What are your thoughts on the brass knuckle frame as a first bike

hi i am looking at getting a brass knuckle frame as a first single speed frame-i like the over size alu frame/its within my budget. i also like the 2006 langster frame. i no its not steel/in keeping with the whole retro thing-but i was hoping your knowledge of bikes/frames on here might give me a better idea of things-thanks for your help to anyone that replys. steve

brass knuckles are fairly solid, inexpensive alu frames. The welding on them shows why it isn't as expensive as other frames, but honestly i've never heard any serious complaints about the brass knuckle. not too sure on the geometry though.

thanks for that, and your thoughts on the langster frame?

bare knuckles..

and that was from crashes.. nothing to do with the frames afaik

so are they an ok frame/better buy than a 2006 langster? thanks again for taking time to post :)

imo, the frame you start with will always be just that - a starting point. there are many schools of thought on where to go / how to begin, almost all of which ive been through or thought about;

1) buy a beater road frame of decent quality and build, and learn the old fashioned way on how to convert / build a fixed;

2) get the brass knuckle / langster / plug / off-the-shelf-fixed (OTSF), and learn vicariously, perhaps accumulating bits n bobs till you have enough to build an entire separate bicycle of all solid parts;

3) get the OTSF, and be happy with it forever. (this last option, sadly, requires not really looking into why certain metals and composites might be best for this and that, or why certain vintages of frames are better than others, or why blah blah blah blah - basically it requires you to be satiated by your initial purchase and not to get geeky about things. that said - and based on the self evident fact that youve registered on this forum - your probly going to head into 'prime-geek' territory, which means you may "out grow" your OTSF sooner than expected. for nearly a year, my ex's langster did her well - until she started really looking into fixedgeargallery, noticing lug work, admiring paint jobs, etc, and now she's pining away about her next frame...)

hope that helps a bit...

carlitos imo, the frame you start with will always be just that - a starting point. there are many schools of thought on where to go / how to begin, almost all of which ive been through or thought about;

1) buy a beater road frame of decent quality and build, and learn the old fashioned way on how to convert / build a fixed;

2) get the brass knuckle / langster / plug / off-the-shelf-fixed (OTSF), and learn vicariously, perhaps accumulating bits n bobs till you have enough to build an entire separate bicycle of all solid parts;

3) get the OTSF, and be happy with it forever. (this last option, sadly, requires not really looking into why certain metals and composites might be best for this and that, or why certain vintages of frames are better than others, or why blah blah blah blah - basically it requires you to be satiated by your initial purchase and not to get geeky about things. that said - and based on the self evident fact that youve registered on this forum - your probly going to head into 'prime-geek' territory, which means you may "out grow" your OTSF sooner than expected. for nearly a year, my ex's langster did her well - until she started really looking into fixedgeargallery, noticing lug work, admiring paint jobs, etc, and now she's pining away about her next frame...)

hope that helps a bit...

thats it, spot on!

thanks alot for that reply!!!! super long/good info. i have always loved the single speed 'simple/pure look' . my friend is very very much into bikes and is always pushing me towards lug work,steel frames etc etc,but to be fair i love the smooth simple/over size frames and for some reason the bare knuckle floats my boat-i have ridden a condor,langster and a dolan so far. i think your right-in that i will upgrade over time-but i just need a fixed wheel bike asap-as i rode one the other weekend and just loved it!!! -tho i walked like john wayne when i got off it -thinking i should be putting pressure to slow down! lol :)

i do like looking at some of the gallerys of the full on courier types- wild wild bunch of guys/girls :)

thanks again for all your comments

I'm sure the brassknuckle is a really nice bike.. I think it'd be even nicer with a carbon fork.

Good luck!

while i am getting so many replys-whats the deal with a straight fork,curved fork,carbon,alu. i take its to do witha number of factors ,response,road transfer. any advice? thanks

i went with option 2. then learned everything option 3 requires not learning. now i'm saving up my money so that option 2 is my every day bike, and then i'll be buying a really nice velodrome-only bike. i also went with option 1 with a frame i found in a dumpster and that will be my rainy day/32mm tires/fuck i dont want to ride my bike in a boston winter but need to bike

teamrod while i am getting so many replys-whats the deal with a straight fork,curved fork,carbon,alu. i take its to do witha number of factors ,response,road transfer. any advice? thanks

straight fork vs fork with rake depends a lot on head tube angle, size of the tires, what you're using the bike for, worrying about toe overlap, how it handles, etc.

carbon on the streets...people have done it but i don't think its the best idea. alu and steel are just fine for streets. a lot has to do with stiffness, and unless you're a really big guy or racing on the bike, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

Bazikly, a straight fork will help with quick acceleration, and will make the bike feel twitchier. A curved fork will make it feel more stable, and also generally more comfortable in London.

