wfournier

I've been riding my 2001 Jamis Aurora since June and while I love it it's a little beat up (got it used and probably a little abused) and heck I just kinda want something a little more "spirited" to ride. I'll still keep it around for winter/bad weather and maybe when I need something that will fit bigger tires. So I'm looking for a frame to work with for my "nice" bike. I'd like to keep the price for the frame and fork in $500 range and have been leaning towards a Soma (thinking regular Smoothie at the moment). One of the issues with the Soma is I am not seeing many reviews from larger riders (I'm a bit over 280 now, probably won't make it much below 200 after I loose the rest of the weight).

I have a steel bike now and tend to like the look of steel plus I think it fits the kind of riding I like to do (not uncommon to spend a lot of hours in the saddle on the weekend). I'm willing to consider other materials, but comfort is a factor here.

While keeping the Aurora means tire clearance is a little less of an immediate concern something that can fit tires bigger than a 23mm would be a plus.

Thoughts?

gunner65

Surly cross check, LHT
Salsa Casserole (my personal favorite)

Just about any bike will handle larger tires than 23mm even an uberlight carbon race wheel set can be had with 25mm and most off the shelf bikes can handle 28mm no problem. Your possibilities are endless.

Catlikeone

WF, how do you feel about Jamis? I too am looking for my "flash ride", the few front runners so far have been shot down for various reasons. Anyways, my new heartthrob is Jamis Xenith Comp femme 2011. Have yet to make schedule time to visit a dealer for a ride but would love to know an owners experience.

breadbin

I'm always building up bikes myself so good luck with it once i get myself through this last year and start working i'll be looking for something for a side project again i got a lovely brodie dirt cheap from their factory clearance page its worth a look i'd recommend them in a heartbeat but seems a bit skimpy now though unfortunately

https://www.brodiebikes.com/2011/onli...nce_frames.php

i'd second the surly crosscheck too its been on my list for a while too

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check

good luck with the search

RichardGlover

OK, so here's four recommendations from me.

I freely admit that I'm biased toward frames that can fit fenders and wider tires. All of the below frames should fit 28's with fenders, probably 32s without.

The first three frames made my short list for my current build. The fourth is the one I actually went with after discovering it and getting a rocking good deal here on bf.net's marketplace.

Note: the pics below are direct from the manufacturer's web sites, either of their 'complete' offering, or in the case of the ES, their idea of a complete build would look like (they don't offer one).


Soma ES

Noteworthy: Very 'road-like' appearance. Vertical dropouts, braze-ons for both rear fender and racks. Uses caliper brakes.


Surly Pacer

Noteworthy: Also 'road-like' appearance & vertical dropouts; braze-ons for both rear fender (no rear rack); frame pump peg on this bike seems a little out of place, but nice if you want to carry a larger pump. Uses caliper brakes.


Salsa Casseroll

Noteworthy: Comes with a color-matched front rack, braze-ons for everything, semi-horizontal dropouts if you want to convert it to a fixed/ss.


Handsome Speedy Frame


Noteworthy: braze-ons for everything, semi-horizontal dropouts if you want to convert it to a fixed/ss. Also, absolutely beautiful paint job by Twin 6.

Neil_B

My LHT is going up for sale at some point.

NoTrail

I have a Soma Smoothie and I'm a big fan. I used it as a commuter frame for a while and have recently stripped it down to build a completely different commuter. At 6'4" and 240, I've had no issues at all with the bike. In fact, I just recommended one to a friend and she loves it.

If you need their 62(59) size frame and like dark blue, I can make you a heck of a deal.

IAmCosmo

I'm glad to hear that. I've been thinking about picking one up for myself but was wondering how they worked for anyone in our weight bracket...