Steel frame.

copperthorpe

Can anyone offer any advice on a steel frame....I am a recreational/fittness rider only averaging 30 miles per run.My budget is around £500 and will be putting my askiums and 105 gear onto new frame,more interested in comfort and durability over weight and looks. :?: :?: :?:

alfablue

Condor Fratello frame and fork, £549.

Chris James

The Byer Aravis seems to be well regarded too on this and other forums.

http://www.byercycles.co.uk/bikeprice%2 ... R1008.html

A bit cheaper than the Condor. Looks like it ships with steel forks. If you wanted carbon they may do a deal - failing that you could buy some carbon foks as well and it would still be cheaper than the Fratello.

alfablue

I think Byer's frame is the same as Paul Hewitt uses.

GyatsoLa

Planet X Kaffenback is only £125, so will give you plenty of money over to buy a quality fork and other nice things.

http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... ad_38.html

I have the Pompino (fixed version of the Kaffenback). Its a pretty rudimentary frame to look at, but it rides very well indeed, especially over rougher roads.

balthazar

You could just about get a Mercian for that. Crikey.

http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frame_audax.asp

crankycrank

Bob Jackson do a couple of Off The Peg framesets under your budget. http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/defau ... a5ae381328 Either of the Audax models would be good for recreational riding. Light, great ride quality, mudguard and rack mounts, and choose your own colour.

Pross

Planet X Kaffenback is only £125, so will give you plenty of money over to buy a quality fork and other nice things.

Including a new paint job lol

Own spec Mercian would be good but closer to £600 by time the VAT is added, nice to have a handbuilt frame though.

balthazar

Pross wrote:

Own spec Mercian would be good but closer to £600 by time the VAT is added, nice to have a handbuilt frame though.

Go on. Do it. Those frames are lovely, and timeless. You could always not replace all the other bits - tyres and so on - that you were probably going to.. or make some other empty justification along those lines..!

giant_man

I view Mercian frames and bikes as older men's bikes, probably cos every one I've seen on the road has been ridden by a bloke 60 or over .......... but i'm sure younger men have them too. :oops:

GyatsoLa

And on the subject of Planet X, I forgot they also sell some Italian steel frame, quite Mercian-lookingish:

http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... _Road.html

Barteos

http://www.surlybikes.com/frames/pacer_frame/
http://www.salsacycles.com/casseroll08.html

Dustine

Second vote for the Salsa Casseroll. Ive done somewhere in the region of 3500 miles over the last 15 months on mine, and would say its probably the best bike ive owned, overall.

Nuggs

giant mancp wrote:

I view Mercian frames and bikes as older men's bikes, probably cos every one I've seen on the road has been ridden by a bloke 60 or over .......... but i'm sure younger men have them too. :oops:

Maybe they know something that only years of hard-earned wisdom can bring (i.e. don't believe the ad man)...

ugo.santalucia

GyatsoLa wrote:

And on the subject of Planet X, I forgot they also sell some Italian steel frame, quite Mercian-lookingish:

http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... _Road.html

20 years ago I owned a steel Guerciotti... very good frame, but these appear to be no improvement over the one I owned in the Pleistocene.
3 Kg for frame and fork is a lot of weight in 2009... nowadays I have a steel frame of the mid nineties... it goes on the scale at 2.3 Kg for frame and fork.

I would go for a Mercian or similar

balthazar

giant mancp wrote:

I view Mercian frames and bikes as older men's bikes, probably cos every one I've seen on the road has been ridden by a bloke 60 or over .......... but i'm sure younger men have them too. :oops:

I reckon the louche hyper-fashionistas who loll about in Soho Square occasionally riding backwards on their fixies, would give you howls of approval if you turned up on a Mercian. And their combined age is never more than 20. Try that on your stinkin' pro-rep carbon bike..!

giant_man

balthazar wrote:

giant mancp wrote:

I view Mercian frames and bikes as older men's bikes, probably cos every one I've seen on the road has been ridden by a bloke 60 or over .......... but i'm sure younger men have them too. :oops:

I reckon the louche hyper-fashionistas who loll about in Soho Square occasionally riding backwards on their fixies, would give you howls of approval if you turned up on a Mercian. And their combined age is never more than 20. Try that on your stinkin' pro-rep carbon bike..!

Fair enough, like I said, it's probably just me thinking like that, nice traditional looking frames though.

acorn_user

For 500 pounds, I reckon you should be looking at a UK custom frame. Try to find who your local frame builder is, and ask them. Otherwise, there is a good list on the Ceeway site. Italian steel frames usually go for a quite a bit more money (Fratello excepted), but tend to be less wedded to using lugs, which means they can use superoversize and shaped tubing, which tends to lead to a lighter frame. Not that a light frame is that important though.

Pross

Is it me or does the Salsa Casseroll sound like a fancy Mexican stew?

billy whippet

+1 for the condor fratello

peanut

you might try Dave Yates . Reckoned to be one of the top UK builders at present. Not sure if your budget would cover it though
http://www.daveyatescycles.co.uk/frames.htm