kyledr

That's one hell of a bike.

No I would not leave a bike locked up overnight in Oakland. The worst case scenario would be going out on the weekend and coming back home around midnight. Probably some risk there, but hopefully giving the bike a destroyed look would work. I would feel bad about destroying the look of that bike, hence part of the reason the eBay bike is appealing.

I'm leaning towards building the bike with Alfine instead of Rohloff for cheap+weight savings+less theft risk.

fietsbob

N+ 2 .. commute on something you can afford to replace (or a Nice folding bike to not ever leave on the street.)

then the fancy one to get the F out of town.


is it better to have an adequate bike and have money to blow eating a nicely cooked meal in a restaurant
serving unique local cuisine?

or a fancy bike and only eat stuff you cook for yourself .. being frugal, having spent a pile on the Bike?


That is a choice for you to decide..

kyledr

Does this look like it has enough clearance for full fenders? If so I might stick with 700c for better selection.

Edit: found another, definitely looks like 700c will not fit fenders, not even sure 650b will.



Edit 2: my research indicates 650b should probably work because it has 19mm less in radius, and fenders need about 10mm min.

sam_cyclist

Well, I gave him the same advice, ie his criteria work at cross purposes and he'll never able to fulfill them. He actually wanted a CARBON touring/commuter/dream bike that could be locked up safely in Oakland.

So, a 19 lb bike (expensive) under 1K (very inexpensive), carbon (not meant to be locked up scuffed against meters, trees, other bikes on bike racks), capable of touring (touring bikes aren't carbon, and are heavier).

Now he's looking for a lightweight steel (what's the point if you're going to have to carry 2-4 lbs of locks to keep it secure in oakland) dream/touring/commuter.

You can't point out any of these contradictions or the impossibility of his search because then you are "trolling" and must stop posting in "his" thread.

bikemig 

Giving someone honest advice isn't trolling . . .

LeeG

Locked up till midnight might as well be overnight. It's pretty obvious you don't need a touring bike and your desire for an ideal high end stealth urban commuter that can be locked up for hours really doesn't make sense. A bike that fits your criteria is as mentioned a cheap sport/tour/road bike that you can afford to lose. Trying to make a $1500-$4000 amalgam of attractive parts theft resistant is hopeless. You're in a place that has lots of used bike shops and coops. Go with the goal of getting a complete used road bike for under $250 and look to make it work instead of building up a bike for $1500. If you really want to spend that much money to make it "ideal" AND lock it up for hours set aside $250 for a realistic urban bike when the pricey one starts losing parts in the night.

mdilthey

STOP!

Let us save you before you hurt yourself. Ebay carbon frames are not a good deal. In fact, they are downright dangerous. Couple that with the fact that they are impossible to make with a "destroyed" look. If you mess up the paint job, you risk marring the carbo, and even casual bike thieves will see dollar signs when they see the shape of your frame. Any enlightened thief might not bother stealing it, since it's a terrible bike!

You will not enjoy your carbon ebay frame. You may get hurt when the carbon fails. I've seen it happen. Here is an interesting article that demonstrates why these frames are a bad deal: Not all frames are created equal. A look deep inside the carbon in counterfeit bikes - VeloNews.com



Ok, on to your question:

You want a bike that is fun to ride, lightweight, snappy, and useful if you wanted to do some overnight touring later. I have a few ideas, but it may require you to think outside the box you've drawn with things like Rolhoff hubs and carbon fiber:

1. $- Surly Pacer



Pros: The Surly Pacer is a cheaper option, but will be relatively theft-proof. You can peel all the logos off the frame and it suddenly becomes "just another steel bike." Put on an aluminum seatpost and use sandpaper to mar up the anodized finish, and scruff up the wheels and crankset too. Your bike will be a beater right out of the box (poor bike!).

Cons: This will be a wee bit heavier. Nothing to worry about, it's not a Long Haul Trucker, but it's heavier than most road bikes.

2. $$- All-City Macho Man Disc, Soma Double Cross Disc



Pros: These bikes are very lightweight and can be bought frame-only so you can kit them out as you please. Both use good steel, higher quality than the stuff Surly is using, and will be accordingly lightweight. They have clearance for large tires for off-roading and commuting, but the geometry plays nice with fast road tires and they'll keep up with anything else on group rides.

Cons: Now that your frame is nicer and you're using disc brakes, you become a bigger target for theft.

