The stem on a bike sets the tone for the whole bike. I used to have an oyster shell type quill stem and it was the single sexiest part I have ever seen. High gloss black finish with the piece that open being a brushed silver finish. Also, I am partial to the Miche Supertype seatpost as well. The quality and workmanship are beautiful.

1. I enjoy the shape of a nice Nitto Jaguar quill stem (just wish they came in anodized black).

2. Although I'd probably never tell the dude, I envy Fly's mint condition vintage stock Fuji/Nitto drop bars. Super narrow with a beautiful curve is what I'm talking 'bout.

Is there anything more beautiful than a well built perfectly balanced wheel. Obviously there is to some people, but not to me. You spin it in your hands when your done building it. You can feel the power waiting to be released, and hear the hum of the spokes as they spin. Tilt her left or right and feel her pull herself back to straight. This is the essence of speed, without it everything else is miscellaneous parts. I may need some alone time now.
Later,
J
So close to Jesus he's letting me roll the dice on judgment day.

I have a kickstand on my bike and while it adds useless weight its also convenient. Im taking it off anyway though.

Fav bike part has got to be a sweet stem, something smooth and pretty. Its one of the first things i notice on a bike. Needless to say my stem sucks, i replaced the rad one I had with a less pretty one that is more functional (read: shorter!) for me. Bells and whistles can suck it, i drool over a bike that has practically no parts. Someday I will ride a beautiful fixie thats almost invisible. Until then, its just me and you, Ginger!!
Luv Steph

they are crazy

jr knox
The all time best bike part has to be the old Campy large flange hubs. They are not only a work of art, but are the smoothest hubs ever. I ride a new Davidson and am having a front wheel built with this old hub (1963) to combine the best of the old and the new.

The only component my first good bike (the bottom-of-the-line Viscount, with a nice filet brazed frame and cheap components) shared with the best touring and racing bikes of the day was my Christophe toe clips and straps. I rode in traffic, and soon quit using straps at all, but even strapless the clips help hold your feet in place and allow more power over more of the stroke. Simple, durable, unchanged (except for the logo) from the 1920's to 1990 when they stopped production.

i've always loved a good saddle, but the bottom bracket and hubs are what make everything so buttery smooth and fast!

My vintage Brooks Colt.

gran pro hubs are plush, they just roll forever!

1. Chris King headset
2. Time ATAC XS carbon pedals
3. Campi Record Pista cranks
4. STI 10s levers

I keep extras around because you never know...

it's a tossup between phil track hubs and that magic set of bars that always feel like home. you know the ones.

the bars that fit you like a second skin pretty much sum up everything that makes a bike greater than the sum of its parts. it's just a bended tube of metal, but something about it is so much more. it's a tool in your hand, and no matter what you pass on the ground, those bars are made of the same stuff that makes a house a home.

and then the antithesis, a phil track hub, which is definitely full of that spirit, but it's really only admirable when you're off the bike... its magic makes it invisible to you while on the bike. what makes the phil hub great is the unbelievable precision, ingenuity, science and craft that goes into its creation. from the bearings and materials used to the forging process that give the spoke holes their tapered port edges... it's a thing of technical beauty and artiface.

i can't really choose which is better.

i'm a hipster

I'm inclined to say my favorite part is the frame... they come in so many varieties and they're the backbone of the whole bike.

On the other hand, I'm pretty pumped about the new orange Deep V that's coming in the mail. Nothing says Baltimore like a Black and Orange bike.

rear derailleur

um i woud have to say a nice set of track wheels. like some mavic eclipes, deep vs, zipps, campy or aero spokes

bottom bracket, you don't see it, you feel it, without is impossible.

...chromed track fork crown, round blades, old sKool, tight clearance over tire.

needless to say not drilllled for brake.
...all the way fool!

I love my rare Araya 27" rims, but I also love my vintage campy record hubs, and I also love my 70s Sugino Cranks..

there is nothing as sublime as a nice long, deep-angeled stem with a pair of vintage drops hanging off the end of them.

I'm not sure, track bikes are quite simple, but if it goes down to deciding on what three parts i like about my bike. I would have to say i love my Phil Wood rear hi-flange hub, and I love my Thomson Elite seatpost, and who doesn't love a Chris King Headset, then again, it's hard to say........

a nice set of fluted cranks, or a Chris King headset, or maybe the campy aero seat post, mavic cxp 33's, pantographed stems, shoot i don't know?

Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor.

It would have to be a tie between Some track drops connected to a dope neck that holds on to a nice n sleek threadless fork with some King ish headsets holding it all in place on a tight geometrically friendly steel frame held up with some deepV's and sturdy tires OR a nice crank and bottom bracket set that'll make me go zoom.

nice riser handlebars with sweet grips

At the risk of sounding crude to all you elegant fixie minimalists (i'm one too on wednedays) I would vote the crazy 'drop' butterfly apehangers with tape all over that came stock on the 70s Murray Eliminator Mk II - check out nemusclebikes.com if you into it.. Jos

the shifters of course having that much power in the flick of a finger, hells yes. Runner up would have to be the tires they keep you a float.

I'd have to say that a beautiful crankset has always been my favorite bicycle part. From the recent Dura-Ace cranks to classic Record - I can't get enough of the sculpting, the curves, and the feeling of sheer power that goes with a pair of nicely designed cranks.

