Touring - Well, I had a moment of weakness

Hi,
I had been looking at an IF touring frame for
days on Ebay. I don't know what posessed me to bid on it.
Not at all sure I'll have any standover on it.
But it looks like a nice frame for a reasonable amount of money.
ANyone have any experience with IF frames?
I've never even ridden one. If I get it, I'll prob build it up with 7 speed parts
since I have a ton of them already. The wife has no idea this is going on,
I'll be in the doghouse for a while if I win.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7118401086&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Hi,
I had been looking at an IF touring frame for
days on Ebay. I don't know what posessed me to bid on it.
Not at all sure I'll have any standover on it.
But it looks like a nice frame for a reasonable amount of money.
ANyone have any experience with IF frames?
I've never even ridden one. If I get it, I'll prob build it up with 7 speed parts
since I have a ton of them already. The wife has no idea this is going on,
I'll be in the doghouse for a while if I win.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7118401086&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

So are you posting it here in hopes that someone else will bail you out by outbidding you? :)

Nice bike, but the head angle looks a little steep. Might just be the picture, though.

is it my eyes, or is there no curve at all to those forks? might be tight clearance
with fenders, especially with such a tiny, tiny frame.

especially with such a tiny, tiny frame.

HEY, since when is a 55cm a tiny,tiny frame???? :)

Signed,

Guy who rides 54.5cm bike

why, 55-cm IS a tiny, tiny frame - built by elves with with nasty, big, pointy
teeth for teensy-weensy hobbit-sized folk.

signed,

normal-sized guy who rides 64.5 cm bike

normal-sized guy who rides 64.5 cm bike

Yeah, it's the real freaks that ride 65 and above :D

Hi Halfspeed,
I wouldn't kick if I get outbid. Prob will be outbid, it
would save me explaining the situation to the Boss...
Now that you mention it, the headtube does look steep. I hadn't noticed that before.

Hi Saddlesores,
I figure when you're that tall, the air is so thin little oxygen gets to the brain. But.. I don't have a good explanation for the straight legs. Since I only ride tires in the 28-32c range, I doubt it would be a problem.

is it my eyes, or is there no curve at all to those forks? might be tight clearance
with fenders, especially with such a tiny, tiny frame.

its a straight-blade fork, the rake comes from the crown of the fork rather then a bend built in.

and the reason the bike looks so steep is becuase of the BB drop. the bike is supported by the BB and the fork, if you'll notice, the top tube is slanted down at an angle, creating the illusion of a steep HT.

Here's a pic from the IF website of the bike..
http://www.ifbikes.com/frames2/steelindependence_p1.shtml
It looks like a touring frame, but maybe one that is a little livelier than most.

I was poking around and came across a notice that they are developing a lugged Ti frame. I like the sound of that, not that I
could ever afford it.

its a straight-blade fork, the rake comes from the crown of the fork rather then a bend built in.

and the reason the bike looks so steep is becuase of the BB drop. the bike is supported by the BB and the fork, if you'll notice, the top tube is slanted down at an angle, creating the illusion of a steep HT.

I'm not sure I agree. I think it looks steep in comparison to the seat tube. Regardless of the BB drop and how it is supported, a headtube steeper than the seat tube will tend to have a longer rider position and a twitchier feel. The picture on the website looks plenty relaxed, but they customize the geometry on these so you can't go by that.

It's something I'd ask the seller about.

According to the manufacturer's specs, the head tube angle is 71 degrees, which is pretty much standard for that sizeframe, I believe.

Doc

Looks like you've been outbid.

Just as well,
nice idea, not the best time of year to do it.