StalkerZERO

Hey.

I love my entry level specialized hardrock sport from 05. I swapped out the mtn bike wheels for road slicks. And I also swapped out the crank for one from a trek hybrid bike. Now shes faster on the road and she makes an excellent commuter. But....I'm not satisfied.

I also love my specialized roubaix comp 05. Had the specs upgraded to full ultegra 10 spd except for the rear which is now dura-ace. Before the summer starts I'm gonna give it a selle strike seat and roubaix clincher tires.
I love it.......but I have to pamper it and I would never use it for commuting.

So heres my problem. I want a new bike as tough and gritty and economical as the hardrock that I wouldn't mind commuting with. And something super sophisticated and FASTTTT as the roubaix.
Either I find one pre-made and alter it to my liking or build it from scratch.

Any of you guys have any suggestions? What would you build or buy?

Jarery

Id run the roubaix into the ground and then buy a new road bike, run it into the ground, repeat.

StalkerZERO

ARGH! I'm not taking my $2600 dollar darling of a roubaix over the brooklyn bridge everyday and bust and scratch that frame hell no.
Thats whats the hardrock is for. And shes great at it. Its just that its a little slow despite the newer hybrid crank and the slicks.
I was hoping for suggestions on a cool components list or a bike ready made that somone knows about.

marqueemoon

Here's my plan:

Surly Cross Check frame
handbuilt 36 hole wheels with Dynamo front hub
fixed/fixed rear wheel with a fixed cog on one side and a White Industries freewheel on the other
8 speed rear wheel with a wide range cassette using an old mtb thumbshifter for when I want gears
cheapo extra front wheel for off roading or to use as a spare
SKS full covereage fenders w/mudflaps
700x26 or 28 tires with liners (I'll sacrifice a sporty ride to not flat on my way to work)
drop bars with randonneur bend
Dual headlights mounted to a small front rack which is wide enough to rig a basket to when I need to.

In short, a setup very similar to this but with 700c wheels, skinnier tires, lower bars, and without an expensive internally geared rear hub.

marqueemoon

Have you seen this?

StalkerZERO

Not bad. But how about an inexpensive version of this hotrod:




It doesn't have to look exactly like that. But at least superficially. Although I would still opt for the actual easton aero fork and the aero handlebars.

dobber

Yeah, I took it one step further...........

PsychoCourier

Mtb disc frame n suspension fork, 700c rims (Mavic cxp33 is my favourite) on mtb disc hub's (Don't have to worry about rim's weakening through brake usage). a friend of mine did this on a jump's frame and said it was a laugh, but also very quick. I think it is still working 2 years later.

Nightshade

To me "super cool" = "super reliable".

The one make that spring to my (who else? ) mind is a Worksman
cycle w 7 spd hub & drum front brake. An old crusier design that
is designed to be a workaholic bike. Ride me , park me, ride me,
park me, etc. almost forever. Heavy enough to ride like a limo
while taking all the abuse you can think of.

It don't look "cool" enough to make a theif notice it and they are not
ment to be race bikes. But when you need a ride the Worksman will
be waiting on you......everytime.

marqueemoon

I love it! What's the story with the brakes and levers? Is the rear a coaster or drum? Are those Midge bars?

marqueemoon

It wouldn't be that tough to slap some aero bars and a new fork on a old road bike I guess, but for all weather commuting, being able to run fat tires and fenders is nice. Plus there's the matter of carrying stuff, but if you use a backpack or messenger bag and plan to keep your MTB for when the weather gets nasty, go for it.

There are a lot of great old road bikes out there, and the nice thing about aero bars and an old road bike is you could probably track down some old 7 or 8 speed barcon shifters for cheap.

I think most people here would advise you not to get anything too nice, but if it gets ridden daily and you have a secure place to store it on both ends of your ride I think it's worth spending a little more if it will get you to work with a smile on your face.

dobber

Coaster on the rear.

The drop levers are there for hand positioning only. I chopped em short and epoxy'd them. There's a cross lever up near the stem for the front canti.

Midge drops.

Emerson

+1 for the Surly, but I'm biased. Pretty quick and definitely tough.

How about the new Specialized Tricross--fast, supposedly tough (I don't trust carbon fiber), and with the braze-ons you need for commuting. The one I test rode even had a bell. Wasn't right for me, but it was a very nice bike. And you know you like Specialized.

I think for cool points you need to get some of the amazing wood fenders I've seen around. Maybe a nice Tubus or Old Man Mountain rack. Arkel Samurai Panniers. Nice HID light system. Ok, gotta stop now, I'm drooling on the keyboard.

jyossarian

How 'bout a Surly LHT or a Soma Smoothie ES built up w/ a Nexus 8 speed rear hub and Shimano or Schmidt dynohub up front? If it's mostly commuting in NYC, you don't need more than one chainring up front. Throw on some fenders and maybe a rack and you've got a tourer/commuter.

