Frame Recommendations

The last couple of months I've been riding a lightish weight carbon fibre road bike, I was training for a sponsored ride down to Lands End and would just never have made it up the hills on a fixed and in the unlikely event that I had would have crippled my legs on the way down.

Anyway want to get back to commuting on a fixie but having been spoiled riding the Pedal Force can't face getting back on the Langster, I'm not knocking them but they're rather heavy.

I'm not trying to put together something super elegant and beautiful (though that would be nice) just something light and sprightly, problem is I've already spent way too much on bike projects this summer so need to do this fairly economically.

I’ve got a selection of spare bars/stems/seatposts and other bits of finishing kit to play with, a rather nice Profile carbon fork (with 1” steerer) and have some Miche track wheels I can use until I can build something more appropriate. So I need a frame, I’d prefer steel and double butted rather than straight gauge, I’m trying to keep this as light as possible.

An obvious choice is to go for one of Fuji’s steel track bikes, immediately swap out the fork and upgrade the other bits to lighter kit as I pick bits out of the spares box/find stuff I like. This begs the question how heavy is the base frame the Fuji is built up from? Anyone got any ideas? How would it compare to the frame of the Bianchi Pista or Lemond Fillmore or something like a Fixie Inc. Peacemaker or a Pake or an IRO?

I like the idea of a Soma Rush, but think it’ll be hard/expensive to find one this side of the Atlantic. I’ve thought about a Pake or an IRO but get the impression that they’re rather heavier than the Soma Rush or Fixie Inc. Peacemaker I’ve also been considering.

Anyone got any ideas about the relative weight of the Fuji frame or suggestions about any other frames I haven’t thought of? Thanks.

Argon 18 Electron

http://www.argon18bike.com/en/electron.htm

You will need to swap the fork if you want to run a front brake.

It looks gorgeous and would've expected it to cost more than the rrp of £549, but that's still more than I was aiming to spend on this particular project. I'd also be terrified of leaving it anywhere, even locked up, so would be problematic as a commuter. I want something sweet and lightweight but neither too expensive or too flash, may be an impossible combination to acheive. Thanks for the suggestion though.

So, you want it strong (steel) light and cheap.

As they say, strong, light, cheap - choose any two !

;)

Yeah, but I want all! And I want it know!! And I want it cheap!!!

polybikeuser Yeah, but I want all! And I want it know!! And I want it cheap!!!

And you shall have it all.

Strong, light and cheap = click!

OK, got it !

£450 squid including delivery (complete bike), lightweight (ish) at a claimed 20lb for the whole bike, but comes as a single speed not fixed (has a freewheel) but 5 minutes of welding at your local mechanic would solve that (!)

http://altabikes.no/

i just bought an iro frame to replace my eai barenuckle that got crash damaged. i havent tried it out yet but frame weight seems ok not as light as the eai and the forks are quite heavy.
but the price is good.

leeww OK, got it !

£450 squid including delivery (complete bike), lightweight (ish) at a claimed 20lb for the whole bike, but comes as a single speed not fixed (has a freewheel) but 5 minutes of welding at your local mechanic would solve that (!)

http://altabikes.no/

LOL, those things are a joke

billa i just bought an iro frame to replace my eai barenuckle that got crash damaged. i havent tried it out yet but frame weight seems ok not as light as the eai and the forks are quite heavy.
but the price is good.

ANOTHER broken 'knuckle!??

RPM [quote]LOL, those things are a joke

What's the deal, I don't know anything about them, are they badly made ?

you can get a soma frames from mosquito bikes up on essex road, islington,
rush is £360 assume thats frame and forks.
they also do the delancey, which has some really nice lugging and a slightly more relaxed riding position (so it says on the website)
not sure on how long you'd have to wait for delivery, give them a ring to find out when their next order is going through

http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/htdocs/soma.php?name=bikes#

how many have there been??

leeww [quote]RPM [quote]LOL, those things are a joke

What's the deal, I don't know anything about them, are they badly made ?[/quote]

we saw one in the flesh yesterday.

Ikea bike.

except not particularly cheap or useful

billa how many have there been??

your's,
Imoncrank's
LPG's

there's only mine and the smiling buddha's left, so far as I know (on this forum)

RPM we saw one in the flesh yesterday.

Ikea bike.

except not particularly cheap or useful

Oh go on !!! Spill the beans, what is it that is bad about them ?

Are they badly made ? Crap paint jobs ? Much heavier than the claimed 20lb ? Poor welds on the frame ?

Cheeeeeers.

Lee

didn't someone say a pompino frame is only a couple hundred notes. (£149)
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=5&MMN_position=4:4
the fuji track frame would be marginally lighter than the bianchi pista, as it has small tubing all the way around.

there is a nice half built track bike on ebay atm, £265 'buy it now' ?!!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Omega-track-frame-carbon-forks-165-cranks-tri-bars_W0QQitemZ110162382113QQihZ001QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Lee, re the altoid or whatever it's called:
I don't know about the weight, but the geometry and componentry isn't really serious (I would say in my opinion, but at least another five people all held similar views)

The bike is the product of the collaboration between graphic design, furnitue design and advertising agencies

other than that, go look at one, make up your own mind.

polybikeuser having been spoiled riding the Pedal Force

What are these like?