3. $$$- Fairdale Goodship



This looks like one of the nicest steel road bikes you can buy. Just 19lbs, Enve fork, durable 32/28 wheelset (that's the spoke count), and ready for long days in the saddle. It should have clearance for fenders but it doesn't have mounts, so you'll have to get a pair that has some mounting flexibility. I don't personally even like fenders.

Here's a review that says more than I can: Racing and Riding the Fairdale Goodship ? Andre Chelliah | The Radavist

Pros: One of the nicest, fastest steel bikes on the market, just like they made in the 70's and 80's but with modern components and sizing. Awesome Sram Force groupset. Durable wheels for credit card touring.

Cons: No rack or fender mounts. This is a pure road machine. You can easily outfit it with a classy Carradice seat bag or with bikepacking-style framebags for long rides or tours.

Scummer

Here is my touring ride which was built to custom specs. Maybe you can get some ideas from it:
TRP Hylex disc brakes, Rohloff Speedhub, SON SL 28 dynamo, SON Edelux II, Gates Carbon drive with a 55x22 ratio, Drop bars, stainless steel frame, Abus Bordo 6500 lock + Pitlock quick release lock, Tubus Logo, S&S couplers, Brooks Flyer Special

I would think this is a pretty bomb proof, low maintenance kind of setup. It weighs 16.3kg (35lbs) without the Abus lock.

fietsbob

Headed down the wrong path turn back ! its Cyclocross Racing bike frame and fork .
there never were mudguards needed in the 1 hour (Max) lap race.

you should get something less exotic .

LeeG

Ditto, those were very nice riding bikes.

MZilliox

Do you have a bike? any bike? Im being serious here, because it sounds a bit like this is your first bike? Maybe get a bike and get used to riding it for a while first...

Why do you want a rohloff? seriously? why? cool factor? thats what gets bikes stolen.

Stay away from those crap carbon frames. I mean its bad enough to support copy cats and knockoff artists from a moral perspective, but why would you buy a top of the line rohloff and some crap china plastic frame? does not compute...

im a bit shocked you have got this much attention so far, and even more shocked that i'm bothering to respond to someone who is clearly not listening to years and years of combined experience...

good luck anyway

Tourist in MSN

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/sp...eits.html?_r=0

kyledr

Yeah mate, I joined this forum 9 years ago, but I've never ridden a bike. Thanks for the advice.

I ordered the parts. The bike has drifted away from what most would consider a "touring" bike, although it will suffice for credit card touring, city riding, and road riding. It'll allow me to turn my track bike into wall art (and stop commuting with it, because it's too nice for Oakland) and sell my road bike which is too flashy. I'll destroy the crap out of the (appearance of the) bike without damaging the carbon. I did read a ton of reviews on these carbon frames, and they get a lot of praise. I picked one of the more well known frames and not some maker who is actually trying to pass off a fake Specialized. It's going to be mostly carbon, cross frame, 650b on Schwalbe Kojak tires. If it explodes and I die I'll let you all know. I won't lock it up at night, and I'm going to deploy anti theft measures (super glue ball bearings in allen sockets plus one of these kits: https://www.pinheadlocks.com/store/en/ )

Tourist in MSN

Do not lose your key.

For touring I use threaded on axle skewers instead of quick release, but to make sure I do not lose a special key, I use ones that don't have a key - they use a normal 5mm allen wrench. I am assuming that most thieves are opportunists and do not carry around a 5mm allen wrench. I am sure a few do, but I know with certainty that I would lose the special key.

Superglue ball bearings might be too effective, a glue that can be dissolved with a solvent like gasoline might be better. I have never tried Shoe Goo in allen head bolts, but I recall reading once that someone used that rather effectively. Shoe Goo shrinks as it sets, or at least it does when I put it on shoe soles, you may need to reapply to fill the hole if you try that instead.

kyledr

I've been reading. Some bike thieves here are serial bike thieves who know somewhat advanced techniques for stealing wheels/bikes. From what I've been reading, Pitlock/Pinheads might not even be good enough. Once I get the bike built I'll figure out what I want to do for a locking system. I'll have to see how well a U lock fits around the frame and wheel and bike rack/pole/whatever (my guess is not so well after going 650b). I did order some Pitlock skewers... The quality seems good but we'll see. I might use Pitlock + tricks meant for normal allen bolts to really deter people.

