Nice Winter/Everyday Commuter Bike

After last winter i vowed that before the weather turned horrible again I would have something a bit more sensible than a brakeless track bike to commute on.

I have been thinking about what this might be for a while, and i have a short brief of what i want:

• SS or fixed gearing (because i'm too lazy to mess about with gears)
  
• clearance for mudguards and tyres of a decent size e.g. 32c.
  
• front and rear brakes
  I think that's all i need if i'm honest.
  
  

I was at first tempted by something like a Tokyo Fixed dream machine, and I even considered a Dart, especially when they were selling off the old ones cheap. Most recently though i have been looking at SSCX bikes (know it is a bit of a cliche on this forum now). Up until last week I really wanted a nature boy, but I had to scratch that idea when i was told there are no more nature boy frames left in the UK in my size (49cm).

The next obvious choice is a Pompino, but i am really torn between the Pompino and Pompetamine. If i was buying everything from scratch i would go for the Pometamine, but i have a wheel set which would probably be perfect for a Pompino build. The wheel set is Phil Wood laced A23 NMSW.

Feedback would be great.
Should i sell the wheels and go for a Pompetamine?
Or keep the wheels (assuming the NMSW is fine to brake on) and get a Pompino?
Or....?

Anyway here are some pics which have given me some inspiration.

I change my mind daily, so any advice to help would be much appreciated!

Bang for your buck and all round practicality it's hard to beat the Pompino and / or Pompetamine.

I'd say get a Pompetamine because discs are better and if you use drops more and more hydraulic drop bar options will come available. If you use risers then full disc brake set ups are pretty cheap. You should be able to sell a Phil/A23 wheelset in good condition for a decent amount. Or at least enough to fund a basic but decent disc wheelset.

If you did want to use the existing wheelset, get a Pompetamine and a standard Pomp fork and ride fixed with no rear brake. Then upgrade to a carbon disc fork later down the road.

If it was me I'd go for cable discs, bb7's, for a winter bike

Great idea for a really useable bike though

subbed.

I'm doing the exact same thing and I am also torn between Pompino and Pompetamine. I cant decide between singlespeed and fixed.

Thanks all for the help. :)

Bang for your buck and all round practicality it's hard to beat the Pompino and / or Pompetamine.

I'd say get a Pompetamine because discs are better and if you use drops more and more hydraulic drop bar options will come available. If you use risers then full disc brake set ups are pretty cheap. You should be able to sell a Phil/A23 wheelset in good condition for a decent amount. Or at least enough to fund a basic but decent disc wheelset.

If you did want to use the existing wheelset, get a Pompetamine and a standard Pomp fork and ride fixed with no rear brake. Then upgrade to a carbon disc fork later down the road.

Yes, you are right. I would prefer the Pompetamine really, it's my laziness in not wanting to sell my current wheels swaying my decision. I think I will get them up for sale over the weekend.

I was intending to run drop bars, and most likely something like BB7's which in future could easily be upgraded to hydraulic brakes. It might be a good idea to hang on anyway seeing as there are a few teething problems with the new TRP hydro brakes.

I had considered one of the ebay carbon cx frames, but seeing as it will be locked up and used daily, steel makes more sense to me.

subbed.

I'm doing the exact same thing and I am also torn between Pompino and Pompetamine. I cant decide between singlespeed and fixed.

You could run fixed on a Pompetamine by using a disc mounted cog, so either could work for you.

Very tempted to to go and order the frame... Update soon.

there is this cx geekhouse on ebay which is 52, your size?

there is this cx geekhouse on ebay which is 52, your size?

Yeah man that's my size! I will check it out now.

EDIT: I cant find it. Can you link me please mate?

I found it. It is really nice, well out of budget though, and canti's not disc. Thanks anyway. :)

Pompetamine frame and forks ordered in white! Excited to get this started now, i already have a few bits lined up for this. Update tomorrow.

i use the pomp, most budget wheels in the universe (my first ever fixed gear wheelset) 38c cx tyres, px cantis and the cheapest freewheel i can find. its bulletproof!

That sounds good, I'm trying to build this with a decent spec, but not so good that it pains me to use it properly.

Also the frame and fork arrived yesterday, very pleased with it. Pictures to follow.

I have been collecting bits for the last week or so, and digging around to decide what to spec.

