Budget Tourer with Big Frame - advice sought

"Alex" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

I saw another recent post here from Tex about budget tourers. I was
thinking of adding to that thread as I'm in a similar position: I'm
looking for a budget tourer (maximum £400) just for short urban trips with
panniers and hopefully some longer holidays.

I'm 6'4" and I'm finding it impossible to find cheap tourers with big
frames. I love my current bike - a 66cm frame Orbit Ambassador - it's on
it's last legs and I've been told that it's not worth repairing. I've had
20 years good use out of it, but I'm having trouble finding cheap tourers
with 63cm frames let alone 66cm. Ideally I'd like a frame >66cm but that
seems unlikely...

Any advice appreciated!

thanks

Alex

ps please reply to the list - don't email me as your email will disappear
away into the ether.

Hi Alex,
my thread has also moved onto frame size, now that I,ve decided
on which bike to get.
Although my question is which size would be good for me, rather than not
being able to find
the right size in stock (I,m "only" 5'7).

Texy

in message <[email hidden]>, Alex

(') said:

I saw another recent post here from Tex about budget tourers. I was
thinking of adding to that thread as I'm in a similar position: I'm
looking for a budget tourer (maximum £400) just for short urban trips
with panniers and hopefully some longer holidays.

I'm 6'4" and I'm finding it impossible to find cheap tourers with big
frames. I love my current bike - a 66cm frame Orbit Ambassador - it's
on it's last legs and I've been told that it's not worth repairing.
I've had 20 years good use out of it, but I'm having trouble finding
cheap tourers with 63cm frames let alone 66cm. Ideally I'd like a frame

Quoted message said:

66cm but that seems unlikely...

Frame geometry has changed. Thirty years ago I had a bike hand built for
me with a 26.5" (67cm) frame. It fitted me perfectly. Now I ride a road
bike (horizontal top tube) with a 60cm frame, and have a mountain bike
with an 18" (45cm) frame, both of which fit me perfectly. What's changed
is the expectation about how much exposed seatpost you will have, and
how long the stem will be. Just fifteen years ago, 10cm stem was long;
now 12-15cm is normal.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; lovely alternative to rice.

That's very good news for me - many thanks.

cheers

Alex

Simon Brooke said:

Frame geometry has changed. Thirty years ago I had a bike hand built for
me with a 26.5" (67cm) frame. It fitted me perfectly. Now I ride a road
bike (horizontal top tube) with a 60cm frame, and have a mountain bike
with an 18" (45cm) frame, both of which fit me perfectly. What's changed
is the expectation about how much exposed seatpost you will have, and
how long the stem will be. Just fifteen years ago, 10cm stem was long;
now 12-15cm is normal.