Originally Posted by
lukasz
I'm talking about Reynolds 631, 853, True Temper Platinum whatever, etc. No plain ol' cromo--getting a steel bike made of that is easy.
Saying that a touring frame would be good is tricky because the OP and I are looking for bikes that work with crazy things like fenders and racks, but are likely built to be lighter and a bit more aggressive than your average touring bike. Yes, I know you can get fenders and racks that don't use eyelets, but why compromise?
Jamis makes a model called the Aurora Elite that is made out of Reynolds 631 and is a few pounds lighter than their base-level Aurora model. The Aurora Elite is billed as a touring model, but it's really a "lightweight" touring model - the wheels, etc., aren't quite as rugged/heavy as an all-out tourer.
However, for 2010 they have added disc brakes, added fenders, etc., and it's gotten a few pounds heavier.
There are still some 2009's around if you're interested.
In terms of older steel frames with eyelets, try finding a used Japanese bike from the 1980's - Univega, Miyata, Centurion, Lotus, Fuji, Panasonic, etc. They made all-out touring bikes, but also some "sport touring" bikes that were a little lighter, sportier, shorter wheelbases, but still with eyelets in the front forks and dropouts. I had a Univega Gran Rally, for example, that was a really nice bike that I could mount a rear rack on for credit card tours.