Originally Posted by
Spasticteapot
I'm more worried about something seizing, though it's probably the drivetrain that I should worry about. (How do you keep your cogs and chain from corroding, anyway?) I don't have much money for this project, and quite a lot of it is going into the wheels - some of the roads around here are bad enough to cause damage to cars.
I'm also a bit unsure of what frame to buy. I'm thinking of jumping up to 60CM - past experience has taught me that I'm best off with my rear end not much higher than my hands and a really really long top tube.
If your concern is seizing, Al is no panacea. Al and steel don't play well together.. . and considering every part you thread into your frame is steel, in a corrosive environment I'd rather have steel on steel.
Keeping the drive train from rust? Rinse with water and lube. The commuting forum may have some great info about year round riding in the rust belt. Some prefer to get a beater bike and not worry too much about it other than lubing it.
I'm with you about fit. Your favorite had position near your seat height and as long a TT as you can get. Using a slight shorter stem is preferred to using a longer one, from my experience with tall frames. I'm currently using a Nitto Albatross bar on a 63cm frame with a 62cm. TT. It's the best bar I've ever used, and the most versatile, as I use mtb shifters and bar-end time trial brake levers, so I have 30cm of usable bar space for each hand. Better than any drop bar I used, including what I thought was a great Nitto Dirt Drop bar. If I would have had a short TT frame, I would not have been able to use such a bar, as I would have been too upright and my knees too prone to knock the bar ends. So, yes, get the longest TT you can find, as you never know what bar you may want in the future. With an Albatross bar, it helps to have a longer TT and/or a slightly longer stem. A long TT frame gives you a lot of latitude there.
With seat tube sizing, read carefully how it is measured. Everyone has their own way of measuring it.
Are all IGH weather proof? I don't know, I assume you've checked? If so it sounds good for your purposes.
-good luck!