Fixed Bits Recommendations?

So, I've got this custom ti Setavento frame on order, it's going to be
my attempt at buying a sports car to prevent encroaching middle age etc.
so I want it to be a real thing of beauty. It's being made with 120mm
OLN spacing and will be for road use, not track riding so water ingress
is a potential issue.

I'm after recommendations for high end, drool-worthy bits to add to
frame. In Bicycle Doctor this afternoon, I was told of the "fair few"
problems they have seen with Miche track hubs being used on the road
(split flanges are apparently common). They thought it may be something
to do with having brakes used with them.

So I need hubs and chainset ideas, so far I'm considering Ambrosio Pista
track chainset, Goldtec hubs, not sure about rims yet but Ambrosio
come highly praised by Paul Hewitt...

All suggestions for road-worthy track bits gratefully accepted.

bfn,

Tony B

Tony B wrote:
So, I've got this custom ti Setavento frame on order, it's going to be
my attempt at buying a sports car to prevent encroaching middle age etc.
so I want it to be a real thing of beauty. It's being made with 120mm
OLN spacing and will be for road use, not track riding so water ingress
is a potential issue.

I'm after recommendations for high end, drool-worthy bits to add to
frame. In Bicycle Doctor this afternoon, I was told of the "fair few"
problems they have seen with Miche track hubs being used on the road
(split flanges are apparently common). They thought it may be something
to do with having brakes used with them.

So I need hubs and chainset ideas, so far I'm considering Ambrosio Pista
track chainset, Goldtec hubs, not sure about rims yet but Ambrosio come
highly praised by Paul Hewitt...

All suggestions for road-worthy track bits gratefully accepted.

bfn,

Tony B

Take a look at Hubjub. Are you having brakes on this bike then ?

Tony B wrote:
So, I've got this custom ti Setavento frame on order, it's going to be
my attempt at buying a sports car to prevent encroaching middle age etc.
so I want it to be a real thing of beauty. It's being made with 120mm
OLN spacing and will be for road use, not track riding so water ingress
is a potential issue.

I'm after recommendations for high end, drool-worthy bits to add to
frame. In Bicycle Doctor this afternoon, I was told of the "fair few"
problems they have seen with Miche track hubs being used on the road
(split flanges are apparently common). They thought it may be something
to do with having brakes used with them.

So I need hubs and chainset ideas, so far I'm considering Ambrosio Pista
track chainset, Goldtec hubs, not sure about rims yet but Ambrosio come
highly praised by Paul Hewitt...

All suggestions for road-worthy track bits gratefully accepted.

Goldtec hubs (buy direct from www.betd.co.uk), TA Alize Track chainset
and a 103mm TA Axix BB will all line up perfectly and the Goldtecs have
wider (and therefore stronger) flange spacing than "proper" track kit.
They are also weatherproof and even warranted for off-road fixed,
whereas Dura-Ace hubs have no sealing. My bike (before the addition of
a Goldtec front hub, carbon forks, A-head stem and flam blue respray) is
halfway down the page at
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005...date/mar26.htm.

The nicest sprockets are EAI (from Hubjub - they really are noticeably
quieter-running and better made than Dura-Ace) and TA make excellent
1/8" track chainrings with no unnecessary cutouts or ramps. I use
standard black SRAM PC-1 chains, but a PC-7X would look a bit more "bling".

For a front brake you can't go wrong with a Shimano or Campag
dual-pivot. I happened to have a 105 front caliper in the bits box.
You only need a rear brake if you live in a very hilly area - so you can
have a vital extra heatsink on descents - or if you ever intend to use a
freewheel.

The cowhorns and Dia-Compe 188 brake lever avoid the "what to rest the
left hand on" problem. An alternative is normal drops and a dummy brake
lever, but it adds weight and doesn't look good. You have to buy the
levers in pairs but you can sell the LH lever on eBay; it will work on
the RH anyway as there's only a tiny difference in cable routing.

