Originally Posted by Kyle in Maine
Yeah, I know I need to face facts that Surly is pretty much exactly what I am looking for. There's a Surly dealer down the street from my house, maybe I'll go talk to him this weekend.
Mainly, I was just trying to find some other manufacturers of steel bikes. Jamis was a great recommendation. The Satellite and the Aurora are both within the budget, and the model names are a plus too due to my fascination with astronomy. The Bianchis I was thinking of are the Brava and the Volpe. As far from building one up...the jury is still out on that. When I get home I will eBay a bit (can't eBay from work) and see what I can find.
So far on the steel rides list:
Surly
Bianchi
Jamis
Thanks maxknee and michaelmc!
Any others people?
-Kyle
'06 Lemond Croix de Fer which has a great steel frame. It's been discontinued for '07 but I've seen them around for $900-$1000 last. You should be able to pick up the model up, which is a Lemond Sarthe, for around $1400. The '06 Versailles is a steel/carbon hybrid and I've seen it go for just under $1000.
If you're coming around to the idea of buying a Surly, you might want to check out Soma's frames. They make the smoothie and smoothieES.