Hey all, I am looking to build a new commuter as a winter project. I decided a touring frame (read as eyelets/space for racks & fenders) would be the easiest platform to work with. Since my knowledge is limited on vintage bikes, I am unsure of what frames fit the bill. I just need recommendations on frames with a chain stay length that isn't designed for cross county touring or TDF either. I have come across 'sport tourer' as a terminology to describe this, but again don't know what frame are categorized as such.

So, what do you recommend? If you have a photo of your own, feel free to share it!

Touring bikes with sporty handling and lively feel, I like the mid 80's Schwinn Voyager SP and the mid 80's Miyata 610 a lot. The '87 Bridgestone T700 and 80's-90's Cannondale touring are not so bad either. The Trek 720, 400, 600 and the early Miyata 1000 were not as fun IMO. If you are adventurous, try the 70s-80s vintage from France. They are classy and boat load of fun.

How vintage do you want to go?
Many "sport tourer" bikes won't have room for 32mm tires and fenders.
I'd suggest something with "randonneur" in the name.
And for a new bike or frame to build up, check VeloOrange

i haven't ridden too many vintage touring bikes but my 84 miyata six ten seems to ride the perfect line between too toury feeling and racy. its a capable and comfortable touring bike that doesn't ride like a truck either. you can find em for good prices too...

I have three that are completed--Trek 600, Miyata 700 GT, and a Bridgestone T-700. All three are great, but if I had to choose one as my favorite, I would choose the Trek. It is light and responsive.

Mid 80's to present is the time frame I am interested. While VO has great stuff, I would rather get a vintage frame at the fraction of the cost.

My brother in law has a 85/86 Voyager, so I'll get some feedback from him. Seems the mid 80's Miyata is favored by a couple so far..

For chainstays, look for something in the 42cm range. For wheelbase, look for somehting around 100cm for small frames, 102cm for large frames. These are suggestions, not gospel, but they're a good place to start.

Definitely look for somethng that lets you use at least 32c tires with enough room for fenders. You may or may not want tires that wide or fenders, but for your purposes, having the flexibility to use 'em is a major plus.

You almost certainly do not want a frame purpose-built for fully-loaded touring (e.g., a Trek 520 or a Bruce Godon Rock 'n' Road). They tend to feel kind of dead unless and until they have a touring load on, then they come into their own. But that isn;'t what you want this bike for, if I am reading you correctly.

If you can deal with 5/6/7 spd. freewheels, The 60s and early 70s English and French bikes frequently offer plenty of clearance with stable, but lively, ride. Best of both worlds, IMHO.

First thing that popped into my brain was a Super Course.

Here's mine (which I was lucky enough to score in very good condition)

Exactly. My '72 Competition, and the early Moto Grand Jubiles come to mind as well...

Anything listed as "sport tour pre about 1986 will work fine. You are going to pay a premium for the loaded tourers and not get much "handling" in return. Most 500 and 600 series Treks, pre 1984 will do just fine, as will some of their later 300 and 400 series offerings.

+1

Ditto on the Voyageur's. I am liking my 84 (non-SP model) with Champion2 tubing a lot.

Again, another +1 for the Voyageur. Even though my '91 is ruined, I would not hesitate to buy another if the right opportunity arose.

Mid 80's Schwinn Voyageurs and some Le Tour's have great rides and depending on the year, should have all of the fittings you are looking for. I've found my 87 Voyageur to be a great all around bike and quite lively even with dual racks and fenders and was also impressed with an 84 Le Tour Luxe I used to have. The nice thing is that they are kind of under appreciated outside of here and can be found for reasonable prices.

I'd also second the Treks that balindamood mentioned.

Gazelle A-Frame is probably along the same sort of lines as the Moto Super Course. I am in the middle of selecting and collecting parts to do much the same sort of build with mine.

A lot of Peugeots would fit the bill too - there were a lot of these around in the mid 80's... maybe some of them didn't break like mine did.