My first post, I just bought a frame.

[Estelja]

Moving to a 43cm rake fork will not make any significant difference and may even help stabilize the bike. Their are a lot of decent forks available through ebay, aliexpress, cycletaiwan.com (velocite), etc. I really like the Reynolds Ouzo Pro forks if you can still find one.

Force full group prices have come up a lot over the last few years. It is probably better now to shop each piece individually. I keep a running list on an excel spreadsheet of a custom Force based build that includes everything except frame / fork / headset. It makes it a lot easier when friends ask what bike to buy, I then reply "build it yourself". Weight of the kit is just under 12 lbs and costs just under $1500. IM me if you would like me to send it to you.

[bikerjulio]

widespread misunderstanding of this topic which is discussed well here http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/can-someone-please-explain-fork-rake-me-225919.html

[gamedic]

My frame just arrived today. You know how ordering from Ebay is, you can end up with someone elses junk or with a creme pie. I was worried even though the description said it was new and never built up and the pictures looked good. Well everything is good. There is not a scratch on it. All the threads have never had a bolt through them. Even though it is probably a five year old frame it has been handled with kid gloves. It is perfect and I am very excited to get started on this build. I should have already bought a set of scales to weigh all the bits with, but I have been very busy. I think I will hit Ebay again tonight when I get home. I will order some scales, which seem to be very reasonable on Ebay and get started buying my parts. At the moment my thoughts are Sram Rival or Force for my group set. I have no preference in brand, I simply picked Sram because it is a little bit lighter than the other two. I have also ridden a bike a little that had Double Tap shifters and I liked them. I still have not decided on a wheel set. I kind of like Mavic Ksyrium Sl wheels because they are fairly light weight and seem to be strong enough for my big ole rear end (256). Please give me your thoughts on wheel sets I am open to suggestions. Also I would like suggestions on a fork. I would like to buy a fork that has a carbon fiber pattern that matches the carbon rear triangle on my frame. The rear stays are made by Columbus. I guess I could look at a Columbus fork. Does anyone know the weight ratings of the columbus forks. I also saw a Shimano Pro fork on Ebay that looked like it had a similar pattern, but I have not found much info on that fork either. Thanks for all the help and suggestions so far.

[cpt000]

This is a good place for wheels - they serve heavier riders like you...

http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/