Originally Posted by
rothenfield1
This is trueness;… there seems to have been a missing link between loaded touring bikes and race bikes, from what I’ve seen, back in the late 70’s and 80’s which Surly and Soma have exploited with their Cross Check and Double Cross designs. As nice as they are, I have a hard time paying the retail price for their frames when an entire good quality steel framed bike can be had for half that. The problem is that finding the vintage bike that meet your requirements will require some compromises that only you could make. You could go with a full-on tourer and strip it down, but you’d be left with a sluggish bike that was designed to come alive only when loaded back and front. Or, you could try to MacGyver a sport frame. I have no answer for you, but I’m going down the same road. Among the bikes that are currently in my radar are the Bridgestone 400 and Univega Gran Turismo. There are obviously others hidden under some magical rock somewhere, but only you can do the homework to find it.
I think there are plenty of options out there, you just need to be patient. The 82 Schwinn Super Sport mentioned earlier in this thread is a great example, Tang 2, double braze ons front and rear, non toury geometry . I actually have an 81 Super Sport (57x57 approximately, and it fits 33.333's snugly) in nearly new condition I have considered parting with. I'll get back to you with pictures and a price if I can bring myself to actually do it. But there are Miyatas, Univegas, and Centurions out there that would fit the bill as well.