General Cycling Discussion - So, 700c, balloon tyres, drop bars, disc brakes - anyone got one (or similar)?

Hi all,

After many "spec me" threads, time on the road and the internet I THINK I know what I want my next bike to be!

700c
disc brakes
drop bars
clearance for balloon tyres
mounts for mudguards
alu or steel

I was wondering if anyone had pictures of their bikes with similar specs.

Also would like pointers on whether it is better to buy a bike which covers most of the options and then modify it to drop bars, or build it up from scratch. I want the price to be around £700 with an absolute max of £1000.

Any suggestions for "donor bikes" or frames to start from?

Am in the UK.

Thanks

Daven

You could probably find a rigid MTB 29er to start from that would make a good platform. The frame should have the clearance and the mounts you need. 29er tires are essentially balloon tires anyways - just replace knobbies with slicks. Drop bars could be added as well.

Salsa Fargo?

Salsa Fargo?

Quite expensive frameset.

I was looking at the Karate Monkey to use as a base. I figured a 29er frame would be the way to go - also want it rigid as balloon tyres + suspension is just overkill!

I guess it is worth adding that my reason for wanting a bike like this is so that I can just roll over all potholes! Some of the roads I use are really bad, and when / if they ever get fixed I can just put smaller tyres on.

Thanks

Singlar Peregrine - Singular is a UK company, easy for you to get one. The Singular website makes it look like a pretty cool bike.

http://www.singularcycles.com/peregrine.html

I may be in the market for something along this description as well, ways down the road though. i would want it to look like a traditional road/touring bike though, ideally, lugged steel. Anything not custom/expensive come to mind?

Edit: never mind, looks like the peregrine works, I doubt I'd find anything cheaper.

A 29er would work... with Schwalbe Big Apple tires you don't need a suspension fork - that's overkill. My Niner Sir Niner fulfills that need just well.

Singlar Peregrine - Singular is a UK company, easy for you to get one. The Singular website makes it look like a pretty cool bike.

http://www.singularcycles.com/peregrine.html

Oh very nice, I think you are bang on the money with this one. Will definitely check it out - a little bit pricey though at £540 just for the frameset (karate monkey is around £300)

Thanks

You could also try a 650b (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html) conversion on a regular road bike. It would limit your tire selection, but open up plenty of frame options. I've been thinking about doing this myself, to make my road bike a little more pot-hole capable.

A 650B gives you medium width tires. The Panaracer Col De La Vie tires in 650B X 38 (effectively equivalent to 700C X 23) give a ride that can only be described as plush. And that's a good thing on cobble-stoned streets and rough roads.

Cool sounds like a possibility, are there many tyres in this size (650B)? Perhaps a 26" rim with a big apple on it would work similarly?

Thanks

Just get a Cross Check. It will fit 45mm tires with fenders. Without fenders some 2.0 29er tires will fit the fork.

Do 700x35 count as balloon tires?
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/091119-locomotief.jpg

All but the disc brakes.

The frameset is a Bikesdirect Outcast 29er. Big Apples, fenders, and the newly revived Sturmey Archer 3spd fixed hub with bar con shifter. Rides like a dream.

jim144961

I can't get their website to come up right now, but look on the Raleigh Bicycles website, under mountain bikes. They sell a 29r that might meet your desired specifications. Steel frame with a rigid fork and disc brakes. No price listed, so you'll have to check at your local dealer's shop. And it has that iconic British name, too!

My Atlantis will do that, depending on how you define "balloon tires." I have 37mm Paselas on it now, but it's had 41s without any trouble. Fenders will fit with the 37s; I haven't tried them with the 41s. Don't know if Riv would braze on disc brake mounts on its non-custom bikes, but they're pretty accommodating. IMO, discs aren't worth the expense anyway. bikes already HAVE disc brakes, with the rim functioning as the disk.

IMO, discs aren't worth the expense anyway. bikes already HAVE disc brakes, with the rim functioning as the disk.

I have to disagree, I love my disc brakes and find them to be very effective.

Thanks for all the options people, will investigate them tonight :)

700c [x]
disc brakes [x] (v brakes at the moment)
drop bars [x]
clearance for balloon tyres [x]
mounts for mudguards [x] (you'll need p-clips)
alu or steel [x] (steel)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4401486151_2ae63cf085.jpg

Nice, any more info on the frame? Also can it take gears - I like my gears!

Thanks

This bike looks light and fast and would handle most potholes with no trouble. http://www.priceinspector.co.uk/d/4941124/Cycling/Focus-Mares-2009-compare-prices If necessary you could probably fit 40 mm tires. Disc brakes would not be needed unless you plan on doing long mountain descents with full touring load. Would you be able to take advantage of the UK commuter purchase through work to save the income tax on the bike price? My daughter recently saved 35% on the cost of a Specialized Rockhopper by this scheme.

Tis a nice bike, but I currently ride a bike on which I can fit 40mm + tyres but I have my heart set on being able to use balloon tyres, just to see what they are like! I can indeed take advantage of the cycle to work scheme however it may depend on which retailer my employer chooses as they may not allow custom bikes.

