My Track Champion

Hey guys!

I'm in the process of building my first bike and have come with a build for around £700 and wanted your opinion on the different parts. Don't hesitate to suggest other parts if you think some are shit or could be replaced by something better in the same price range.

Dolan Track Champion : Frame + fork + seatpost + headset
Miche primato advance 49t (Crankset)
Deda zero1 stem
Deda Pista Dropbar
Saddle : something around £50
Shimano Dura Ace Track Single Sprockets
Wheelset (Miche pistard) to be changed to H+Son archetype as an upgrade

Thanks for your help!

What is the purpose of this bike?
If you're not track sprinting you'd be better off with deda RHM02's or 01's instead of the Pista's. If you're riding it on the street 90% of the time I definitely wouldn't run pista drops as they have limited hand positions.

Miche Pistard - again if you are riding on the street I would avoid as they are not designed to be ridden in bad (or any) weather. They retain a lot of water and don't have any drainage holes (that I have found) in the wheel to let the water out.

If budget is an issue - you can get a pair of wheels from V-sprint for around the same money (there is a special forum deal) or you could buy a Pre Cursa and spend the difference on a handbuilt set of wheels.

Don't skimp on the saddle, and buy something that fits, rather than something that looks nice - you will only end up doing it in the end anyway.

A lot of people will tell you that Primato's are crap - they are not. They are fine cranks (I have been training / racing on the track with them all season) but if you are paying near £100 for them and you see yoursefl replacing them in the next year then it might be worth looking at Sram Omniums, or if you can't afford them, the s300 are pretty good and share the GXP bb design (much easier to fit/maintain than the stupid miche one).

Cheers Dan!

I will mostly use this bike for commuting and then riding it for fun at night or in the weekends. So it will in fact be riding on the street 95% of the time and probably in pretty bad weather as it is London.

Saddle-wise do you have any advice on how to choose it?

If you go to a Specialized dealer they will have a gel pad thing that you sit on and it will record and imprint of your sit bones, measure that to get an idea of what width of saddle you are looking for. Larger shops like Condor will also have test saddles which they can lend you for a longer ride (just pay a deposit).
Unfortunately there is usually a fair bit of trial and error in saddle choice - something like a Specialized romin might be a good starting point as it has a channel in the middle and also comes in a range of sizes.