Originally Posted by
Bob Dopolina
If you're riding a 52cm~54cm and climb well enough how heavy can you be? Also, if you are going with a compact to spin more on steep pitches stiffness will be less a factor.
Honestly, I don't think you will notice much in the way of stiffness from any frame you buy based on these facts (assumptions). I would suggest you move stiffness down the list and look more at geometry and ride quality (of course, aesthetics matter. too). This might open up other options to you.
For the record how much do you weigh?
I'm 5'8" and weigh 142lbs. I can climb pretty well, but it's just the really steep parts at fast pace that I sometimes wish I had a few more gears so that I didn't have to spend quite as long in the red. Part of the issue is that I've chosen to ride with groups that are one step below the local race teams in the area to help improve my fitness. I'm sure eventually, once my fitness improves more, I'll be able to take my main ride (carbon bike with a standard double and a 12-25 cassette) and ride up those steep pitches without blowing up.
Since I wanted to build a bike from scratch as a learning experience, I figured I would go with something a little different than what I already have and do an aluminum frame with a compact double. There have been a number of good frames suggested in this thread (thanks everyone!), but my budget isn't super high. I'm looking to spend about $300 for a frameset. So far, I'm down to looking for good buys on ebay/CL or a Motobecane Le Champ frameset from Bike Island.
neneboricua