I have the frame and forks now, and i popped over to the bike shop on friday to get the headset pressed. I've had this Pewter Chris King for probably 3 years in my parts bin, pleased i have finally found a new home for it!

Some parts have been collected from the parts bin, some robbed from the Vivalo i am selling, and some new.
Parts I already had:

• Black Thomson Elite seat post
  
• Flite Ti saddle
  
• Deda 90mm stem ( this will be used to set up and later replaced with a thomson)
  
• Time Atac roc pedals
  
  

Parts I have bought:

• Avid BB7 MTB brakes with 160mm rotors
  
• Sram S500 levers
  
• Brake cables and housings.
  
  
  
  

Next up are the wheels, I bought the hubs today and the rims are on the way, I will reveal all soon...

I also bought some SKS Thermoplastic guards, i went for the up to 28c versions as i intend to run 28c tyres on the road. If/when i go off road the guards will be off anyway and i will have the room for bigger tyres.

Tyre suggestions welcome.

George this is gonna be rad!

Thanks Jake, I hope.. so. I will try not to get impatient and rush it! I need a 'to buy' list.

I really like the idea of this.

I've currently got a Felt Despatch for road/commuting duties, and a Specialized Centrum SS for offroad. Having both these bikes in a first floor flat is not ideal.

This seems like the ultimate all in one. I could then just have 2 different sets of wheels for different duties instead of 2 different bikes.

I really fancy building a new bike (on a budget) and reducing down to one would go down well with the Mrs.

In the end I got a bit impatient with the whole build and just got on with it whenever i had the chance, hence the lack of updates. I finished it earlier on this week and have been riding it to work since. Its taken a bit of getting used to compared to riding around on a brake less track bike, but its a lot more relaxed, i'm really pleased with it.

I will write up a spec later, the only thing i think i might change is the stem, probably to a Thomson. Other than that it will probably stay the same, I will take a few close up pics of it later on too.

Cheers, George/

Nice, looks good(,) and functional. What gear ratio are you running?

Secu-clips for your front mudguard might be a reasonable safey investment to avoid face/tarmac intimacy. If you also use them for your back mudguard it makes it easier to get your rear wheel out too.

Thanks, I'm using 39-16 IIRC, quite spinny for the road, but i'm getting used to it.
I did get those clips with the guards, but i didn't think they would be necessary, I shall fit them later! Thanks.

Thanks, I'm using 39-16 IIRC, quite spinny for the road, but i'm getting used to it.
I did get those clips with the guards, but i didn't think they would be necessary, I shall fit them later! Thanks.

Still a bigger gear than me (42x18)!

The secu-clips don't seem necessary but a bit of googling reveals horror stories of people who don't have them coming a cropper. Apparently if something big gets stuck in your tyre and hits the back of the mudguard it causes the front wheel to stop pretty much instantly, sometimes by crumpling the mudguard up and jamming it between the fork and tyre. The secu-clips allow the mudguard to break away, preventing this from happening. I think it's pretty rare, but worth the trouble of fitting them. Putting them on the rear isn't necessary, since rear-wheel lockups are not a massive issue, but apparently it is useful for getting your rear wheel out easily in case of a puncture.

Nice bike!
Black TB14s and Paselas are for winners.

How are you finding MTB BB7's with the road levers?

Thanks Mr B , yeah very comfy combo, I think it was your pomp that convinced me to go for tb14s.

Dammit, I have found them to be ok so far, they need a bit of fine tuning now that I have run them in. The cable pull seems fine too, but it may benefit from the use of a travel agent, although I'm not sure it is necessary.

Apparently if something big gets stuck in your tyre and hits the back of the mudguard it causes the front wheel to stop pretty much instantly

This pretty much happened to me but I had the sks guards with a quick release built into them so the guard did pop off. I still stacked but was pretty much stopped by then so no harm done... definitely a worthy investment!

The cable pull seems fine too, but it may benefit from the use of a travel agent, although I'm not sure it is necessary.

Are you sure they're MTB BB7? it sound like they're Road version.

Travel Agent are necessary with MTB BB7, especially with SRAM.

Are you sure they're MTB BB7? it sound like they're Road version.

Travel Agent are necessary with MTB BB7, especially with SRAM.

I know this is a late reply but i only just found your comment Ed. They are definitely the mtb version. I adjusted them again the other night and they are running spot on, they have a really good bite to them and the cable pull seems fine.

Out of interest though, is the cable pull longer for mtb or road?