Also I like my disc brakes!

http://home.comcast.net/~joejackson951/bike/PF/DSC02690small.JPG

700c - check
disc brakes - check (up front where I need it most)
drop bars - check
clearance for balloon tyres - check (assuming 44mm is big enough for you)
mounts for mudguards - check (on frame and fork, also has rack mounts)
alu or steel - Nope, all carbon here

From realcyclist.com http://www.realcyclist.com/roadbike/Rocky-Mountain-Solo-CXD-Cyclo-Cross-Bike/RMB0040M.html

I bought this frame http://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2007&Brand=Rocky+Mountain&Model=RC+50+Disc&Type=bike and built what you listed for my wife with drop bars.

To those who say "You don't need Discs" Well, you're probably right. You don't "need" them. However, if you come to somewhere like. say Calgary, when a small Chinook hits after some recent snowfall, well, you might find that riding through that godawfull crap on the roads, you might find you'd really "like" to have discs. I tell ya' that stuff can muck up rim brakes in a matter of minutes.:(

To those who say "You don't need Discs" Well, you're probably right. You don't "need" them. However, if you come to somewhere like. say Calgary, when a small Chinook hits after some recent snowfall, well, you might find that riding through that godawfull crap on the roads, you might find you'd really "like" to have discs. I tell ya' that stuff can muck up rim brakes in a matter of minutes.:(

Anywhere with hills and rainfall is a spot where disc brakes are nice to have. No, you don't need them but unless you like replacing rims every few years and dealing with unpredictable braking and constant brake pad adjustments in the interim, disc brakes are the answer.

Becareful when you buy discs on a "road bicycle", 130mm disc hub replacements are expensive...

Becareful when you buy discs on a "road bicycle", 130mm disc hub replacements are expensive...Well, I was looking for steel, 5mm is no problem.
.

After many "spec me" threads, time on the road and the internet I THINK I know what I want my next bike to be!

700c
disc brakes
drop bars
clearance for balloon tyres
mounts for mudguards
alu or steel


It sounds like you've just described my Giant OCR Touring. Here is a link to another owner's bike, http://ibikedb.net/bikes/8092-giant-ocr-tour-ocr-tour, and here is the Giant archive page on the bike, http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?year=2003&model=10658. Mine has had only a few minor changes, to make it perfect for me. I've had it for years and I can't imagine parting with it...

How about this?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/4341287638_080f4019d7.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/4341287638_aa14babdf3_o.jpg)

Marin Muirwoods 29er converted to drops

700c - check
disc brakes - check (I upgraded the stock brakes to BB7's)
drop bars - check (Salsa Bell Lap)
clearance for balloon tyres - check (700x50 Schwalbe Marathon Supreme)
mounts for mudguards - check (Planet Bike Cascadia 29er)
alu or steel - check (4130 chromoly)

I've kept a running thread documenting the evolution of this bike here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=482897).

If I were starting over, I'm not sure I would go with the Muirwoods as a base. I recently replaced the wheels, which leaves me with nothing but the frame and headset left from the original bike, and the Muirwoods doesn't have quite as much tire clearance as most 29ers. The 700x50 are about as big as it will go. On the other hand, I got the complete bike for about the price of a Karate Monkey frame so I've been able to grow it slowly as I figured out what I wanted.

When I replaced the wheels I also scaled back to 700x28 tires for the spring. The wider tires roll well and are very comfy, but you can really feel the extra weight and wind resistance. Even so, I expect to go back to the wide tires next winter. I also plan to use it for mountain biking this summer with knobby tires.

One thing to watch as you shop for a frame for this project is top tube length. 29ers tend to have long top tubes. I had to put a fairly stubby stem on my Muirwoods to make it work with drop bars, and even then I had to use short reach bars. Generally, I think you have to go a size smaller than you would for a traditional mountain bike riding position.

Another frame to consider, though near as I can tell it's not being sold yet, is the Voodoo Nakisi:

http://www.voodoocycles.net/images/nakisi.jpg

If I ever find these for sale, I might get one to replace the Muirwoods frame.

One thing to watch as you shop for a frame for this project is top tube length. 29ers tend to have long top tubes. I had to put a fairly stubby stem on my Muirwoods to make it work with drop bars, and even then I had to use short reach bars. Generally, I think you have to go a size smaller than you would for a traditional mountain bike riding position.

That's not a 29er specific problem; it's a problem with any flat bar bike being converted to drop bars. The position of the flat bars is about equal to the position of the tops on a drop bar when using the same stem. The reach to the hoods on a typical drop bar is 70-90mm. Unless you were riding very upright on your MTB, the reach to the hoods will be a stretch if you continue to use the same length stem for your conversion. The best fix is a short stem plus short reach bars. If you are sizing way down on a frame to use it with drop bars when it wasn't designed for such bars, you probably should just buy a frame designed for drops (unless you really need the ruggedness of a MTB).