Originally Posted by
arnicaliebe
I only build my bikes out of used components, so I'm looking more in the realm of old stuff from companies such as Suntour and Sugino. Yea, Shimano isn't too hard to figure out. But then when you get into the realm of frames: Univegas, Raleighs, etc. It gets a little difficult. So I can't go by the price of an item 'cause usually I'll buy or find a frame then work with the components on that frame.
With steel frames there are a few things to look for:
(a) Is it high-tensile steel (junky), standard 4130/chromoly/cro-moly/Cr-Mo, or bike-specific tubing such as Reynolds 531 or Ishiwata Feather or Tange whatever.
(b) Are the dropouts *stamped* (2D look) or cast (3D look). Better frames always have cast dropouts.
(c) Is it drilled for water bottle brackets? The cheapo frames rarely are, the good ones usually are.
(d) Do the original cranks (if present) have removable chainrings? Cheap crummy frames usually came with cheap crummy components...
With Suntour and Sugino components things get pretty hairy... by which I mean that I do not personally know the complete history of their component lineups
Ask around about specific components. Since most bikes have their original components, and since most frames are roughly matched in quality to their components, you should be able to tell a whole lot just by looking at the frames.
That being said, I have/had 5 or so Sugino cranksets with removeable chainrings, and all worked great. The cheaper ones were heavier than low-end stuff today, but more solidly built.