Originally Posted by
Maelochs
People have offered a few good options, like that Soma ... seems to be exactly what you are after. It might cost a little more than you want to spend ... but likely you will have the bike for the rest of your life and the option is to save a few hundred and suffer. and at $500 for the frame ... that is actually a really great price for a well-made steel frame from a reputable builder. Throw on 105 and you could build a good bike for under $1200 if you are smart about it.
Or, spend the $470 on the Buena Vista.
Find the best "donor" bike the OP can find on Craigslist for $300 or so.
Transfer all the parts over, and sell the donor frame.
Total outlay comes down to about $800 minus the value of the donor bike, and depending on how good the OP is at scrounging.
There is something to be said, however, for buying quality new parts to start with.