recommend: solid road/touring bike under $1000

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

Fuji Touring, approx $800 at an LBS, maybe a little less. STI shifters,
27-speed, 11/32 cassette and 52/42/30 crankset for those steep hills,
32mm tires for rough roads and smooth dirt/gravel. Sturdy, somewhat
heavy but very tough and stable steel frame. For riding in the great
northwest's wet weather, it also has eyelets for fenders, along with
plenty of clearance for them, even with the big tires. I got one last
fall and love it.

If you take off the rack (it comes with one) and put on smaller, high
pressure tires, it's got pretty reasonable performance if you don't need
the lightest possible weight. At that price, you could even get some
higher-performance wheels to save even more weight and aerodynamics and
still stay under your $1000 budget.

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(raciere) said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning

Users of this newsfroup report much satisfaction with Fuji Touring
and Jamis Aurora.
--
Rick Onanian

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

(raciere) said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning

Users of this newsfroup report much satisfaction with Fuji Touring
and Jamis Aurora.

Also, Bianchi's Volpe is another very similar model, at $849 list. It
has a suspension seatpost, but no rear rack.

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Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

(raciere) said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

thanks.

Among other suggestions-

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-cross-check.html#complete

Jamis Aurora.

I'm a very very satisfied rider; I picked one up on clearance for US$
450, and have been very satisfied since.

-Luigi

K2 Mach 3.0

20.9 lbs, Richey and 105 components.

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

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

thanks.

[email hidden] (raciere) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

thanks.

Cannondale T800. I bought one last summer and have been very
impressed. It's slightly above your budget but you may be able to
find one on clearance at REI. I used it for loaded touring on the
Lewis and Clark trail and it held up to everything I could throw at it
even with a full touring load.

Stuart Black

(raciere) said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc...

Trust me, you want one that's hollow. They're much lighter, and
almost as strong. ;^D

Quoted message said:

i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

You sound like a great candidate for a Surly Cross-Check. It's sort
of a cyclocross bike, sort of a touring bike, but with tire/fender
clearance that's unusual for either kind of bike. So you can run
anything from 700x23 rubber bands to 700x47 tires with fenders, and
thereby adjust the ride height and quality to whatever suits you best.
It's about the most versatile thing available that matches both your
mission profile and your price limit.

http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-cross-check.html#complete

The Cross-Check is available to almost every single bike shop in the
USA. If you live in Seattle as you seem to suggest, I recommend
buying it (or any other similar bike) from The Counterbalance Bicycles
at 2 West Roy St. in Lower Queen Anne. Those guys serve largely the
cycle messenger community, whose bike wants and budgets seem to
correspond somewhat to your own.

Chalo Colina

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

Fuji Touring, approx $800 at an LBS, maybe a little less. STI shifters,
27-speed, 11/32 cassette and 52/42/30 crankset for those steep hills,
32mm tires for rough roads and smooth dirt/gravel. Sturdy, somewhat
heavy but very tough and stable steel frame. For riding in the great
northwest's wet weather, it also has eyelets for fenders, along with
plenty of clearance for them, even with the big tires. I got one last
fall and love it.

If you take off the rack (it comes with one) and put on smaller, high
pressure tires, it's got pretty reasonable performance if you don't need
the lightest possible weight. At that price, you could even get some
higher-performance wheels to save even more weight and aerodynamics and
still stay under your $1000 budget.

I second the Fuji, tho it's not perfect. I've had mine for a few
months, ride (commute) daily. Had broken spokes on the rear. Bike shop
is going to change the rear spokes for best quality DT spokes for a mere
$12.00 CAD. A great bit of customer service!
I did change the Hutchinson Globe Trotter tires for Continental Top
Touring 2000 , same size 700 x 32, but makes the bike feel like a
different bike! I love them.
Otherwise, saddle is a good fit for me, frame is strong all steel,
shifts like a dream, rolls fast and smooth, and very important, the ride
is stable as all get out. Many road bikes are twitchy and kind of
skittery on hard curves and turns. The Fuji is easy and stable. It is
very easy to push with just one hand on the back of the seat, and easy
to ride no hands. I know this is due to the geometry, but that is not a
subject I am well acquainted with, I just know how it feels.
The paint job looks quality and not flashy as well (dark green with gold
flecks and sand bands), which suits me. I think a touring machine
should be less flash than a racer.
Whatever you ride, have a ball! Summer is here, so get out there.
Best, Bernie

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

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc...

I recently bought a flat bar road bike from Ibex Bicycles. It's the Corrida
CT 2.2, and the price was $299. Yes, there's a flat bar, but the frame has
rack and fender eyelets, room for up to a 700x32 tire, and a triple
crankset. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

http://www.ibexbikes.com

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!

my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?

Fuji Touring, approx $800 at an LBS, maybe a little less. STI shifters,
27-speed, 11/32 cassette and 52/42/30 crankset for those steep hills,
32mm tires for rough roads and smooth dirt/gravel. Sturdy, somewhat
heavy but very tough and stable steel frame. For riding in the great
northwest's wet weather, it also has eyelets for fenders, along with
plenty of clearance for them, even with the big tires. I got one last
fall and love it.

