I am currently building a gravel bike from a road bike, however, the rear frame is so narrow, I dont think I can run over a 28 tire.
So, now I am considering switching over to a used frame of some sort with a wider space between the rear triangles. Something decent, not too heavy, prefer steel, old is fine as long as I can run a wider tire. 35 at least, but maybe up to 45 width. Thanks

Not sure of any question here. Lots of bikes can fit wider tires, you just have to look for them. This is a type of detail/spec that might not be well described in an on line ad though. Do you have a recycle shop near you to see stuff in person? Does your area have a Craig's List to use as a source? Don't forget about the unmentioned brakes and their contribution to max tire size compatibility. Andy

Need a frame with a wider space between the rear triangles for 35-40- 45 tires.
Yes, I am considering the brakes.
I am sure there are plenty of frames out there.
But I live in the sticks and no bike shops around.

I will try my current setup with 700x28 tires and see if that will cut it.
If not I will be looking for something else.

Surly Cross Check and Pacer frames are Cr-Mo steel and accept wider tires. If you find one used it should be quite reasonably priced.

I would also prowl the net for consignment shops that post bikes. Bike shops may be rare but consignment shops seem to be all over. My fist bike was from a consignment store and I paid $65 for it. It was a fine steel bike but was too big for me.

What's your budget?

Low budget - 80's/90's rigid MTB with cantilever brakes is a good starting point for a budget build and this type of bike can be found for $50 to $150 on CL. You can also find lots of older rigid MTB frame/forks on ebay. You'll be able to run large 26" tires on the original rims and the original gearing will be good for gravel - likely a triple crank with granny gears. Get your self a set of nice, plush 26" tires with file tread - no need for knobbies unless you're going off-road. Clean-up the brakes, add new pads, and replace all of the cables if nec. and you'll be fine.

From there you can convert to drop bars if you wish - original thumb/click shifters can be re-used with a little creativity - plenty of examples on the internet and this site - you'll need a stem that angles up to set the drop bars at a reasonable position. And, you'll need an inexpensive set of drop bar brakes levers that work with canti's - Tektro makes good, reasonably-priced stuff - you can mount the thumbies/click shifters on the handlebars near the stem - some improvisation required.

You can also do this type of conversion with a decent 'hybrid' bike - like a Trek MultiTrack. With this type of bike you'll get 700c rims and lots of width for bigger tires. Twist shifters will add a degree of difficulty if converting to drops.

However, when substantially modifying and older bike you can quickly spend 1/2 what it would cost for a brand new gravel bike with modern components.


Mid-budget ($500 to $750 for frame/fork) - all kinds of gravel frame options in this price range. But if you're buying all of the components to build it up you'll easily spend $1500 to $2000 when you're done - better to buy a complete new or used recent-vintage bike.


$900 and up - Starting around $900 you can get a very nice aluminum frame/fork bike with disc brakes, good drivetrain, etc. that will be pretty light as well (25#, or less). Spend a little more and you'll get a carbon fork and somewhat better components - cable-actuated hydraulic discs are pretty slick. Something like the Salsa Journeyman, Kona Rove, etc. Big tires running at 25 - 30 psi will take the harshness out of an aluminum frame if that concerns you.

https://salsacycles.com/bikes/journe...man_claris_650


$949



If you really want a steel frame the Breezer Radar series starts at $949 with a nice component list.

https://www.breezerbikes.com/bikes/a...r/radar-expert

$969

I was actually looking at an older rigid MTB frame just now.
Thanks

dude, tell us more about the frame.

The narrow between the rear triangles frame is a Raleigh Competition GS frame.

Just bought a Trek 830 to rebuild into a gravel bike, and My Raleigh will be set up as a road bike.