Fixed is 50% about posing, so choose carefully!

Tony B wrote:

So I need hubs and chainset ideas, so far I'm considering Ambrosio
Pista track chainset, Goldtec hubs, not sure about rims yet but
Ambrosio come highly praised by Paul Hewitt...


I've had a goldtec hub fall apart at the flange after a few thousand miles.

http://jinkas.blogspot.com/2005/09/p...ldtec-hub.html

After looking at the hub, it seamed that:

The hub was machined down from a solid lump, not forged.

The spokes had not managed to squash out their own little dimples where the
bend presses on the flange like they usually do. Also the spoke holes were
not radised as one might hope.

I had a lot of spokes break on this hub.

I suspect that the hub it made out of solid bar. The allow used was hard but
not tough.

I contacted Goldtec who told me that I had built it to tight and that it was
a track hub and not really designed for road use, but they would do me a new
shell for 20 quid.

I replaced it with a double fixed hub from one-on, which has survived the
past few months and seams to have slightly thicker flanges that are just
soft enough to support the spokes.




--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

Andy Morris wrote:

I suspect that the hub it made out of solid bar. The allow used was hard but
not tough.

I contacted Goldtec who told me that I had built it to tight and that it was
a track hub and not really designed for road use, but they would do me a new
shell for 20 quid.

I replaced it with a double fixed hub from one-on, which has survived the
past few months and seams to have slightly thicker flanges that are just
soft enough to support the spokes.

I believe that the Goldtec hubs are machined from billet, not forged.
Only very large scale manufacturers can justify the cost of forging.
Reports of Goldtec failures are very rare though, and the main market is
couriers so I'm surprised by their comments. Out of interest, what
spoke pattern did you use? I wanted to do mine 2x because of the large
flanges, but couldn't get the right length spokes anywhere so had to go
3x. Hub flange failure is incredibly rare except with radial spoking.

Andy Morris wrote:

I've had a goldtec hub fall apart at the flange after a few thousand miles.

http://jinkas.blogspot.com/2005/09/p...ldtec-hub.html

After looking at the hub, it seamed that:

The hub was machined down from a solid lump, not forged.


Machined hubs are much more prone to failure than forged.
http://sheldonbrown.com/dp-forging.html


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Zog The Undeniable wrote:

I believe that the Goldtec hubs are machined from billet, not forged.
Only very large scale manufacturers can justify the cost of forging.
Reports of Goldtec failures are very rare though, and the main market
is couriers so I'm surprised by their comments. Out of interest, what
spoke pattern did you use? I wanted to do mine 2x because of the
large flanges, but couldn't get the right length spokes anywhere so
had to go 3x. Hub flange failure is incredibly rare except with
radial spoking.

3X

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

MSeries wrote:

Take a look at Hubjub. Are you having brakes on this bike then ?

yeah, deffo a front and (whisper it) maybe a rear too as I'm a bit
scared (although hoping to remain un-scarred, at least no more scarred
than at present). I appreciate this is a proper cop out and I should be
out there sans freins and experiencing the "full flavor and beauty of
fixed-gear riding" to coin a phrase. But there you go...

Many thanks for the hubjub tip, looks like a great resource for fixed stuff.

see you tomorrow then,

Tony B

Tony B wrote:
MSeries wrote:

Take a look at Hubjub. Are you having brakes on this bike then ?

yeah, deffo a front and (whisper it) maybe a rear too as I'm a bit
scared (although hoping to remain un-scarred, at least no more scarred
than at present). I appreciate this is a proper cop out and I should be
out there sans freins and experiencing the "full flavor and beauty of
fixed-gear riding" to coin a phrase. But there you go...

Many thanks for the hubjub tip, looks like a great resource for fixed
stuff.

see you tomorrow then,

Tony B


The Black Witch (thats my fixed) has a rear brake but I do have a hill
to descend that is 1.1 miles long and is quite fast, with my 58" gear I
can't pedal fast enough nor retard it for that long.