throwawayington

I ride 20-30 miles a day on my 1988 Schwinn conversion, but am ready to upgrade to a new frameset. What's the best steel frame on the market with relaxed geometry?

EpicSchwinn

There are a million options out there. A couple questions to help us narrow it down:
How much do you want to spend?
Do you want eyelets for fenders and racks?
How much do you care about weight?
Any components on your Schwinn conversion that you'd want to put on the new bike? (for compatibility's sake)

-By the way, I had an 87 Schwinn conversion Gotta love 'em.

andre nickatina

Personally speaking, 20-30 miles isn't nearly enough for track geometry to bother me out on the road (assuming the bike fits well). But really, if long road rides is what you have in mind for your bike, a conversion is probably the best place to be, bang-for-buck wise.

If you still feel the need to 'upgrade'/swap out a frame, though, look at geometry charts and find something with 73ish degree seat tube/head tube angles and ~45mm fork rake (as is the near gold standard for road geometry in a medium size). I'd take a look at Soma's Van Ness frameset: https://www.somafab.com/archives/prod...s-single-speed

late

There are a number of superb builders out there. But there are a few names that jump out when
you talk about best, like Sachs and Perreira.

I ride a Gunnar Sport, and it is very, very good.

If you are doing distance, consider adding a 9 spd on the rear with a bar end shifter.
Gears are nice when you're still a long ways from home and you're looking up at the road
going over a mountain.

EpicSchwinn

I'm surprised Superb's name didn't jump out

RaleighSport

What is your current schwinn conversion? Might give us a better idea of where you are with the bike hunt.

GMJ

I really like that frame.

throwawayington

Sorry I didn't include more details in the original post. My conversion is a 1988 Schwinn Sprint. It has Velocity deep-Vs laced to IRO hubs (I'm pretty sure they're just relabeled Formulas), an Origin 8 propulsion cransket, bull horns, a tektro front caliper brake, and a Brooks B17. It's the 25" model (when I measured the seat tube it was about 59cm), I'm 6'2" and ride with the seat almost touching the top tube.
I live in South Texas so hill climbing isn't really an issue, even on long rides. I'm going to keep my current conversion for doing short tours (2-day 180 mile rides) so eyelets for mounting racks aren't really necessary. I'm basically looking for something sleek I can ride around the city that won't put all my weight on my wrists when I'm riding slow. My budget is ~$600 for the frame.

Thanks for all the useful comments so far! You guys have already mentioned several frames I was not aware existed.

EpicSchwinn

jdgesus' Surly steamroller comes to mind as a comfortable bike for city or touring. I haven't ridden one yet but maybe he or another steamroller owner can chime in

BikeArkansas

Not sure what you are seeking. I am 6'2" also. I ride a Jamis Sputnik, I believe an'09 model with a 59CM frame. It has been great on metric centuries, both flat and hilly. I do change the gearing a little when the route is more hilly. This steel frame works well for me.

max5480

here is the answer

although if your LBS carries surly, I might go with that.

hwdxbassist

I rode my Lo-pro an average of 23-30 miles a day. Ive also 100 miles in a day.
you can ride anything, anywhere its all about what kind of setup you have

fxdgrjedi

^^^+1 to that! High bottom bracket, track ends, and road geo, perfect for long rides. Sounds like its in your budget range too. Would you be swapping the wheels and parts from your Schwinn to the new frame? If so, I dont think the heavy wheels and parts would do the frame justice. I would save up and buy a Wabi complete because the parts spec is really nice.

homebrewk

+1 on the dumproller.

hairnet

Not to say you can't, but obviously some frames are better suited than others. I'm not going to go race crits with a touring frame.

Sherblock

You could buy an older road frame and convert it. They were made for long miles (geometry wise). A lot of track frames will, of course, have track geometry. Also you can get a quality frame for much cheaper.

Hairnets bike looks like the perfect set up. Besides, you know, the incredibly large size



It obviously isn't the prettiest but it would get the job done.

fxdgrjedi

^^^ Love it! +100 for old road frames!

Philasteve

I second the steamroller my favorite bike i've owned so far I can't see myself ever getting rid of my steamroller.

sam83

You might be able to score a new or used 2007-2009 Salsa Casseroll. Mine was ridden in RAAM 2008. I rode it in Cycle North Carolina this year; 500 miles in 7 days.

throwawayington

thanks for all the suggestions, guys! I found a 58cm Soma Van Ness on ebay for $475, so I decided to go with that. It'll take me a while, but I'll post a photo once the build is complete