Commuting Bike help

clarkey cat

Hi just looking for inspiration for N+1.

I'm looking for a winter commuter that I could potentially use for some very light touring.

Requirements are:

1. FG / SS or Campag.
2. Must take full chromoplastic guards
3. Must take up to 28c tyres
4. Must take a rack.
5. Under a grand.
6. Preferably steel frame.

Options appear to be:

Ribble Steel.
Pearson Now You See Me.
Surly Pacer (not sure I can do this for under £1000) though
2nd hand Fratello

Be great for people's ideas please!

the_fuggler

Genesis Flyer with some cash left over to upgrade wheels and kit?

dhope

You still using the Cooper?

clarkey cat

No I sold it to a mate - decided it was a bit small for me. He loves it though.

veronese68

How about one of the new Genesiseseses? What is the plural of Genesis? Genesii or Genesises?
Now doing them with Campag.

EKE_38BPM

Planet X Kaffenback 2 frame and forks £250
Campag Centaur gruppo (from Merlin) £390
That leaves you £360 for wheels and everything else.

Do-able for a grand if you have a spares box and find some inexpensive wheels.

itboffin

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Planet X Kaffenback 2 frame and forks £250
Campag Centaur gruppo (from Merlin) £390
That leaves you £360 for wheels and everything else.

Do-able for a grand if you have a spares box and find some inexpensive wheels.

i've no experience of the frameset but they do a complete bike for £799 including disc wheelset
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXKAFF2T ... -road-bike

meanredspider

I have a Kona Paddy Wagon (with bull horns) which seems to match your spec. I run guards and 27C Paves and it's fun to ride. The only thing I'm not certain about (only because I'm in Scotland at the moment and it's in Amsterdam) is the rack capability. Plenty of change from £1000 - enough to put some slightly more subtle wheels on - they're pretty "robust" which is great as I bump down a short set of steps into Vondel Park. Very very happy with it.

asprilla

Pop over to Neil's Wheels in Molesey as they have Cotic Escapade's in stock; all the mounting you would want, discs (including with SS if you want to run that) and you could run up to 35mm tyres.

Nice guys too.

pastryboy

Dolan FXE ticks all the boxes but is alu rather than steel:

http://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-track- ... gloss.html

Genesis Day One Disc appears to tick all of them:

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adv ... y-one-disc

timothyw

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Planet X Kaffenback 2 frame and forks from ebay in brown- £150

FTFY

pastryboy

What's the situation with a headset with something like that (the planet-x frame/fork). I could happily build a bike up to the point it comes to cutting a steerer/fitting a headset I know nothing at all.

clarkey cat

Asprilla wrote:

Pop over to Neil's Wheels in Molesey as they have Cotic Escapade's in stock; all the mounting you would want, discs (including with SS if you want to run that) and you could run up to 35mm tyres.

Nice guys too.

I've been having a chat with them recently about building up a Surly Cross-Check.
I think the Cyclo-Cross option is a pretty good option actually considering that this will be my last serious outlay for at least 2 years (when I'm allowed to buy a bespoke steel frame with top-end record for my 35th) so I'd might as well get something that can cover all bases:
Off-road riding with my kid
Commuting
Touring
Pootling with the wife

Going to pop in tomorrow morning again and see if we can try and do it for under a grand if I provide the wheels.

asprilla

clarkey cat wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Pop over to Neil's Wheels in Molesey as they have Cotic Escapade's in stock; all the mounting you would want, discs (including with SS if you want to run that) and you could run up to 35mm tyres.

Nice guys too.

I've been having a chat with them recently about building up a Surly Cross-Check.
I think the Cyclo-Cross option is a pretty good option actually considering that this will be my last serious outlay for at least 2 years (when I'm allowed to buy a bespoke steel frame with top-end record for my 35th) so I'd might as well get something that can cover all bases:
Off-road riding with my kid
Commuting
Touring
Pootling with the wife

Going to pop in tomorrow morning again and see if we can try and do it for under a grand if I provide the wheels.

I'm going to put my Singular Peregrine on eBay and get NW to source me an Escapade fame to build up as SS. I've also got a spare rear mech and I'll get a bar-end shifter or a band mounted frame one to run it as a 10 speed.

clarkey cat

I've spent so long agonising overthis and had pretty much decided on the Ribble 525 but I cant get excited about it.
The obvious choice would be just get another Fratello but I like the idea of having something a bit different so I was sold on the Surly Pacer.

However at the weekend I was camping in Somerset and was pitched next to a lady on a Thorn who had cycled all way around the world and I thought - I need to get rack mounts.

http://cyclingfullcircle.com/

veronese68

One of my colleagues has a couple of Surlys and they just seem very heavy, although this is mainly due to the spec he builds them to. The Cotics just seem more desirable to me. I must confess to spending too much time in Neals Wheels new shop in Kingston eyeing up a Cotic Solaris MTB though.
The escapade in the duck egg blue does look gorgeous. Have you seen the one in the My Road Bikes section?

rjsterry

clarkey cat wrote:

I've spent so long agonising overthis and had pretty much decided on the Ribble 525 but I cant get excited about it.
The obvious choice would be just get another Fratello but I like the idea of having something a bit different so I was sold on the Surly Pacer.

However at the weekend I was camping in Somerset and was pitched next to a lady on a Thorn who had cycled all way around the world and I thought - I need to get rack mounts.

http://cyclingfullcircle.com/

MLC knocking at the door?

clarkey cat

I'm a little way off that... I'm only 33.

Give it a couple of years.

asprilla

clarkey cat wrote:

I'm a little way off that... I'm only 33.

Give it a couple of years.

Good lord, I thought you were much older.....

davis

pastryboy wrote:

What's the situation with a headset with something like that (the planet-x frame/fork). I could happily build a bike up to the point it comes to cutting a steerer/fitting a headset I know nothing at all.

Headsets are pretty easy. You need to take care to get the bearings in straight, and the crown race fully down on the steerer tube. Cutting the steerer is a matter of taking a saw to it and, well, cutting the steerer. Make sure you cut it straight!

clarkey cat

Asprilla wrote:

clarkey cat wrote:

I'm a little way off that... I'm only 33.

Give it a couple of years.

Good lord, I thought you were much older.....

I get that alot. I've had a hard life.

walkingbootweather

clarkey cat wrote:

I was camping in Somerset and was pitched next to a lady on a Thorn who had cycled all way around the world and I thought - I need to get rack mounts.
/

Did she find her baby?

I've got a Thorn Sterling which is great but its a very different proposition to what you have suggested you want as a commuter. I'm all for versatility but sometimes those purposes are too far apart hence n+1 (or n+4 in my case)