Had single speeds for about 3 years now and i'm, thinking of going to fixed on my Langster and when i do i will definatly consider getting a brooks. But for now i think the best bit of kit is the Stronglight 48t track chainring.

Chrome Lugs & Stays, Oh old school bikes. or, I have been polishing my crank lately and it is looking pretty good. Also I can't get enough of high flange hubs.

Brooks B17 without a doubt.

After my first 6 months or so of cycling I was strugling to keep my speeds over 20mph for any appreciable distance, clamped on some aero bars and kapow - instant speed. I'm considering upgrading to an even more aggressive set and lowering my handlebars to get even more aero.

Carbon Fiber (yea, not really "a part") is pretty sick too. Again, upgrade to a carbon bike and bam, hill climbing gets much much more enjoyable just like that.

Gotta also mention paint. Also not really a "part" but I think when done well paint makes a bike oh-so-sexy. I feel like this is more up the alley of this site than carbon and aerobars, too ;)
Then again I've been wrestling with a bike painting project for over 2 weeks now and it's starting to get on my nerves...

four bikes, 4 brooks saddles. Good for a 4 mile ride to work, good for a century.

Right now my favorite part is my new Chris King headset. My old one was crap from day one. I got the CK in the mail and almost didn't want to put it on because it was so much fun to fondle. Bumps and rough spots in the road that used to make my old headset clunk around and act the fool don't even get a peep out of this thing. It's pretty perfect.

it's the only that doesn't break easily
i tear stuff up too much
they call me the destoyer at the LBS
ArlieMarshall ,puttin' up my dukes and givin' a damn.

Brooks b17 lazy-boy saddle
the lazy boy because its definitely a cruising saddle, but sooo comfy for long rides

and the dura-ace 17t cog, 48/17 ratio is the sex

the Paul hubs were the first thing I bought for my Pake, then rims, then the frame. I just love the feel, performance, and look of a really nice hub set, and it makes building wheels a very pleasurable project. But yeah, it comes down to the frame, and I only built nice wheels because I intend to eventually get a better FRAME!

frame! the other stuff is too cheap! cheap wheels and cheap cog and stuff
whatever

So fundamental, so simple.

Scrader valve cores. Couldn't EVEN fricken ride a bike without them. Unless your'e rocking prestas (presta valve cores). Yeah, totally.

dt swiss rr 1.2s laced to black phil woods. laced them myself when i worked at a bike shop.

My shimano brake has saved my life so many times as I started learning. It's the main part I had to depend on.

bikes are beautiful.....

not really a favorite bike part. but who knows the best (cheapest) way to convert a geared hub into a single speed freewheel. I do not want to buy a new wheel or anything like. I just want to remove the gear cassette and spin on a bmx freewheel. Will this work on a shimano geared hub? I am working with a mid range women's mixte frame with some crappy shimano mountian groupset. thanks

but there's something to be said for the full-sized frame-fit pump. yes, one can look some what like a cicliotourste poseur, but i appreciate my standard issue silca impero just a little bit more each time i puncture on my other bike and have to use the mini-pump.

When you make a living on a bike, your saddle is one of your best friends!!
Big T from DC.

How can you not like something thats sole function is preserving the blood, sweat, and love poured into it by obsessed people like us who like to post pics of our pride and joy's like they're our kids.
I never understood why people wouldn't want one on their thousand dollar ride.

my shimano pd m747's. they've been on 6 bikes in 8 years & are still running strong. plus, they look all classic & sci-fi.

dura ace hubs - they spin and look so smooth or it could be the way track bikes look in general - no cables or gears.

ergostem... quill... silver.

and my mavic 7sp hubs. difficult to split for a fave.

toshi double straps. tighten them over your foot after you slide into the pedal and there's no beating it for efficient power transfer (i prefer it even over the feel of clipless).

nitto track drops with champ grips. unbeatable for all-out sprinting. nitto bullhorns (021) are also great in the city...

I'll tell you what's not my favorite part: the new 7801 DA rear freehub. Shimano had a good thing (mechanically) going with their splined hubshell:freehub body design. For some inconceivable reason they've changed it for this year and copied the old and somewhat weaker bearings inboard campy design. WTF? Maybe we can sick Jobst Brandt on them and get them to change it back.

my favorite bike part is my red, supercorsa, SUEDE saddle. I get about 10 comments a day from people about it. It rides like a dream as well.

I think it's my wheelset too. Phil Woods laced to Deep Vs. I built it up myself with the guidance of a Friend. The hubs were used when i got them, and after a year of abuse and winter they still spin fine. I love the Allen key system and the hubs ease of service. the rims have held up to my weight and neglect. The other day i accidentally went right into a curb at a good clip, the tube instantly exploded destroying the side wall of my tire. When i mounted a new tire a fews days later much to my surprise the wheel was still true. All in all a great wheelset.

They're not too flashy but anyone who knows takes a closer look. They keep me under the rader so I don't have to answer a lot of questions like, where'd you get that aerospoke?

This is an easy one for me - the wheels on my Spicer: Phil Wood hubs laced to Open Pro rims. I have never had to worry about the hub bearings and the wheels have never gone out of true or needed any retensioning/work. They are easily my favorite bike part because they don't require any of my time and they-just-work