Wildwood 

Many British brands offered sport/touring models (aka 'clubman') that would take wider tires for light touring while retaining sporty handling with a skinny tired wheelset.

This is a rebranded Holdsworth - but many made a similar style. Will take a 32mm tire with knobs.
In 2nd pic with 32mm knobbies front, 33mm (Racing Ralph CX) rear

MegMC

Thanks so much, this is all very helpful. Will put figure out fit issues at top of my list! Also good to have some baseline filters to help me see what's out there and what I might be into.

MegMC

Thanks for this break down and the tips for what to look for. As always, everyone is supremely helpful!

@Wildwood thanks for showing me so many different bikes I am unaware of.

52telecaster

In my neck of the woods we run into Miyatas a lot. 3 series through 9 series all have great frames. With your height you may want to consider different stem lengths. Small bikes often have relatively longer top tubes for the frame size. I usually get 60mm reach stems just because I like to be upright but they could help you make a bike fit.

Wildwood 

[QUOTE=MegMC;20566060]@Wildwood thanks for showing me so many different bikes...…


It's what we do. ……………..Caught me on a rainy morning.

These sites will be your inspiration if you plan a little fixing-up and light wrenching.

Lightweight Classic Vintage bicycles
Classic Lightweights

If you do want your fixed up bike to shine - go classic as well as vintage.

Here's 2 examples with modern components and triple chainrings.
Nice Pinarello paint from 90s (atmo), and
classic Dutch orange late 70s.

L134 

bnewberry

Cougrrcj

What you're asking is is what mid-high-level bike is a good bike for commuting/rough roads/bike paths... One 'problem' with your question is that GENERALLY, the higher up the particular brand hierarchy, the more you end up in race bike frame geometries and very little tire clearance. Exceptions are the touring bikes that, again GENERALLY, have longer rear chainstays and more tire clearance between the chainstays.

I really don't mind riding a comfortable, heavier frame bike. My '75 Fuji S-10S is straight-gauge hi-ten steel, and yet only 26.1 pounds bare (according to the catalog), and 30 pounds as measured last year equipped with rear rack, bottle cage, lights and triple crankset, but lighter wheels than it had stock. Originally 27x1-1/4" / 32mm tires, I generally ride it with 27x1-1/8 tires/ 28mm. Plenty of room for fenders, too.

Only in the last couple of years have I 'upgraded' to slightly lighter steel-frame bikes -- about two-three pounds lighter for the bare bike. My '84 Univega Viva Sport has double-butted cr-mo frame and Manganese-alloy front fork. With lighter components than stock, I got that one down from 25 to 24.1 pounds. It still wears 27" wheels, but newer narrow rims fitted with 1-1/8" tires (28mm) but has room for 1-1/4" or 32s, easily.

A bit higher up the 'foodchain', my '86 Miyata 710 was originally equipped with 25x700c and < barely > has room for 28s -- in the front! The 28s fit fine on the back, but there is barely 1mm clearance between the bottom of the steerer tube (underside of the front fork, if you prefer) and the top of the 28mm tire. It has a much more 'sporty' frame geometry - what they used to call a 'triathalon' style. It has triple-butted frame tubes, CrMo fork and weighs 23.5 pounds. From what I've learned, earlier years had more tire clearance...

ON Touring bikes.... Fuji, Nishiki, Centurion, Miyata, Univega, Bridgestone, and the rest of the '80s Japanese touring bikes are a bit heavier than the 'sport' models and will have longer rear chainstays making for a longer wheelbase and clearance for wider tires and fenders.

My '84 Univega Gran Tourismo and it's step-sibling the Miyata 610 have double-butted CrMo frames and were specced out to weigh in the neighborhood of 27 pounds.

MegMC

3speed

MegMC

Thanks! I definitely need to do more "modernized retro" thread-peeping.

I am running Panaracer Pasela 28's on my commuter bike currently, which I understand are small for 28's even and I think as long as I can go up to 28mm on the road bike I should be fine.

There is something about the precision yet non-fussiness of the Japanese bikes that appeals to me ... but then again since I already have a Japanese-made Univega I fear I may always feel the lure of the unknown glamorous Europeans ...

HTupolev

Should be doable, yeah. Make sure to use tall enough stem and seatpost; inadequate insertion into the frame is very bad.If tire width is a concern, bikes from a bit earlier will broaden your options. The late 80s were when the narrow tire fad was really getting into full swing.

3alarmer 

...personally, I think it's a mistake to focus on a brand or model, given your modest objectives. In your situation, you are much better off looking for a bicycle that comes entire (always cheaper than a bare frame and build). What you are looking for is something in the correct size, on your local Craigslist, that has a frame that is constructed of doiuble butted tuning (the mains at least...the stays are less important). And you're better off not ignoring the cheaper ones, just because they are cheap. You'll learn more about how bikes were constructed, equipped, and sold. And you'll probably not end up too committed to your first purchase, so that if what you think will work out doesn't (in terms of size and geometry), you can learn from whatever mistake you made, and sell that one to someone else and move on without it becoming a major life event.

This is, after all, a hobby. You need to stay loose in the initial stages, or you're at risk of not fully grasping what it has to offer.

