HB + SP + Stem set advices

Hi everyone, as per subject I am looking for some nice groupset, possibly matte and with a round handlebar like the one in this set or the good old thomson; it's going to be for my build project and I am looking for a round bar to maximise the available space on it and for groupset for aehestetic reasons. Is there any alternative that you can think of which is not going to be cheap crap?

You've got your definitions mixed up. A groupset refers to any mechanical or electronic parts that are involved in braking, changing gear, or the running of the drivetrain.

For stems and seatposts, just get whatever you like/can afford. They hold your handlebars and saddle in place, not much to it. Same can be said for handlebars I guess, but here you have different types (classic bend, track drops, compact, etc). I would avoid track drops and get some compacts.

@Tijs I thought so too but then while googling I found people referring to the 3pcs as groupset too, I better correct the title of the post.

As I said, it's not just the liking I have the needs for the handlebar to be linear and round like the one in the links and I that's why I was looking for alternatives. The PRO Vibe one seems to be right down my alley the problem is that I can't figure out what's the right picture of the seatpost and it has the downside that the stem has negative angle and it's not reversible. I alse need a 20mm setback too.

And yes track drops are not a choice, they look nice but they have little to no room to put stuff on them.

You don't need to buy each item from the same brand, you can mix and match, with the only restriction being size compatibility.

@fizzy.bleach and I know that too, but for aehestetic reasons I would also like some uniformity if possible.

You can probably find what you want in Deda kit...

@fizzy.bleach yeah I saw them but the only one that I kind of liked was the zero1 which then resulted to be quite cheap. That's not the problem though, it's the fact that the stem shares the same problem with the vibe one and the dropbar is not linear like the vibe.

What do you mean by linear?

Linear as in constant or almost constant section, not sure how to describe it technically, using images, something like this as opposed to something like this

So for linear you mean that there isn't a sudden transiction from 31.8mm to 23.8mm? If you'd like to wrap your bars 1 inch from the stem clamp, don't bother, actually the "linear" PRO vibe bars that you linked are gonna look silly once wrapped, while the standard bars that you don't like will look alright.
Correct me if I didn't understand what you mean by linear.

@Breso yes, you got it right and no, the reason why I am looking for a liner one is because I need room for two lights, two bells and two brake levers... I am obsessed with symmetry unfortunately.

Hopefully you're not going to fit mtb levers on these drops! If lights take much space I would suggest two Cateye Rapid X2 or X3 on each fork blade, they are bright, battery last long and look great.

@Breso erm... maybe?! would you put road levers on a track/fixed bicycle? Also I don't really like road levers to be honest. Also they don't look too bad to they, although the second picture explains why I'd prefer a round bar rather than one with variable section?

getting ready to be punished

Another question is around the seatpost setback, the fitting says 20mm, and I was thinking if I get a 25mm setback seatpost I can always more the saddle 5mm forward right? Asking because that will obviously open up much more opportunities in terms of components I can choose from.

Handlebars went from 25.8/26mm clamping diameter to 31.8mm (oversized). The part where you put your hands on remained the same (23.8mm). So what you're showing in your pictures is old handlebar types (where the transition from 25.8/26mm to 23.8mm is less noticeable/more gradual vs new handlebar types, which have a larger diameter at the clamping area.

Also basically all handlebars are 'round' (have a round cross section), unless we're talking aerodynamic (wing shaped) bars.

I personally like the look of road style levers on a fixed gear bike, but that maybe due to me also liking road bikes. The hand position of the hoods alone makes it worth it for me. Up to personal preference as you say though.

@Tijs unless you get something like Thomson or that PRO Vibe I linked where clamping and bar diameter remains the same all the way to the drops. There are very few like that unless you go for proper track drops but you advised against them

unless you get something like Thomson or that PRO Vibe I linked where clamping and bar diameter remains the same all the way to the drops.

All the way till the drops. Agreed the tops stay the same diameter, but once they go around the corner the diameter changes.

And that would be fine, it's the bar area where I'd like to maximise the available space. Lots to think about. However @Breso recommendation on the rapid X3 changed things a bit. I didn't know cateye made a powerful version of the rapid, that changes a lot because I can get rid of the two Volt100 which are very bulky and take up most of the space on the bar. I could fit the rapid to either the fork or the drops at that point.

If you're going to ride your bike, fit some road levers, more hand positions and you'll be able to control the brakes in a more efficient way.
Consider as well that most drop handlebars have grooves for brake/gear cables, so filling them up will make them look "complete".
As you can see on the pictures that you posted (they are all cyclocross bikes) the cross-top levers are just an add-on.

Plus, if you consider placing lights on the drops (meaning not being able to place your hands on the ramps), are you sure you really need drop bars?

@Breso by the look of it the one I am looking at the moment, namely deda zero1 and fizik R5 seems to not have those, at least no visibly from the pictures. But I get your point, something to ponder on for sure.

And yes I see that it's not normal to have cross top levers but it was to say that they don't seem that bad to me, again it's pure personal preference. If it wasn't for the fact that it's illegal I probably wouldn't even bother to put brakes at all. Moreover I can only fit one brake on that frame but I'm plannnig to do a modification to pull one brake independently with two levers nonetheless.

By the way, thanks for the head up about the rapid x3, I'll definitely get those.

@Breso when I said putting light on the drop I meant in front, assuming I'm going to get a pair of front rapid X3, not sure if you visualise what I mean... just at the front, and that's also a place where I surely won't put my hands at night anyway.

@Tijs so fizik's cyrano line seems to the best solution so far until PRO comes back to me with some info. Fizik goes from 31.8mm for the clamp to 28.8mm for the top which is minimal. If I only could find the same details for other brands especially deda...