BigAura

Dream bikes require security. This is the puppy you want:



and it's only about half the weight of your bike!

LeeG

A dream bike for Oakland has Universal 68 caliper brakes, non- aero brake cable routing , down tube shifters, Suntour GT derailleur, top tube and chainstay wrapped in cloth tape, cadmium plated spokes, Ospho treated steel frame, torn saddle, no fenders or fancy lighting/hubs but reflective tape is ok.

rawklobster

I'm going to get pitlocks to secure my Rohloff and SON28, as well as other components as gravy. I think they might be enough to thwart off the casual thief who might otherwise spoke cut.

DropBarFan

Rode w/Universal 68 brakes once, solid brakes but required massive lever effort. @ OP, I used to have Reynolds 531 & Columbus SL road bikes; never used them for multi-day touring but they seemed strong enough for moderate loads. Some of the old 531 French bikes like Gitane Tour de France & Peugeot PX-10 had single dropout eyelets. Dunno how much bike thieves are fooled by the rat-bike look. In Amsterdam even crappy old bikes are stolen by junkies.

Peugeot & Gitane were around 23 lbs w/o racks etc. Pukeskywalker's suggestion of old-type hard-tail MTB frame is a good idea. Such frames fairly light if not featherweight & can have double eyelets front/back & also give a smooth ride for commuting/touring. Current Surly Disc Trucker & Novara Randonee are heavy, ~30 lbs unadorned.

kyledr

Should I go hookless 30mm, bead hook 30mm, bead hook 25mm, or something else? I'm strongly considering going tubeless, and would rather get a rim that will be easier to make tubeless (which I think hookless is). Also I noticed most 650b tires start at 1.35" or 35mm, so I'm not sure a 25mm rim is a good idea in 650b. What do you think? The only reason I think I might want clincher is incase I decide I do want to go with clincher tires/tubes for higher PSI.

Thoughts?

BTW I found a sweet commuter with XTR that I almost bought @ 27 lbs for $450. It would have been the smart decision, but my way will be interesting if nothing else.

DropBarFan

Hookless/tubeless seems like more hassle than it's worth on tourer/commuter.

rifraf

Whilst many have buyers remorse due to the Rohloff being utilitarian and no magic carpet ride in use, old dynohubs like the Sturmey Archer vintage models can be picked up for a song and are still grunty enough to power an Edelux enough to amaze anyone used to a lesser headlight.
I believe my original dynohub was a GH-6 and worked fine with my Edelux.

I'd never again not have a dynohub as it just adds so much freedom to my bike.

Rohloff owners don't think I'm knocking the product as its a very good one (I have one on my Ogre) but its not $1000 better than a cassette hub (IMHO).
I like it as I'm lazy and hate maintenance but I'd have to think very hard before replacing it with the same if it were stolen.
I can do a fair amount of air travel with a bike for a $1000 and they do not ride better than any other system in general use.

rifraf

Many bike thieves carry cordless dremel like cutting tools these days and those in the know leave nothing but beaters parked in the street or vulnerable storage.
I've given up on the pitlocks after temporarily misplacing the key and now simply don't leave my bike out of my sight except my home garage where I'm sure even there its not safe.

It must have been a funny sight, me on the side of the road, on tour, with four panniers worth of gear strewn around me searching for the pitlock key which was in my handlebar bag but I'd missed it the first time looking for it.
Narrowly missing a heart attack, I've since retired the pitlocks.

rawklobster

I would say *some* do, but as I said, the casual thief (hack saw or feeding drug habit thieves) probably won't. I understand the worry of having pitlocks and missing the key. I would carry two keys and be vigilant. Nothing it absolutely secure, but many things are more secure. Pitlocks are undeniably more secure than quick release.

Tourist in MSN

I am not disagreeing with you, but when you factor the cost of a wheel also includes the rim, spokes, rim tape and possibly labor, I would rather have a new top quality hub than an old used one.

On a different thread I recently commented that I am afraid I would lose the key, thus for touring I use skewers that use a regular 5mm allen wrench. While there might be some thieves out there that carry a 5mm wrench in their pocket, I assume most are opportunistic and do not carry one.

To avoid loosing the 5mm wrench (recall I am afraid of losing a Pitlock key), I carry two multi-tools, a big one in the pannier and a tiny minimalist one in my pocket where it is handy for quick adjustments.