StalkerZERO

Oh ya. Nothing too nice. The point is not to have to ride something as fancy as a full carbon frame for every day use. I was thinking using that easton fork and aero bars on a aluminum frame. Maybe one painted black. Would be nice to find a inexpensive or at least a mid-range price frame with a little bit of aero designed into the tubes. Oh, and the place where I would park it would be very secure.....about 3 inches from my desk in the office.

slvoid

My commuter costs about 1/2 what your roubaix costs (about 70% or more once you add on the accessories) and I beat the crap out of it every day.
I also beat the crap out of my litespeed every time I take that thing out. If you think the brooklyn bridge is tough, try bombing down riverroad going the other way in palisades at 30+ mph. I really hope they repave those damn sections soon.
If I were you, I'd either just bite the bullet and ride the roubaix or get rid of the mtb and get a cross bike.

StalkerZERO

I just finished paying off the credit card for the roubaix so I'm not looking to bust her up just yet. But I was thinking of selling the mtb...no wait hell I'll keep her. But I will just have to get a third bike is all.
And I was thinking the budget for it should be in between what I paid for the hardrock and the roubaix. Perhaps 900 to 1000 for the most.
Thing is if I can't find anything pre-made I'm gonna have to have it custom built. And as you suggest I was already investigating some cross bikes that are out there. Specialized makes a nice one but even the basic model is a little too expensive for everyday abuse.
Any good suggestions out there for a frame?

slvoid

Yeah, stop ***** footing around and ride the roubaix. The only thing you'll need is a set of beefy wheels for commuting and a lighter set for the weekend.
The wheels you might break, the frame, forget about it.

Jarery

Your asking for the fastest, fanciest, complete with eye candy commuter, with aero bars and aero tubing, all for $1000? I doubt your going to find what you want.

You already have a 'fast' bike in the rouboix. If thats too delicate, then whatever comes more beefy, will be slower.

Personaly, i buy a bike to ride not pamper. But if your itching to spend more cash on a bike, and want pre built, you have a couple choices.

-sport touring bike
https://www.marinoni.qc.ca/html/en_ciclo.html
Thats about as fast a bike as you can get and still accept full fenders and racks.
Get it with a veloche 10 spd, compact double, and different wheels and your all set.
But for a 1000? nope.

-slightly slower but more durable/rugged is a cross bike. Jake the snake, poprad, surly, etc. Lots to choose from. $1000 is doubtfull but ya never know.

You need to decide what you want.
Aero tubing on a commuter? I think my panniers kill any marginal benefit aero tubing might add. How far is your commute?

Custom built? Sure, I can custom design the "ultimate Super Cool Commuter" but your budget will probably just get the frame, maybe the frame and fork.

jyossarian

Get a SS cross bike. Under $1000 and simple as *****.

StalkerZERO

Great. Lets see some pics? Or at least a linky?
And why is everyone talking about my roubaix and not mentioning the hardrock? I've been using the hardrock and with the slicks and the hybrid crank it did a good job of carrying me over the bridge during the winter. Thing is I would like a dedicated road bike that is just as tough as the hardrock but with more speed please. And to add icing on the cake I would like it to be sleek and cool looking too. Is that so much to ask? I say not!

EDIT: ss? You don't mean single speed do you? I'm sorry, I'm too out of shape for that. I'm gonna need some gears.

Jarery

Well, people gave you a good example with the surly cross check. You responded with a picture of a poseur special time trial bike.

This being the commuter forum and not the road bike forum, we typicaly dont go oohh aahh over time trial style bikes, but over bikes that actually have function. Id like to see someone try and ride that felt b2 along my commute in the pouring rain.

So we go oohh aaahh over a full set of fenders, not a fancy painted wheel set
Were an odd bunch basicaly. So most recomondations will all be functional, with low regard to something that looks speedy.

jyossarian

A singlespeed cross bike like the IRO Rob Roy actually isn't bad if you're commuting on a geared Hardrock. The Hardrock frame is probably Specialized's lowest end and heaviest frame and the Rob Roy's only 20 lbs.

Regarding the Hardrock, does it have a rigid fork? If not, slap one on and save a few lbs. over the suspension fork. Other than what you've already done to it, I don't think you can make it much lighter. You'll need to make yourself more aero to pick up some speed.

dobber

Personally, I get all woozie at the mention of lighting systems.

caloso

Bombproof and relatively fast? I'd go with a steel fixie, s/s, or internal hub. You've got a surprising number of choices: Bianchi San Jose, Riv Quickbeam, IRO RobRoy, Surly Cross Check, Redline 9-2-5.

Or, there are lots of excellent older steel road frames. Like my Trek 660.