Commuting - In the market for new bike

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I commute on a 10-yr-old Cannondale T400 aluminum touring bike that I've ridden 1000's of miles and I love. All the componens are shot, and I'd like to update to something a little quicker since I don't really have the time to tour anymore. I'm a year-round commuter in Cleveland which has some awful potholes and is not the most bike-friendly town. Any suggestions for a new road bike that will be a little lighter and fun to take out on the weekends, yet good for commuting? I'm looking in the ~$500-$1200 range. I've thought about steel since it's pretty affordable, and a good steel frame can be fairly light. I hear it's a good soft ride too. I've thought about a Soma (out of San Fran). ANY ADVICE?

i think soma and surly are your only options. all their frames are kinda heavy. i would go with the some smoothie if ya aint usin paniers. also try a phil bb and some bebop pedals and use campy veloce shifting. maybe some velocity sparticus wheels. use a veloce headset. get a cheap seatpost and bars. and stem. check out the veloce brakes. use a whipperman or sram chain. get a koobi xenon seat. use veloce cranks.

that should be a neat lil bike! :)

i listed companies with good customer service, products and repairability.



http://www.koobi.com/koobi/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&User_ID=326860&st=9409&st2=-90788003&st3=-70554119&Product_ID=9&CATID=3




http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=2122&sku=11652&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=



http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=2122&sku=11654&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

I would say, drop the aluminum. Like you, I commutted 1,000s of miles on a Cannondale T1000. When I bought the bike I think Cannondale had something like three sizes. Despite an ill fitting bike, I grew weary of the harsh ride of a)the geometry and b) the materials. -- I went to steel and will never go back to aluminum on a single, road bike. I wouldn't concentrate too much on "lightweight." When all is said and done, I doubt we notice the difference between a 22 lb bike and a 21 lb bike, especially if you are communting.

There are plenty of small steel frame makers that are not overly expensive. You could search google and get a bunch. I would get a good quality steel frame, and with the money you save over aluminum, invest in a quality wheel set or componets.


My opinion.

Check out Torelli: Brianza (double) & Gran Sasso (triple) if there is a dealer in your area. They are on sale at about your top figure & normally come with Campagnolo Mirage group but some dealers may still have one of the units with the Daytona (now Centaur)/Veloce upgrade which Torelli passed on to dealers at the same unit price. I just got a Gran Sasso with the upgrade groupo. Don

Bianchi makes (made?) some nice steel framed quasi-touring bikes. The Specialized Allez Cromo Comp is a VERY nice steel framed bike, with full Ultegra. I think thats around your price range. Otherwise look at a Surly, or a Burley, which though known for their baby trailers makes some steel bikes of fantastic quality.

Jamis Quest is my suggestion for a road bike. One of the best component mixes for the money.

That being said, no road bike is going to be great going over potholes. You'll have to be careful with your rims, and maybe even put larger tires on.

You might also consider the speedbike/hybrid straight bar category. Specialized Sirrus, Giant Cypress SX/SL, Jamis Coda (steel), Felt SR series and others. Some have a mtn bike type frame, others a road frame, and all are made so that you can add larger tires, probably up to 37s. I have a Cypress SX at $600 retail, and I really like it. It's more of an upright riding position, which I think is better in traffic.

Mine came with 700x28s which I think is fine. Any larger and the bike would start to slow down. As it is, my average speed is basically the same as it is on my road bike. And I'm not wearing the road bike out either.

The Soma ES sounds like the ideal bike. The clearance for 32mm touring rubber means that you can ride rough roads and potholes with confidence. You can also fit rack and fenders.
If you are building to a price, you can aim your cash at more critical components like BB and headset, and wheel-build , rather than just a fancy rear mech.

Try www.vailcycleworks.com
Really light steel and great price---JJ

If you are commuting, do you really want a full road bike?
I have the Specialized Allez Comp mentioned above as my weekend roadie, but just after 2 days of commuting I knew I needed a different bike for that.
I picked up a Kona Dew Deluxe. www.konaworld.com
Don't have it yet, but they have a really good underground reputation. Hoping it comes in tomorrow. :)