Originally Posted by
mconlonx
I'll probably get called a BD shill, but whatevs.
Gravity Zilla Monstercross.
Pros: Cheap, fits big tires, aluminum
Cons: Components probably sub-par compared to your other bikes, no idea about toe overlap, aluminum.
Figure assembly or a tune-up at a shop if you're not into it, and you get a complete bike for less than the cost of other frames you're looking at.
Thanks for the recommendation-it fits most of my criteria. I have definitely considered it. My biggest reservation is the brakes. The reason I am not just riding my touring bike through the winter (cheap nashbar frame) is that I want discs. I have had a number of occasions during the winter where I had braking issues (going through puddles especially), which good disc brakes should fix. From what I have read, those on this frame are sub-par, so I would be replacing them with avid bb7's, so add $100 to the price tag. Plus I would prefer to round out my ideal list if I am going to add another bike to the stable. Still, hmmm.