@Gwynna - Yes. Buy Chris Yack's wheels. It has an eccentric rear hub, which means you can tension a single-speed chain with vertical dropouts like you'd find on a randonneur.

Whitey is very wise....

Actually, my post is a complete non sequitur. I didn't read carefully enough. I apologize to everyone involved. I will now do the honorable thing and commit a humble forum seppuku and off-topic my own post.

thanks Whitey...but punishment must be meted out...

FYI....Van Dessel appears ready to relaunch the Hellafaster !!!! and this one is made state side by Zen Bicycle Fabrication.....GOOD LORD !!!!!!!!

@Yacks - more pics here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.613215995380662.1073741838.201329869902612&type=1

OMG...American made aluminum...and made well it seems.  Jim Nelson are you seeing this?

Oh, I see it alright.

Gwynna Smith said:

Wait, can someone translate that into something I can understand? I haz confoozed...

If it's a fixie, it already has the right wheels, right? I mean, maybe not super light/aero race wheels, but functional, yes?

Yup, as long as it's a fixed gear bike you can technically race on it on the track.  Just make sure the wheels are bolt-ons and not quick release.

Oh....check this out.....

I wonder if they have chance cards like..."200 ml blood bag = take 30 seconds off your G.C. time"  and  "Failed doping control for Clenbuterol...You are out of the Tour"   that would be HOT !!! (and authentic)

twoyacks said:

OMG...American made aluminum...and made well it seems.  Jim Nelson are you seeing this?

I want one real bad once my American made Caad9 kicks the bucket. 

FYI, if you're willing to have someone build them into wheels, we do get a discount on Reynolds rims through Ride.  I was pricing some things out today.

Or you can just buy brand spanking new full Reynolds wheels for crazy fucking cheap (40% off) at Ride and that would be the end of it.... or go ahead and try to build your own. See how that goes. What could go wrong? Why not try to find some NOS Roval hubs while you're at it.

I am lacing my Yacksbane hubs to some Reynolds rims right now, Vlad.  Thank you for the suggestion.

Baking bread? It's more like defending yourself in court. You know that analog right?

vlad said:

Baking bread? It's more like defending yourself in court. You know that analog right?

well said, sir!

Why don't you bake some blue meth instead...

i just discovered i can program intervals AT CERTAIN HEART RATES!!!! into my garmin.  this is life altering.  no knead to bake bread or meth now.  natural high, here i come!

As I'm replacing my Zipp 404s Firecrest clinchers from my crash with their decent crash replacement policy I may have the possibility of getting tubulars instead. I train and race these all season long except in the winter and sometimes at Floyd when I switch out for my low end Fulcrums. Knowing this is there any major advantage to going with tubulars instead of clinchers? I like the ease of changing flats when I train.

I love how my tubulars feel...and they are race day only wheels.  It would be nice to have carbon rims for year round training though... You can find a set of carbon tubulars for race day cheap ($400).  If u like training on carbon wheels...go with the clinchers.

Tubulars are lighter. Tubulars are less prone to pinch flats. A quality tubular provides a wonderful ride quality.

Changing a tubular out training is no more problematic than a clincher. In fact with practice it is possible it fit a replacement tub more quickly.

If you carry a replacement tub with you that is heavier than a spare tube. However you can take a sealant like caffelatex which is light - if you care at all about weight.
If you do put on a spare tub in the event of puncture while out training - this is OK to complete the ride - but you cannot then race on it. You need to do a proper glue job.
Gluing tubs is not difficult, but it does take time to do the job properly. Installing a new clincher is much faster.
A quality tubular is $80-$100.

My head tells me that clinchers make more sense, but I've ridden tubs for 30 years so I still train on them (except in winter).

@Jeff Tubulars are more expensive (~100 bucks each) and unless you have the time/patience you'll end up paying Murray at RB to glue them on.  He does an awesome job though.

My feeling is clinchers for races you ride to, tubulars for races you drive to.

Jeff there is an intangible quality to tubulars...Swapping out the break pads for carbon rims takes about 1 minute per wheel fyi.   I really enjoy taking my tubulars out of their wheel bags on a Friday night before a weekend race.  Makes me giddy in fact.  I am on Neuvation's that are about 5 or 6 six years old now so they are no great shakes...Before these wheels I had never had "race day only" wheels.  I would recommend getting a set of race day carbon tubulars...I just "feel" faster on them.  Since I only ride them during races...it makes getting up at 4:45 a.m. a little more palatable.  I suppose you could say race day wheels are a "lifestyle" choice.

I've owned several of the so called worst products.  The grip shift X-ray was not that bad although Sachs made a better grip shift product.  With the X-rays you had to swap out the original rubber for something called "shark teeth" which had a  raised "shark teeth" profile.  These dramatically increased grip...still when it got muddy or wet, it would behoove you to reach up or out to a tree and rip off some leaves to use as a friction point between your hands and those shifters.  Saw someone in front of me during a night lap at 24 hours of Canaan do this = brilliant !  Necessity being the mother of invention and all.  

Oh and if down tubes were not your thing...you could totally roll with a Slingshot...