I see some very fine bikes on my local CL here in NorCal in smaller sizes that would fit you at bargain prices in the 350-500 range all the time.


There was a very sad thread a few years ago where some woman had bought the C+V dream bike at a fairly hefty price. Her thread centered around fit issues, and it became abundantly clear after a short time that the real issue was that she was not comfortable on the bike because all her riding had been done on a cargo bike, with flat bar and an upright stance. She was uncomfortable with a drop bar bike, and had spent a great deal of cash on something that was not going to be much fun for her to ride without considerably more riding experience. Yet the thread went on and on and on with suggestions for adapting fit, and a lot of changes to components that would make the thing much more difficult to resell without losing substantial monies.

Don't be that person. It's a learning experience, and your ideal classic road bike will take shape over a period of years and months. It might even change with more experience, longer rides, and increases in fitness and flexibility. I know mine has over the years.

MegMC

You are so very very right! It's so hard to keep that perspective while in the throes of it and getting egged on with forums haha.

MegMC

I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean

3speed

Chr0m0ly 

MegMC

Thanks for this! I do think that "sports touring" is the closest descriptor for the sector of bike I am interested in.

I'll have to look up that section of Lovely Bicycle. After coming across the blog endlessly in random searches I have been attempting to read it chronologically as it's instructive to see her evolution. I think I'm still in 2010 Lovely Bicycle Land. Weird to think how long ago that was with all this 10-years since financial crisis stuff we're talking about today.

AdventureManCO 

I just wanted to say thank you for your post - I hadn't heard of that particular cycle fit calculator, but I went through the steps and did my own fit and it is very comprehensive. Thank you!

HTupolev

Georgena Terry has an alternative explanation for women's-specific geometry.

The small front wheel is useful for short top tubes in general, not just short top tubes relative to seat tubes.

A small front wheel is also useful if a low stack height is desired, so that you don't need to do silly things like attach your bars to the fork.

Chr0m0ly 

AdventureManCO 

If you do look at Miyatas (which are wonderful bikes...used to own a 710 myself and would welcome a old Miyata back in my stable at any point!), be aware that some of the higher end models that had internal cable routing through the top tube have had a history of cracking. I don't know how sporadic or common it is, but something to be mindful of.

Lots of great bikes and brands. Hard to give names, because I'd be leaving too many out! I can't remember who gave the advice (and at this point, I've probably heard it from many. Maybe it started with Randy Jawa?), but when trying to gauge the quality of bike from a picture, there can be a few good signs to look for -

-lack of 'turkey lever' brakes (the brakes with the extra lever for gripping in the upper grip position on road style bars)
-downtube shifters (vs shifters on the stem neck)
- lack of a huge shiny chrome 'dork disc' around the back freewheel (although, admittedly, my Fuji S-10S has one and it is an awesome bike and ride)
-forged dropouts
-aluminum cranks vs steel cottered

These are all indicative of a higher end bike, the more of these features the better, generally speaking.

Typically, the lighter, the higher end. It's a lot easier to make a 30lb bike than it is a 22lb, in 1970s and 1980s terms.

Sometimes, though, enjoyment will leave you baffled. I had a Zebrakenko (odd Japanese brand) and it was a higher end model. The bike was either around 23lb or sub-23lb...lightweight, higher end Suntour components, Ishiwata tubing, and I donated it in at the local co-op. Was very 'squirrely' to ride. In contrast, I've got the Fuji S-10S, with 27" wheels, 'hi-ten' frame, dork disk, and it weighs at least 26lbs...and the bike is a total joy...rides like a cadillac, tracks perfectly, super smooth, etc. Now, its not a quick ride per se, and I know that is your goal here, but the main point is that getting on a bike and riding it (assuming it checks out, safety-wise) is going to give you the best feedback. The bikes will start talking to you. Try to find a local bike shop that has a good selection of higher end older road bikes, and find some in your size and start test riding them. Or go to each LBS in your area and see if they even just have 1 in your size. Ride as many as you can. Start figuring out what you like and what you don't before spending a lot of money....

...is what I would tell myself if I was smart. Instead I buy up any old neglected project to bring home to the orphanage

Dfrost 

3alarmer 

..."standover" is when you put on the shoes in which you will be cycling (because sometimes they have soles that are a half to three quarters of an inch thick), and straddle the bike. It's a quick way to gauge the height of the top tube from the ground. The usual recommendation is to allow about an inch or inch and a half between your sensitive crotch parts and the top tube, but you should be able to safely ride a bike that has the to tube higher than that. And most of us can manage one where the crotch and top tube are separated by mere centimeters.

This will usually give you the max seat tube length. AS you are already aware, it will probably also give you a longer top tube, which in your particular case can be compensated for by moving your saddle forward in a zero setback seat post, and using a short stem. The two measurements you'r trying to achieve are your particular most confortable distance from the saddle to the bar, and of coiurse your particular most efficient saddle height from the pedals. Take a drawing of a road bike and sketch it out for yourself. You'll see right away.

3alarmer 

...because the distance from the saddle to the bar / from saddle to the pedal is consistent: