Originally Posted by
EKW in DC
Not to resurrect a kind of dead thread, but...
I'm looking to upgrade from my current big box hybrid and have been thinking the Nashbar touring frame my be a cheap way to do that. I use my bike as a daily commuter and have racked up about 4,000 miles over the last year and a half. I have plans to do some overnights and hopefully some longer tours in the next year or so.
At this point so much has broken on my bike and/or been replaced that the only stock items left, literally, are the frame, the headset, the stem, and the bottom bracket. The frame is and always has been a little on the small side, and the bottom bracket is now stuck in the frame for unknown reasons (My LBS friend and I spent half an hour trying to remove it last night to no avail).
Long story short, I'm giving the Nashbar touring frame some thought as a cheap way to remedy my issues for now (with a requisite bottom bracket replacement). My biggest concern at this point would be fender and tire clearance, as I've read some posts on threads here about fenders being a tight fit. I run PB Cascadia 45mm hybrid/touring fenders. I'd only be running 35mm tires, maybe 32s, so I know the tires will fit, but the fenders would be a must for me. Anyone have experience with fitting the 45mm Cascadias on the newest incarnation of the Nashbar frame? Is it tight? Did it require any mods to the fenders?
Ultimately, I have my eyes on a Surly LHT in its complete configuration, but $1100+tax just isn't in the cards at the moment. :-( Hopefully the Nashbar frame will be a good, workable, affordable intermediate solution... Thoughts?
Plenty of room both height and width wise.
Would you be transferring any parts over? At the minimum, you're looking at $200 for frame, fork, headset, and bottom bracket.
The Windsor is definitely the more economic choice. The pics on the links to the tourists testimonial shows the bikes with fenders.