Someone PLEASE recommend me...

alwaysOTB
alwaysOTB Posts: 151
edited September 2008 in Workshop
A nice aluminium frame. I have found some SRAM Rival stuff going nice and cheap, and it just so happens I need a new bike. Now here comes the hard bit. To stay anywhere near budget (already can only just afford it :( ) it needs to be as close to 200 as possible. 250 at a very, very tight stretch.

I have looked around for something second hand, maybe a Cannondale CAAD9, but being in the UK they're kinnda hard to find and at my price it was a bit.. optimistic anyway. Lokked around for something else, but not sure what to go for. Though you guys could help me out!

Thanks

Comments

  • Captain Fagor
    Captain Fagor Posts: 739
    ChainReaction Cycles have a lot of aluminium Principia frames on offer. One of them is at the upper end of your budget:

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=24206
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Kinesis? Not used one myself as the geometry is no right for me, but people who have them like them. Alternatively, look on the used / ebay markets - alloy frames don't tend to command a premium any longer in the face of cheap imports and top range bikes being predominantly carbon.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • alwaysOTB
    alwaysOTB Posts: 151
    That principia frame looks nice. I know that some of the principia frames from around that time are good (hand welded in the Netherlands?) but does anyone have any expieience of this one? I also saw a principia rex going second hand, but a quick google found me nothing interesting and some dutch gibberish :lol: !!

    I had a look at the kinesis frames - the rc2 in particular - and liked the look of it, but 300 was the cheapest I could find it, and thats without a fork. I'll have a look at the racelight t and tk, which I hadn't really considered - I was looking for something a bit more racy but they both seem highly rated.

    Anymore options anyone?
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Principia were Danish, built in Denmark, they folded, restarted and now their stuff is built in the far east.
    I like bikes...

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  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Admitedly still above budget, but a good price nonetheless, including fork and headset:

    http://merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=product&p ... goryId=149

    Or this, for the bottom end of your budget:

    http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=FFFFR056
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • alwaysOTB
    alwaysOTB Posts: 151
    Thats the chepest i've seen the RC2 slow - if i do decide to wait and get some extra cash thats where i'll get it. You built your own bike red - did you find it easy (my first build)?

    Also, I found flandria bikes - their competition frameset comes in at 299. Anybody know anything about them?

    The principia is from 2005, and looks like it would be hand welded, so it gets points for that. Thanks for the correction btw red, knew they were european........

    Can someone tell me what to do? I've gone from having no option to too many in a couple of hours! Plump the extra cash for the well reviewd Kinesis RC2, get the tk (a winter bike which is not really what I want but by all accounts a very good one) or go for the slightly unknown principia? Or something else??????
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    alwaysOTB wrote:
    You built your own bike red - did you find it easy (my first build)?

    Yeh, it was pretty easy, I'm sure it'd be pretty easy for you if you are mechanically minded and have a bit of patience. You've just got to be aware of incompatibility issues, which apart from the obvious ones are pretty rare.
    I like bikes...

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  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Check out the Kinesis bikes. The RC2, KiC2 or for mudguards, the T and TK, not forgetting the Gran Fondo.

    The Principias, once upon a time, were top aluminium offerings and very popular before they went bust. Chain Reaction have quite the selection, bearing in mind they are all 04/05 built frames.
  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,824
    Yup. Principias were hand built (welded) in Denmark, were said by a few to be one of the best Ali frames before carbon took over at the top end of the race frame market. Pretty darn stiff - I've a Rex e and it is very stiff but I'd not say it was uncomfortable - I did a 130 mile Etape on mine and did not feel any problems. Light-ish but can't be called super light these days of sub 1000g frames, mine is around 1450g.
    If I could get one for £250 I'd probably snap it up, occasionally see them on Ebay for fairly low prices.
  • alwaysOTB
    alwaysOTB Posts: 151
    Some more votes for the principia by the looks of things and I was starting to lean that way anyway......

    I liked the look of the Kic2 and the gran fondo giant mancsp, but they are too pricy for the likes of me on (trying very hard to keep to :roll: ) a budget!

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