Originally Posted by redmist

thaks all for the responses. the surley crosscheck might put me over my budget, though it looks like a good basis for my project. i've been looking around for a used 80's steel road frame, but nothing thus far has really appealed to me. i found someone who is selling a giant bowery frame for $100, so i's thinking of using that bike as a starting point. it's aluminum, which is good for rust and as a daily rider, that's a good thing. i also considered the iro jamie roy, but that's about $200 more, though seems to be a good compromise in frame geometry- not as radical as a track frame, but yet not as laid back as a road bike. the bowery also seems to have road bike/track bike geometry- and from all the posts i see here, it seems to be regarded as a tough, durable frame. everything else about the bike seems to be the weak point, and since i'm building everything to my spec, i don't think i'll have a problem with the quality of the other parts.

the alfine hub seems to be the ticket, but is hard to find, and sems to be a bit pricey (as does the rohlhoff). i am looking at the shimano nexus 3 and 8 speed hubs as an alternative.

anyone think i should use discs instead of standard rim-type brakes?

anyone think that internal gears are a waste of money and i should stick to a standard cassette type gears?


thanks again all!!!