I just bought an 80s Alan pista frame and plan on building it out over the next few months.
The goal is to use it as road bike for some longer rides in NYC (30-40 mile rides.) Is there anything worth “splurging” on right off the bat? Any components worth “saving” on?
I was thinking about investing in a nicer wheel set. Any recommendations for this type of city riding?
by Emotional-Buddy9998
15 Comments
Very interesting dropouts. Cool lugs.
I’ve always felt that the first thing that needs attention is hub and bottom bracket, specifically bearing quality. When those are smooth it can make a 70’s high ten Schwinn feel great 🙂
So, nice wheelset with nice hubs, and a nice BB.
A wise man once told me ‘spend money on things that turn’. Bottom bracket and hubs, all day, and not too cheap pedals…
Folks will say to splurge on the headset but I think that’s overkill for a first build. Save the splurging for the drivetrain. Cheapo bars and stem are going to be fine. I’ve been loving my wabi bullhorns which were $25 new. I’d recommend flatbar levers for city riding as being on the horns isn’t always ideal in city riding. But it’s nice to stretch out on longer rides. You can get bars, stem and headset on Wabi cycles website for pretty cheap.
I just got the wabi sub 15 wheels and they’re nice and light. You don’t want to go bombing off curbs with them though.
Been riding with mks gr9 pedals and all city plastic cages for like 10 years now so I don’t know anything else.
Same for charge spoon saddle. I’ve tried 3 different brooks saddles and they just aren’t made for me. The charge is perfect though and not expensive compared to brooks.
White industries hub because bzzzzzzzzzzzz
I’d say hubs and bb. Everything else even second use can be found at a decent price for decent components. I’ll add a good saddle that is comfortable for you catered to your needs. Brooks is good but not for everyone as people do like some more padding many times.
Bottom bracket and nice wheels with good hubs. For wheels i personally think high quality aluminum hoops are fine, carbon is lighter but i worry about longevity with carbon. My line of thought with road bike wheels is usually lightweight rides great, i love the way light wheels handle.
If you really want to splurge on hubs, paul components make great stuff.
And i have liked the white industries parts ive ridden, though ive never owned any.
Tires
For longer rides in an urban environment, you might want to pick a wheelset that’ll let you go tubeless, even if you choose to stick with tubes it’ll be good to have the option. I picked a set with Velocity A23 rims for a similar build and I’ve been happy with them. Hubs don’t matter that much, just get whatever’s available that fits the build and uses cartridge bearings rather than cup & cone.
I always spend up on tires, though you don’t need to pay a ton to get something quite good these days. Good tires last longer than cheap ones and perform better / feel better the whole time. tons of good options out there – I’ve had good experiences wtih Zaffiro Pro G2.0’s and GoodYear EagleSports recently for a similar type of riding.
After those I prioritize my contact points; bars, tape, brake levers, saddle, pedals. But I’d refrain from buying anything super expensive until you’ve played around with some options and figured out what you like most on the bike.
Wheelset.
I was gonna say powedercoating but that frame…wow. it would be a sin to cover that up so..saddle is a good item to splurge on, or bottom bracket. Smooth like butter.
Wheels for sure
Before you splurge, be sure to measure your dropouts and get the correct spaced rear hub. I suspect this may be 126mm spaced.
No room for flexing a glued together aluminum frame
If you want speed, then sure, things that turn, especially wheels. Comfort and control, then your contact points, saddle, pedals and bar. All that said, dialing in fit without obsessing about the lightest-brand name parts would be my focus. Then there’s aesthetics because that frame deserves attention.
It’s definitely not a pista as it has forward facing dropouts with a derailleur hanger and downtube shifter bosses. That said it is a really cool frame, if quite flexy due to it being small diameter aluminium tubes (later aluminium bikes use much larger section tubes to increase stiffness). The tubes on these are bonded (‘glued’ in normal people talk) into the lungs, but aren’t as notorious for coming loose as some other bonded alu frames because these are also screwed. They do often fail around the headtube though, so have a very thorough look around where the headset cups go into the frame and make sure there are no cracks. Splurging… Idk. Just don’t choose the absolute cheapest crap you can find and it’ll all add up quickly enough, even if you don’t choose fancy boutique parts. I can see a vintage inspired build with some Mavic CXP30 turning out really cool.
Sealed bottom bracket
Sealed bearing hubs
The rest is honestly whatever. I wouldn’t spend boocoo money on a saddle that might be uncomfortable, or never break in.
No need for expensive brake calipers, but some pads will do you well, like Kool Stop Salmons, which are cartridge pads, so you just remove the pad material and replace it. I have a Tiagra and Deore on mine, it stops no better than my roadbike with Origin8s on it. Slap those or Tektros and call it a day.
As far as bartape goes, there are cheaper alternatives to LizardSkin and Supercaz. Just don’t get foam bartape. If you’re going with drops, bull or pursuit bars. If not; grips are grips, Ouries will get sticky over time. But get some expanding bar ends versus the basic ass plugs, if bar ends are needed.
Really the only reason to really splurge on a headset is if the current one is shit, and it’s a color you want. Let’s face it, a lot of bike parts are about looks. If there’s a sealed bearing one that basically relieves another part of maintenance… why not?
Pedals, man get some twenty buck Stolens, or something.
Even though they aren’t needed, I would go with Jagwire cable housings, they’re worth more than what you’ll actually spend. Don’t need to splurge on brake levers either, just make sure they’re alloy. I personally like bmx levers for my standard bar bikes.
Tires are… well… that’s always a debate. I’ve had gatorskins, CSTs, Kendas, FlakJackets. I’ve seen little difference, other than flat resistance, but they all get a flat eventually.
I do advise some sort of bolt-on or locking wheel hub versus quick release.