If you take off the rack (it comes with one) and put on smaller, high
pressure tires, it's got pretty reasonable performance if you don't need
the lightest possible weight. At that price, you could even get some
higher-performance wheels to save even more weight and aerodynamics and
still stay under your $1000 budget.

I second the Fuji, tho it's not perfect. I've had mine for a few
months, ride (commute) daily. Had broken spokes on the rear. Bike shop
is going to change the rear spokes for best quality DT spokes for a mere
$12.00 CAD. A great bit of customer service!

I had the wheels tensioned on mine soon after I bought it because they
went out of true within a month, but they've been bullet-proof since
then. I don't know if Fuji or somebody else assembled the wheels, but
whomever it was left the spokes too loose. Once that was fixed, they've
been great.

.....

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

[email hidden] (Chalo) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You sound like a great candidate for a Surly Cross-Check. It's sort
of a cyclocross bike, sort of a touring bike, but with tire/fender
clearance that's unusual for either kind of bike. So you can run
anything from 700x23 rubber bands to 700x47 tires with fenders, and
thereby adjust the ride height and quality to whatever suits you best.
It's about the most versatile thing available that matches both your
mission profile and your price limit.

http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-cross-check.html#complete

The Cross-Check is available to almost every single bike shop in the
USA. If you live in Seattle as you seem to suggest, I recommend
buying it (or any other similar bike) from The Counterbalance Bicycles
at 2 West Roy St. in Lower Queen Anne. Those guys serve largely the
cycle messenger community, whose bike wants and budgets seem to
correspond somewhat to your own.

Chalo Colina

I too would recommend a cyclocross bike for your riding. Touring
bikes are generally heavier. The Cannondale xr800 I recently bought
has rack eyelets front and rear, excellent tire clearance and without
rear rack and bags is fairly light. A cross bike is all you'll need
if you buy an extra set of wheels

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

>i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
>road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
>towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
>ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
>along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
>too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
>stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
>the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!
>
>my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?
>
Fuji Touring, approx $800 at an LBS, maybe a little less. STI shifters,
27-speed, 11/32 cassette and 52/42/30 crankset for those steep hills,
32mm tires for rough roads and smooth dirt/gravel. Sturdy, somewhat
heavy but very tough and stable steel frame. For riding in the great
northwest's wet weather, it also has eyelets for fenders, along with
plenty of clearance for them, even with the big tires. I got one last
fall and love it.

If you take off the rack (it comes with one) and put on smaller, high
pressure tires, it's got pretty reasonable performance if you don't need
the lightest possible weight. At that price, you could even get some
higher-performance wheels to save even more weight and aerodynamics and
still stay under your $1000 budget.

I second the Fuji, tho it's not perfect. I've had mine for a few
months, ride (commute) daily. Had broken spokes on the rear. Bike shop
is going to change the rear spokes for best quality DT spokes for a mere
$12.00 CAD. A great bit of customer service!

I had the wheels tensioned on mine soon after I bought it because they
went out of true within a month, but they've been bullet-proof since
then. I don't know if Fuji or somebody else assembled the wheels, but
whomever it was left the spokes too loose. Once that was fixed, they've
been great.

..

Well, I like the rims. I mean, they look like quality product. When
the bike shop mech showed me the difference between the stock spokes and
DT spokes, I was impressed with the difference. What's happened is, the
spokes don't acutally break. The mushroom shaped head that sits in the
hub flange has come off a few times.

I don't think this will happen with the DT spokes. Let me know if you
have issues with your bike? Did I mention I changed tires to
Continental Top Touring 2000's? The difference was so dramatic it was
like climbing onto a different bike. I love them. Will keep the
Hutchinson Globe Trotter survivor for emergency back up.

Best, Bernie

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>In article <[email hidden]>,
>[email hidden] says...
>
>>i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
>>road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc... i'm leaning
>>towards a touring bike, as the riding i want to do combines an
>>ocassional trail (flat dirt trails) and the ocassional steep hill,
>>along with curbs, etc... but most of the riding will be roads. and,
>>too, i want to be able to pull my daughter in a bike
>>stroller/trailer... and pure road bikes just seem a bit frail for all
>>the above... and hybrids, well, i dont like them much. so.. touring!
>>
>>my budget requires that i stay under 1K. thoughts?
>>

One more option: The Trek 520, a classic touring bike. These list for
$1100, but can often be found for $100 less if you shop around. It is
steel, and built for "loaded touring," meaning it is not frail. OTOH, it
does not weigh a ton, either. Has many-spoked wheels (and stainless steel
spokes), good quality components generally (road bike front + MTB back on
the drive train), and all the fittings you'd want, for panniers, water
bottles, etc. I bought one about 4 months ago and have been happy with it
(no affiliation to Trek or any bike shop!)

