First fixed bike build thread - Help build my first singlespeed or fixed bike

hi everyone, im a brand new member as of 42 seconds ago.
i am building my first fixed gear bike ,and would love some advice .i have bought most parts ,and i am having a frame built by mercian.please excuse my lack of knowledge and bad grammer & spelling.anyway here i go .i have bought so far as follows.
campag record 170mm crankset
phil wood low flange hubs
phill wood sprocket
mavic open pro rims
continental gator skin tires
Crank Bros Egg Beater SL Clipless Pedals
i want to go sort of classic looking ,this is why i am having trouble deciding betwween old school style quill and eh the other type .threaded vs threadles i have learned.some have the opinion that i should go new school causes less probs apparently ,but i dont know .could someone please enlighten me on this topic this decision is what is stopping me giving mercian the go ahead.
plus im thinking olympic blue with white leather saddle and bar tape ,what do you think,cheers look forward to hearing from anyone kind enough to help.

the quill vs new school is my main issue at this point,what is the arguement,cheers.

i was thinking either brooks brown stuff with the olympic blue ,or white leather ?

That is a bit extravagant for your first fixie, mind you don't slam it into a wall or crumple your rims on potholes/bumps whilst learning to ride it.

I would build up a a beater and keep the Mercian for the weekend until you are comfortable riding fixed.

Phil Woods on your first fixie?! Blimey...!

If you're looking for a headset and you've spent that much already you could just get a Chris King fitted?

A big fat ABUS lock. gonna need it. Maybe 2.

yeah he'll never control a pair of phil wood hubs " as it is only his first fixie " far too much power he'll just spin out theres no way he'll manage to go round corners on phil woods they'll just make him look silly as he rides along
buy once and buy quality is the advice given in numerous threads on the forum
good on ya bicycle fibre get good bits and use them for years better than getting crap that needs replacing every 6mths
my first fixie had da's on open pro's on them and nobody told me off for using them !! a cannondale custom track frame nobody told me i was stupid cinelli alter stem i didn't get laughed at going down the street

sorry to repeat what everyone else has said but F**K thats alot of high end sh*t for your first fix.....a custom mercian!!! ahhhhh
im sorry im to jealous to continue:)

dicki yeah he'll never control a pair of phil wood hubs " as it is only his first fixie " far too much power he'll just spin out theres no way he'll manage to go round corners on phil woods they'll just make him look silly as he rides along
buy once and buy quality is the advice given in numerous threads on the forum
good on ya bicycle fibre get good bits and use them for years better than getting crap that needs replacing every 6mths

ohhhhh

I like you. You're as nuts as I am.

yeah...Big Up ya'self Bicycle Fibre.

go on......big ya'self up

I never said he shouldn't have them, but if he has never ridden fixed before it would be a shame if he trashed them climbing up the learning curve.

Save the nice bike for the weekend for the time being, look at the build list, doesn't look like money is an issue, build a beater up for £150.

get one like that.....i think they look great and would be in keeping with a vintage looking luged frame:)

Can you get threaded/quill inch and eighth stuff?
I'm guessing that is what the Mercian is?

if you have a threaded fork, there are adapters that are available to go between quill and threadless. so perhaps that's your best bet?

as for the cost of the first fixie, don't worry about it. it's your cash and you can do with it what you like.

Quill stems just look old school and are good if you like them for functionality get an ahead stem, mind you you could get a polished thomson and it would look quite new-old school.
Get in touch with Andy from fixedgear London, he'll lace you wheels and give you some good advice on the build. Mind you he'll probably tell you to go for a quill stem and risers.
The next dilemma would be the handlebrs , well everyone's going crazy for njs stuff.......deda handlebars are great ad come in a nice polished (heavy) steel. Bricklane bikes have some, but if you do want risers then they're not hard to find. That's the same for moustache and straight bars too.
Fizik bars tape in the right colour will still look very traditional and performs well.
You might have your mind set on a brooks swallow or something like that but, you might want to check out selle italia and san marco for proper vintage shaped seats. Concor, seems to be very popular at the moment.
Chris king headset seems a must since you're already spending a load of cash.
Ah, and thomson seatpost too.
You'd want to get 1/8 chainring and sprocket. I use dura ace sprocket.
Just a concern, have you ever ridden fixed before ? If not you might want to practice on a conversion, 'coz if you'll be riding fixed on a traditional track geometry in the Aldgate roundabout at 17:00 hrs you'll have a couple of problems. I had a ride on my steel road conversion the other day and couldn't believe the diffence. By the way, i'm not trying to patronize you just giving you useful advice.
Have fun at the build.

dont get risers on it.....keep it old skool!

Stef Just a concern, have you ever ridden fixed before ? If not you might want to practice on a conversion, 'coz if you'll be riding fixed on a traditional track geometry in the Aldgate roundabout at 17:00 hrs you'll have a couple of problems.

My point exactly, well put.

MA3K [quote]Stef Just a concern, have you ever ridden fixed before ? If not you might want to practice on a conversion, 'coz if you'll be riding fixed on a traditional track geometry in the Aldgate roundabout at 17:00 hrs you'll have a couple of problems.

My point exactly, well put.[/quote]

I hate to say it, but I agree....

dicki yeah he'll never control a pair of phil wood hubs " as it is only his first fixie " far too much power he'll just spin out theres no way he'll manage to go round corners on phil woods they'll just make him look silly as he rides along
buy once and buy quality is the advice given in numerous threads on the forum
good on ya bicycle fibre get good bits and use them for years better than getting crap that needs replacing every 6mths
my first fixie had da's on open pro's on them and nobody told me off for using them !! a cannondale custom track frame nobody told me i was stupid cinelli alter stem i didn't get laughed at going down the street

There's quality hubs, e.g. goldtec, that are half the price of Phil Woods. That was my point..!

i thank you all for speedy response and advice , this is my first fixie ,i have another bike with freewheel to ride whilst i get used to the fixed at weekends i will be carefull and i apreciate your concern.
as for the money side of things i won a court case against the bank for £2000 over bank charges and thought why not ,and have always been a firm believer in bye once and bye quality.
also i have heard that people have problems with old school quill in that water gets in there and causes problems when trying to remove ,also flexability.and who is chris king lol

Quill stems look so much better IMO - I have a Mercian being built right now, coming in August - And with their advice a chose a quill stem.... I can't remember their advice though - It was something along the lines of - with cartridge headsets you can have the ease of replacement and also the classic look. Threaded headsets are also easier to install.

im in edinburgh scotland fixie scene is non existant.