynamic Quill - $52

Wheelset/Hub/Tire: H+Son TB14 - $400/Continental Grand Prix 4000S II Road Tyre - 23c PAIR - $94

Mavic Open Pro - $400

Soil_Sampler

Buy a good used bike with solid parts, with a frame that fits you.

wens

You already have wheels, so I wouldn't spend money there unless you're getting deep tubulars, which would be getting ahead of yourself. If you really want wheels, get a felt tk3, swap the bars, crank, and saddle, buy 49 and 50 fsa rims and 14-16 da cogs. I'm too lazy to do the math bit suspect you have budget left over, spend it on race entries.

Brian25

Wouldn't it make sense to try track racing to figure out if you even like it / and the program at your local velodrome? before putting a bunch of money/ effort into something you have no experience with???

taras0000

I'm going to apologize before hand, and I really don't mean to sound like a snob/prick, but I have to ask (to better understand what you want out of your bike). Do you want a decent track bike for racing/riding, or a track bike with street cred in the fixed community? I ask because you can get a decent track bike to race on, one designed for track racing, for your lower stated budget that would last you years and function well. You could even get one new for $1,500. Used, you could get a GREAT track bike (better than the sum of your bike menu). I know these aren't "personal" bikes Most likely stock components with maybe a minor upgrade if used), but then again, the components you want put you near the top of your budget, yet you say you wanted to stay away from that if possible.

The advice in the above three posts is what you're likely to get out of any track racer if you're looking to buy a bike for track racing (we're a pragmatic bunch). It's good advice too. It's not going to give you a cool bike (although I've also bought a few pretty cool used bikes back in the day with some unique history too). When it comes to track bikes for racing, the customization you see and the personalization comes from knowing what one needs and what works for that particular person. A good deal on a complete bike is the lowest cost/most bang for your buck/least risk way of getting into this sport (with classes and a few rentals to begin with to start). It's how we all started and the personalization of bikes happens once we know what we like/need. Even CAT 1 machines in the road racing scene usually start this way when they try the track.

But as far as your component selection
-get rid of the al Colossione frame. That bike was manufactured for the street with "track" geometry. Bikes should fit proportionately to the rider. There is no reason a 56cm frame should have a shorter wheelbase than a 44cm frame in the same model. They just wanted to say that bike has steep "track" geometry. Compare it to their own LowPro, which has real track geometry and you'll see how ridiculous the al Collosione is. https://www.colossicycling.com/produc...s/low_pro.html vs https://www.colossicycling.com/produc...olossione.html
- Thunderdome, decent frame
-Sugino crank. SRAM is ok, but nothing special.
-pedals are good
-why a Zen chainring? Plenty of decent rings for half that cost, most are less than even that. DA cog is good, so are Izumi chains
-Saddle, whatever fits your ass. Thompson makes good stuff.
-Just get regular road bars and stem that fit you. You can save some money here. Nitto stem needs a threaded fork. So that means replacing the threadless fork that came with the frame, buying a new one, and buying a threaded headset to go with it, just to use an obsolete stem. Nice stem, but a waste of $$$.
-Wheels, Google Velomine. He'll set you up with decent wheels for a fair price, less than $400. Open Pros are overrated. They get brittle and crack over time.

But if you're actually considering racing, then seriously consider the used/stock route for your first track bike purchase. Or just buy what makes you feel good. It is your bike, so ultimately, YOU need to be satisfied with it.

queerpunk

Buy something stock, have a bike now, and spend the rest of the money on, like, upgrading over time. Or, better yet, race entry fees. Experiences > things.

There are some midrange alu framesets that I'd pick before the All City or the Colossi, personally. Many of the offerings from bigger companies like Felt, Fuji, Specialized, etc are right where they need to be. Browse the "track bikes" thread on this forum for some more info. Don't get a bike that requires you to use a quill stem unless you want to make a point about racing a vintage or vintage-styled bike.

You probably don't need a Sugino Zen chainring to get your feet wet, especially if you're working on a budget. I just saved you $150.

I don't recommend Pista bars for learners. Those are for sprint specialists. For newbies, they're often deeper and longer than necessary, and make fit and comfort more difficult. Get a modern road handlebar. Pick one that you like the shape of, for comfort. Get a 31.8 clamp bar/stem.

If you're looking to save money it's pretty easy to find basic track wheelsets for about $200. Get something with a semi-aero profile like a Deep V, but avoid aluminum superdeep rims. There, I just saved you another $200.

You wrote that you want to piece together something personal but if you buy all of these pieces individuall at retail price you're going to spend nearly twice as much on basically the same bicycle. I just saved you another $500.

Velocirapture

Until i opened the thread, i thought you were going to build a track!

Hida Yanra

OP, smart folks saying smart stuff here -
If what you want is a race bike, buy something cheap & if possible used (eg, an older Fuji Alum frame w metal parts - FSA chainrings, DA cogs, etc)

If you want a fancy street bike, yeah man - go for it - but check in over at the SSFG forum, a race bike has little to do with all that.

Crankset - an Omnium is just fine, if you want a 75, cool - but make sure that price includes the correct bottom bracket - they use an odd one, and it isn't cheap.
Chainrings - buy FSA, you'll be fine.
Handlebars - but something standard, about 40 wide, 31.8 clamp.
Wheels - again, find used and go from there.

I can count on my thumbs the bike-parts I bought that made me go faster on the track - one was expensive, the other was cheap... the rest of it mostly doesn't matter that much other than comfort and making sure the stuff you buy isn't going to break.

700wheel

"..........I also plan on riding it and training occasionally on the road..........."

I have separate clincher wheels for track and road (where front is a road wheel with QR) with lightweight tires for track and heavier tires for road.

defspace

Do tell, especially the cheap one.

Hida Yanra

Cheap: narrow handlebars - meaningful reduction in cda, when in the fast sections of races I could tell (and W for speed were appreciably different)

Not cheap: disc&trispoke

The other *bike* parts, couldn't really list anything that mattered.

Caveat: better race tyres will make your bike go faster- but those are more a wear item, and tyre selection isn't something that is as simple as one being just plain faster - wear life factors in pretty heavily (eg, the good folks at nats last year w/ worn out rubber after two days)
SRM: helped me go faster, but the part itself didn't make a difference, it was the training I could be more accurate with that made me faster.
Skinsuit/helmet/super77 spray adhesive/etc - not bike parts.

carleton

OP hasn't been on bikeforums since he started this thread (and a duplicate in the single-speed forum).

OP, if you are still around, let us know. If not, I'll close this.

Hida Yanra

thanks -

TheLizardKing

Thank you so much for all of the help and advice! I've realized that realistically this build that I want to accomplish is going to be more of a classic track style build that will see most of its use on the street (with brakes and a separate clincher wheelset for just the street) but can still be used on the track after I've taken all my classes. After reading all of the replies I will now be combing through craigslist and talking to whoever I meet at the track for used parts and have another budget for all the track fees to find out which components I want before I spend any money on the actual bike. I've seen a lot of talk about Hoshi spokes, are thein are blade njs spokes worth it and would a 20-24 hole wheel build be strong enough or should I go with a higher spoke count? I apologize for my absence and delayed response, once again thank you for all the advice!

700wheel

Do not bother about spokes. Just go with whatever wheels you can find as mentioned in post #8 by Hida.
For info I picked a set of new Mavic Ellipse wheels though Pro's Closet for $250 (and no shipping cost since I picked up the wheels at their store).