Soma Rush can be had from Mosquito Bikes for err.. £350 or so. 1" head tube, lightish, stiff, nice.

I don't quite understand the lightness thing.. for London commuting or are you elsewhere? There's no hills here.

leeww OK, got it !
£450 squid including delivery (complete bike), lightweight (ish) at a claimed 20lb for the whole bike, but comes as a single speed not fixed (has a freewheel) but 5 minutes of welding at your local mechanic would solve that (!)
http://altabikes.no/

Alu, bars as wide as a house, only available in 54cm and 58cm, advertised with a naked guy and it's going to get you more sh1t for being a bandwagon jumping poser than all the langsters put together! :)

RPM Lee, re the altoid or whatever it's called:
I don't know about the weight, but the geometry and componentry isn't really serious (I would say in my opinion, but at least another five people all held similar views).

I had a look at the website and I see your point, I love the way they describe the wheel set in such precise detail - "700x25" - and that's it !!

They don't bother with such details as what the hubs are, what the rims might be, the spokes, the cranks, the BB etc

Most probably a cheap frame, nicely painted with a heap of crap glued on by the looks of it.

:)

at least the langsters are actually designed by bicycle designers, with all the back-up and experience of a leading manufacturer.

the bloke in the advert has those big thighs because he has to walk up the stairs at the tube station (escalators always broken) every day. Cos that bike ain't gonna get ridden

I will give the Alta one vote: At least it's not another fscking sub-£100 dual-suspension "mountain" bike!

For 300 quid you can get a Bob Jackson, which are both pretty and fast.
http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=307

Really a lot depends on what you're after. There aren't that many off-the peg frames which are cheap and decent. Once you start worrying about the weight, well then the price starts rising.

The Langster is still going to be lighter than most cheap steel frames, so to get something lighter you'll be getting out of the cheap tubeset market and into the nice stuff (or dropping coin on components).

For the Rush/Fuji/Jackson money (esp if you just want a frame) then you could get something lovely 2nd hand, if you know what you're after.

In answer to Hippy the Pedal Force is just brilliant, it's a ZX3 and the first seriously exotic road bike I've ever put together and I'm astounded by what a difference it makes. First time I rode it into work instead of the (not particularly heavy) steel ribble I was commuting on at the time I literally cut my journey time by nearly 10 minutes. I used to get from Croydon to Trafalgar Square in 45 minutes, first day I used the Pedal Force made it in in 36 minutes, over the summer I was fairly consistently doing the journey in 30 minutes, I'm sure there are fitter speed merchants out there who could do it faster, but for me that was pretty impressive. In preparation for the ride to Lands End I did a lot of hill training around Dorking and again was quite surprised by just how stable and comfortable the bike was on fast steep descents.

I want to commute on a fixed again but having experienced what a difference a lighter bike makes and just how much more fun it is to ride I want to try and get that in my fixed ride as well.

Someone at work actually commutes in on one of those "fscking sub-£100 dual-suspension "mountain" bikes" I've told her it's more of a pogo-stick than a bike and she's gradually coming around, plan to put an old Raleigh Twenty together for her. While I’ll agree the Alta is better than one of these that’s not exactly a glowing recommendation, fraid I’m going with those that say it’s rather crap and will be steering well clear.

If the Fuji in standard form is just nominally lighter than the Langster I'm tempted to give it a whirl and lighten it up by rebuilding it using kit from my spare bits collection, I like that it doesn't come with brakes, so I can put a decent set on without having to chuck a brand pair of el cheapo ones.

If the Fuji is comparable in weight to the Langster (or heaven forbid heavier)then I'll probably steer clear and try something else. Thanks to everyone who's reminded me that Mosquito sell the Soma Rush, but with it selling for £360 I'm tempted to instead go for the Fixie Inc. Peacemaker from Hubjub for £295, just as long as it isn't (significantly)heavier. I like the lugged chrome fork this comes with, it'd suit another project I have in the pipeline. Also spoke to Cavendish Cycles, sounds like they've got some IRO Anguses (is that the plural of Angus?) on the way, that would fit the bill, except they don't take a rear brake and I still feel safer riding with one in town. Just to show how undecided I can be also thinking of going for an EAI Brass Knuckle, only problem is I think I'd have to get it sent over from the states as emailed Hubjub and they only import the Bare Knuckle. Again I'd have to make sure this frame was lighter than the Langster or I'd be wasting my time and money. I'll keep you posted with how this develops and post a picture in names and faces to bikes once it's done. Would still welcome suggestions about any frames/options I haven't thought of.