Finding a steel

Right heres the deal guys, Im looking to buy a classic steel bike I can cycle to work on and use through the winter, I looked at off the peg frames and thought of building one up but I just cant afford it at the moment, therefore Im looking to buy off Ebay and find myself a bargain. I just wondered who manufactured good steel frames, what type of bike do I need to take guards (essential) and a rack if possible (not esscential)? Will it have to be an audax bike? Or will a classic racer take the guards? I have seen a few lovely bikes from colnago and bianch on there as well as a raliegh but they are not in my size and would they be suitable for the winter miles withou getting my back filthy? I have about 450 to spend. I am clueless as to what I should be looking for! Im only 24 and never ridden a steel bike although after what I have heard and as well as the aesthetics of them I have decided it is what I want. Any help and advice would be usefull Cheers

0
Posts
Some brands such as Puch made low end steel frames and really nice ones, going just by the brand isn't always enough.
This is lovely, reduced to 250 as well:
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FRG ... d-frameset
I have a steel framed tourer I use as a winter / rainy day bike. It has a pannier rack so it's great for shopping and long runs too. Fitting a wheelset that doesn't weigh a ton is worthwhile too. You can't go wrong with a good audax frame.
Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
It looks fantastic, but bloody hell it's heavy! 2KGs?! That's twice and a bit the weight of most modern carbon and Ti frames :shock:
Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
The lightest carbon frame might be 1kg, 2lbs in old money, just 10% total bike weight. You could build these steel frames into a sub-19lb bike easy with decent wheels, eg Easton EA90 SLX at 1.5kgs and highish end groupset. My steel/carbon Lemond weighs 18.5lbs with the above wheels and carbon bars/stem and Ultegra triple. A compact ch/set and lighter forks would get it to a smidge under 18.
My mate's Cervelo R3 is about 15lbs. Two full bottles and his kerbweight is over 18lbs. I am 70kgs, he's 80kg. Guess who gets up the hill first?
More importantly, steel frames are fantastically comfortable on long rides.
As I was removing the last of the paint I was disappointed to find a tiny hole in the underside of the chainstay near the BB which leaked a bit of black / rusty water, suggesting some internal corrosion (I'm not talking about the breather hole at the dropout end of the stay)
Anything I can squirt inside to arrest the corrosion before filling the hole and painting it? Or should I forget about rebuilding it and find another frame?