TDHK

Aloha all,

I have a question that I cannot answer.
I am palnning to do a SF to LA ride this June and do not have a road bike. When considering bikes I was not sure if it were worth bulidng an older steel frame (heavier) or purchase a newer bike for the ride. Will the heavier bike be that much of a problem as opposed to a lighter newer frame on my planned ride?

Here are my two options:

1. old Univega tange steel lugged frame thats obviously on the heavier side when compared to the more current frames available.
-Do I purchase new components for the bike and rebuild?

2. Buy a new bike. I unfotunatley do not have that much budgeted but was looking to spend bout $800. ( I would like steel)

All thoughtful and helpful responses are appreciated?

TDHK

maddyfish

Well, you can get a Jamis steel bike for $800, that is decent.

zacster

I tried building up an old steel bike, or at least priced it out. It didn't seem worth it.

Road Fan

For a long ride like this I would consider comfort above all, unless you are going to carry a full load of gear. If you are going fully loaded, weight is not a major issue, rather its strength, stability, and handling with load, with of course comfort.

If you are carrying a load, you should prob be out looking for a real touring bike, like a Trek 520.

If you are buying new and not carrying much gear, I'd look for the bottom-gruppo version of a Specialized Roubaix, or some other light plush bike. Check into how hard it will be to get a luggage rack fitted, or a rear bag support.

If you are traveling light and can't afford a Roubaix, you might still fare best building up your Tange-tubed frame. If it is butted tubing, you have a rather resilient, smooth-riding frame that will soak up the miles. How much you spend for parts is a function of how you do things. A new gruppos with wheels and all can easily cost you $1200, and of course more. But you can get great wheels and friction shifting setups on Ebay, along with very effective single-pivot brakesets, et cetera. Much cheaper than buying new!

Not familiar with the Jamis for $800, I must say.

Road Fan

55/Rad

$800 will buy you a whole lot more used steel than anything new.

Bacciagalupe

SF to LA is around 8 days of cycling, so this really belongs in the Touring forum, but....

I assume you will be carrying your gear with you, in which case 2-3 lbs of frame weight is completely irrelevant. A speedy road bike is probably not optimal anyway, since it will be uncomfortable, doesn't have a geometry for loaded touring, can't fit wide tires, and probably doesn't have the right gearing.

By the way, I'd go very low with the gearing on that particular trip. You're looking at 6,000+ feet of climbing on some of those days. Go for 700 x 25c or 28c tires.

Used bike can work if you know enough about bikes, and can get something with a triple, can use a rack, and can take wide tires. My understanding is that before the MTB craze, lots of road bikes were made for general-purpose use and would be fine for touring.

New in your price range, Jamis Satellite or a Specialized Sequoia will be a good road bike, as well as a halfway decent touring rig. Jamis Aurora is a good one as well, although it's a touring bike so it won't be particularly snappy for other purposes.

Last but not least: use the Adventure Cycling maps. There are several spots on SR-1 that you want to avoid, plus it points out lots of campsites, bike shops, stores etc.

aloysius

What can you tell me about this Univega? Model? Tubeset?

v1k1ng1001

Why not spend more and get something like a Lemond Sarthe?

Scooper

Yes!

"Used" doesn't necessarily old or heavy. There are some really nice 80s and 90s Reynolds 853 and Columbus SLX or SL/SP frames out there that are in the four to five pound range and are just begging to be outfitted with new components and ridden. $800 will get you a heckuva frame set if you take the time to shop around.

Hocam

I think he meant 800 total.

Is this a supported or unsupported tour?

merlinextraligh

Surly Crosscheck would be just a touch above your budget, but would serve you well.

https://citybikes.com/itemdetails.cfm...gId=39&id=9959

TDHK

thank you for all the responses. I will be riding in that SF to LA LifeCylce. I believe that it is a supported ride with over several thousand people. As far as gear I think (not sure, it isnt really specified) I am able to have on 70lbs gear bag that they will transport? (anyone please clarify). In the images of the previous rides I see no one with their gear bags on their bikes so I assumed that a road bike was ok and a touring bike was not needed. Anyone chime in if you have been on this ride

As far as the Univega is concerned here it is : https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayisapi.dll...m=300133052598
At the time I was looking for a candidate for a fixed conversion but got a proper track frame instead.
Still worth building for this ride? or should I be looking for a more modern bike. I like steel but would not mind one of those carbon seatstay deals

>>>please no flaming here<<<
I was looking at a bike like this: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ane/sprint.htm
Its the best outfitted frame at this price I could find. Its just a starting point so all recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for all the responses thus far.

Treefox

Built this up myself from a ca. 1992 Reynolds 531 Peugeot



Got the bike for £50, spent about £250 on wheels, tyres, Tiagra shifters, 105 derailleurs, seat, seatpost, bar tape, pedals, cassette, chainrings, & BB. Cranks and brakes are original RX100.

55/Rad

All 3 of these were built for a total cost each in the neighborhood of $800...or less.

buddy

I got a bike from bd and I love it. For the money it is hard to beat. It a matter of personal choice. Do a search on bikedirect and read all the pros and cons and make your choice.

buddy

Bacciagalupe

THDK: Ahh, I've considered that... You won't have to carry much gear, probably just basic tools, food and water. So basically, you could use just about any bike that you find to be comfortable.

FWIW, I'd still go with a bike that leans more towards the "touring" side of things, or at least, can be set up that way without too much trouble. After all, you will be averaging 90 miles a day for 6 days in a row! So:

- triple or compact double with very low gearing
- 25c, 28c or wider tires
- handlebars either even with, or 1" above, the saddle
- a saddle that is firm yet comfortable (e.g. Brooks)

Also, you will need to train extensively for this, so that gives you some time to play around with your bike. It can often take 50 or 75 miles for you to notice that something doesn't fit or feel right.

I don't think BD is worth the money, mainly because you do not get LBS support and you'll get socked for tune-ups.


OK, I need some details, dammit.

Did you buy the frames used, and just upgrade selected components? And were those components new, used, or both? And how much of the wrenching are you doing yourself?

Another thing about buying used, if via teh Intarweb: how do you know what geometry / dimensions to use? Seems like that'd be a hard thing to judge, if you're not already an expert on geometry....

55/Rad

While the hard costs for these bikes were in the neighborhood of $800 each, the costs in terms of the time it takes to research and find the deals is astronomical. In other words, if you are willing to do the work, something I enjoy immensely, there are tremendous deals to be found.

2 of the 3 were purchased as complete bikes, stripped and rebuilt, changing out various components. Everything was used. The 3rd, the Vetta, was purchased as a frame and built up mostly from the components leftover from other projects.

55/Rad

Bob Ross

Aw crap, now I have to take my pants to the cleaner...

CardiacKid

Here is a bike I recently spent about $800 on.

I can promise you this bike rides a lot better than any BikesDirect bike you can get. With the Brooks saddle, it weighs about 22 lbs. Not bad for a 33 year old bike.