I say get a carbon fork because an alu frame/fork will make the road feel a little jarry. Carbon will help absorb a lot of bad road, and its also light.

kilgore_trout i went with option 2. then learned everything option 3 requires not learning. now i'm saving up my money so that option 2 is my every day bike, and then i'll be buying a really nice velodrome-only bike. i also went with option 1 with a frame i found in a dumpster and that will be my rainy day/32mm tires/fuck i dont want to ride my bike in a boston winter but need to bike

I thought you were gonna be a climber ..?

thanks for that-i plan on just using it for street use/comut. what size tire widths do you run on the streets? i see there a few widths/are those armodilo ones any good/what width is a good size to go for? sorry if i am asking silly questions-just seems like a good site to learn quickly from you guys/experience.

Armadillos are my favourites, i use 700x23C (which is quite thin). Tbh, what with winter approaching (it's 0 deg. already!), i reckon a 700x28C tyre would be really nice and would also suit the brassknuckle geometry better.

For speed, go for a thinner tyre. For comfort, go for a fatter tyre.

lpg Armadillos are my favourites, i use 700x23C (which is quite thin). Tbh, what with winter approaching (it's 0 deg. already!), i reckon a 700x28C tyre would be really nice and would also suit the brassknuckle geometry better.

For speed, go for a thinner tyre. For comfort, go for a fatter tyre.

18mm or death!

and on the road i'd like to be a decent climber because, atleast at the colligate level in the US its climbing that wins road races. though primarily i do track racing, and absolutely love it.

thanks buddy, ok one last thing-gearing,whats a good starting ratio for front and back-i will mainly be riding flat and its my first time owning a fixed wheel if that makes a difference at all. just copy the gearing of a 'off-the-shelf-fixed '?

cheers for all the help-halfords cycle experts seem to offer little help !! lol :)

On the front, no of chainring teeth somewhere in the early 40's. For the back, 16-19. Just an average, if its your first bike dont worry 2 much.

18mm? I'm tempted!

I appreciate that you have already said why you are thinking about an alu frame, but I can't resist...

... are you sure you don't want a steel frame instead? They're just so much better for an urban fixie. Maybe just try one from your LBS to see.

i just hate the way they look/to thin and i don't the lug work on some-but i totally agreed with the fact steel is such a durable material. but i just can't come to like the thinner look-maybe in time when i realise how right you are.

lpg On the front, no of chainring teeth somewhere in the early 40's. For the back, 16-19. Just an average, if its your first bike dont worry 2 much.

18mm? I'm tempted!

oh man, 18mm slicks when its raining out it feels like you're flying! (until you have to turn. and then you're just fuct)

i'm sure the words 'brass knuckle' and catastrophic frame failure' were appearing in the same thread some time ago. they look 'ok'.

teamrod i just hate the way they look/to thin and i don't the lug work on some-but i totally agreed with the fact steel is such a durable material. but i just can't come to like the thinner look-maybe in time when i realise how right you are.

I am a big alu fan, most here espouse the virtues of steel and to be honest steel does feel great, but I just love how a good stiff alu frame feels, it just feels lighter and sharper.

The thing is - with steel - pretty much all frames even cheapo ones give a great ride, but with alu only the better frames give a good ride.

a good starter frame is the IRO mark V. decently cheap, generally around 180, and it's steel, but it has teardrop shaped tubing so it is more rigid than a standard round tubed steel frame, but not quite as rigid as aluminum. and they're tough as hell, plus they come with a good warranty in which if the frame become unrideable for any reason, IRO will replace it at half price for you. it has better welds than the bareknuckle, looks and rides better than the langster, and is infinitely more reliable than the brassknuckle. back in boston (US), they were by far the most popular basic frame around, and they're good enough that when people got really into the whole fixed thing, they'd keep the frame and just upgrade their parts. i've got one and it's simply a fun bike to ride. iro's site... good luck with your decision.

I've got one of the original langsters and i really like it. I've never seen another one -plenty of the gothic graphiced later one and all the new ones - when i'm out and about. I really like aly. I've had ally bikes for at least 10 years and i really like the light stiff feel you get and i'm with you on the aesthetics of the fatter tube - especially if you need a larger frame like me.

I'd just get what you fancy. get a second hand one if you can and if you don't like it just sell it and try something else. You won't lose any money.

I'm planning a new one for next summer though. For the frame I'm thinking a bianchi pista concept if i can get a hold of one. Or a colnago - but that's probably not that realistic...