New commuter build -- steel frame
 

Looking for commuter build.
Would like to get a nice steel frame. I was thinking about WABI. It is priced at $1100.
If you guys have any other recommendations I would appreciate that.
But please only steel frames. Also what group set would you recommend.
Thank you

Is there any reason you don't want to buy a complete bike?

Its cheaper than building it.

Don't forget the obligatory Surly and Soma offerings.

High theft area or no?
Hills or no?
Do you have shower access at work or will you be riding in work clothes?

When you say group set, that implies you are looking for a derailleur setup, but internal hub systems work very well for commuting and might be worth considering.

Will you ever use this bike for fun rides, or is it exclusively for commuting?

All City. We carry them,and I much prefer them to Surly. Lighter,more street oriented(who would want Knards on the street?),and the ED coating means no Framesavering or stuck seatpost issues.

i have All City Thunderdome and i am very happy. i agree they are very fun bikes. I ride it fixed. Wanted to try some different maker.
i commute in NYC. Theft is not a concern. I have couple of hills but nothing major. I would like to build it because it is fun and i would like to use components that are better. Which All City model would you recommend? thank you for help
almost forgot. i leave my bike in the gym and have access to showers

Macho Man Disc or All City Space Horse.

They're all-around commuter bikes.

Milwaukee frames are made by Waterford and are less than 1100 IIRC. There's also Velo Orange. 105 is a solid groupset, and you can probably find good deals on 10 sp instead of 11 sp.

I dunno. I found a sweet light steel frame on CL for about $250. Its my ideal commuter. As fast as a carbon fiber race bike for commuting, tough, lightish, and smooth riding. But it does take patience to find a good steel bike on CL (lots of stuff out there).

Chas58 what do you look for when you searching for a good steel frame on CL? How are you identify one? ��

Interesting recommendation about all city macho man or spare horse... I was thinking more like Mr. Pink model

Yep. Personally,I'd go with the MM for the discs,the SH's low-profile canti's are a pain to set up(pro tip,they actually work better if they're not set up super tight).

YMMV,but I prefer wider tires. Pink will take 32's,but you have to leave off the fenders. You live in NYC,are you planning to ride if it snows? Wider,treaded tires will be a big plus for that.

I love my surly but wish I had sprung for the all city space horse.
Oh well.

Lots of really good used frames and complete bikes for a whole lot less than $1000.

There was a thread about someone building up a Nashbar steel frame, I think. Forkless?

Nashbar Cro-mo Road Frame
Nashbar Cro-mo Touring Frame
Nashbar Cyclocross Frame

I like the looks of those, they look like they would be great all around bikes.

The Salsa Marrakesh looks good on paper, but I haven't seen one in person.

Gunnar Crosshairs or Sport depending on your choice. About the same price or less for a frame.

Custom Bicycle Frames from Gunnar Cycles USA

J.

after doing research all city mr pink this year model has english bb. To me that is important, before this model had a pressed bb. But what i don't like is the brakes. they are caliper brakes but they are mid reach brakes. That is really limits your options. i would prefer normal/low reach brakes. that would be the main reason why i would pass on mr pink

all city macho man disc frame is really interesting. i was thinking of doing a build using shimano alfine 8 speed internal hub. i could install disc brakes on it. Not sure if going with internal hub is a good idea. It looks good :)

gunnar frame sport/crosshair is $900. more expensive than all city and that is without the fork