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.

--
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

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:

On 7 Jul 2004 12:35:28 -0700, [email hidden]

(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.

--
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-

sheldonbrown.comsurly crossOpen ↗
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.

surlybikes.combikes.htmlOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsurly crossOpen ↗
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.

ibexbikes.comibexbikes.comOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, bmcilvan@mouse-
potato.com 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.

surlybikes.combikes.htmlOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsurly crossOpen ↗
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]>, bmcilvan@mouse-
potato.com 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

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.

ibexbikes.comibexbikes.comOpen ↗

(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-

hubbub.comergoleverswshim9.htmOpen ↗

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