Alright, After building road bikes for both my brother in law and father in law (as chronicled here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=117615 ), I decided that I wanted a road bike for myself. I fell in love with the smooth road riding very fast (I previously only had mountain bikes).

Anyway, I have read with amusement the “OCP” threads and the “PCO” threads, and have realized that I am a bit of both. On one hand I love the search for bargains and really dig on getting the most performance for my money with nearly anything I do. On the other, I am also a sucker for the bling to make my stuff look impressive. My problem was that I was on a pretty tight budget. My wife didn’t appreciate the idea of another bike when “The one you have is good.”

After lots of looking, watching craigslist and ebay, I found my frame. It is a Davidson Signature custom steel frame that was built in ’95 for a local guy who happens to have nearly the exact dimensions as me. It has a 57cm top tube and a 53cm seat tube in a conventional style frame. It was perfect for my short legs and long torso. It was a little beat up, with scratched paint and stuff, but had no metal damage at all. It just needed a new paint job. The best part? I got the frame for $180, but don’t tell my wife that. She thinks I got it for less. A steal for what is essentially a custom frame for me. Check out the picture. Beautiful fillet brazing on the chainstays and seatstays. I love the pseudo lug at the seat clamp and TIG welding on the main triangle. I’ve actually had the frame for a couple of months now, but am now just starting to work on it. I'll update as it goes.

-Jeff