One caveat: This model seems to change very little from year to year
(including the color), so dealers may be tempted to sell you an
earlier-year model for the current price. If this matters to you, know the
specs when you walk in the shop, because there may be no other way to
tell the difference. OTOH, the fact that the design is relatively stable
suggests that Trek has tweaked it enough over the years to have arrived at
a good design point, and a model that is actually a year or two old is not
that different from the true latest issue. Again, check those specs!

Good luck!

AMG

ok, to really throw a wrench into my plans... i did a ton of research
and decided that a bianchi axis was the best bike for my desires (tho
a few hundred above budget). however, i was recently *given* a
poccianti titanium italian frame, hand made in some small shop in
florence. it it beautiful, however it needs some work. both the top
tube and the down tube have significant impact dents... such that they
may need cutting out & replacing. also, 1 of the chain stays is bent.
must of been in a car crash, not sure of the history. everything else
on the frame looks solid... all of the welds, joints, etc....

I am not at all familiar with this brand of frame, with titanium frame
repair, nor do I have any idea what repair costs may be, or if this is
even a good frame to build a cyclocross bike ... totally blind here.
don't know if i should just get the bianchi, or dive into building a
bike w/ this frame... as it is titanium and i hear ti will last a
lifetime.

so a few questions:

= how expensive is ti frame repair?

= to build a cyclocross, what good quality but affordable components
would you recommend with this frame (wanting a triple + a 11/32T
cassette?)... I've been looking at the campy centaur, but I don't
think I can do a 11/32T cassette... what else is possible?

= and has ANYONE ever heard of a "sesto fiorentino poccianti"
titanium frame?

oh, lastly... if I go for it and build this bike, who sells (online)
the best priced new and used component groups?

clearly I am a novice, and I will be grateful for any recommends or
input.

+s

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

i am fairly new to riding, and am looking for a fast, solid
road/touring bike for seattle hills, roads, etc...

I recently bought a flat bar road bike from Ibex Bicycles. It's the Corrida
CT 2.2, and the price was $299. Yes, there's a flat bar, but the frame has
rack and fender eyelets, room for up to a 700x32 tire, and a triple
crankset. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

http://www.ibexbikes.com

(raciere) said:

don't know if i should just get the bianchi, or dive into building a
bike w/ this frame... as it is titanium and i hear ti will last a
lifetime.

Heh..... I find this funny. Here's a frame that sounds like it was run
over by a car, three tubes dented or bent, and you're thinking that
because it is titanium it will last a lifetime?? Sure-- take to an
auto junk yard and have it smashed into a small cube, drill out a
hollow, and they can bury your ashes in it 🙂

Nothing personal. I hope you can see the humor of someone describing a
smashed up bike and then going, 'But it will last forever!'

Quoted message said:

so a few questions:

= how expensive is ti frame repair?

Probably more expensive than it's worth?

Quoted message said:

= to build a cyclocross, what good quality but affordable components
would you recommend with this frame (wanting a triple + a 11/32T
cassette?)... I've been looking at the campy centaur, but I don't
think I can do a 11/32T cassette... what else is possible?

One idea-

http://www.hubbub.com/ergoleverswshim9.htm

Quoted message said:

= and has ANYONE ever heard of a "sesto fiorentino poccianti"
titanium frame?

oh, lastly... if I go for it and build this bike, who sells (online)
the best priced new and used component groups?

Buying a bike with parts is almost always cheaper than buying/having a
frame and buying parts to put on it. And many bike shops will charge
you a lot to assemble/fix a bike from parts you've collected mail
order. Be sure to look carefully at the full costs here.

Quoted message said:

clearly I am a novice, and I will be grateful for any recommends or
input.

+s

As a novice, do you think that you are capable of building up a bike
from parts? Do you know enough to order the right parts and deal with
the little nuances that can come up? Like using anti-seize on titanium
parts?

I think that you will be much better off buying either a complete
bike, or working with a local shop to get the parts to flesh out a
used one. It's much easier to learn on an existing bike, and shops are
much more willing to help you and share what they know when you are a
customer.

raciere said:

ok, to really throw a wrench into my plans... i did a ton of research
and decided that a bianchi axis was the best bike for my desires (tho
a few hundred above budget). however, i was recently *given* a
poccianti titanium italian frame, hand made in some small shop in
florence. it it beautiful, however it needs some work. both the top
tube and the down tube have significant impact dents... such that they
may need cutting out & replacing. also, 1 of the chain stays is bent.
must of been in a car crash, not sure of the history. everything else
on the frame looks solid... all of the welds, joints, etc....

You can buy a titanium frame for $600. Custom frames can be very, very
hard to fix, and you may be far better off buying a complete package.

Seems that nowadays you can buy a complete bike, with wheels, tires, etc
for what you pay if you just buy the group.

So, I would not get hung up on fixing the frame. It sounds pretty much
trashed. 2 out of 3 main tubes are damaged, as is one of the chainstays.
The whole frame is probably racked.

Me, I'm partial to the old Raleigh Technium frames for touring. Great
touring geometry.

--Kamus