My new commuter - at last (pics)
 

After 8 months of thinking saving and reading I finally got my new commuter. It's a Vivente World Randonneur. Apart from the look of the sloping top tube which I don't really like the bike ticked all the other boxes for me.
-Steel frame
-Strong wheels
-Front disc brake option
-Full eyelets and braze-ons
-Good spread of gears
-Nice price

-Some of the bonus features include a hub driven light
-Quality Tubus racks front and rear
-Nice fenders
It even came with the pedals I would have chosen as standard :)

I was initially set on having a Surly but for the price I would have had to spend almost half as much again just to get it up to the same specs without a disc brake.

I made a few changes to the standard bike http://www.viventebikes.com//product...NDONNEUR&cid=6

I changed the 11-32 rear cassette for a 12-34 to give me a bit lower gearing. I also changed the LX rear derailleur for an XT shadow simply because it's tucked more out of the way. And finally I went for 170mm cranks; for some reason mine was delivered with 165mm which is shorter than I'm used to.

My initial impressions of the bike are great. It’s no light weight but gives a very comfortable ride even over heavy bumps. The bike is smooth and whilst not as responsive as my road bike it's not a complete slug either. It feels as strong as a mountain bike but rides more like a road bike. Perfect for me really.

I'll post a review once I get more than a couple of hundred km under its wheels.

Sweet ride!

NICE BIKE. Hope you enjoy it and put lots of miles on it! Good luck!

Very nice, indeed!

Do you know what the "real story" is as regards the trend towards downward-sloping top tubes? Many of the newer frames are quasi-mixte in geometry. I can only imagine that seatposts manufacturers are now measuring in feet!

Are they available in the States? Can you give me an idea of price? That looks like a great ride!

I suspect they are Australia and NZ only at the moment, but I would try contacting Vivente (Gemini bikes: http://www.geminibicycle.com.au/ ) through their website, the link is in my OP.

Price wise the stock bike is $1800 Aus which at the current exchange rate is just below $1700 US. But having said that a Surly CC or LHT complete bike is $1500, so almost double what you pay in the US. For some reason we pay a hidden premium for the privilege of riding a bike over here :)

WOW, that is a sweet bike. Enjoy it.

Wow, that bike is pure commuting, very very nice.

That looks very nice. Congrats!

A very cool bike. Enjoy it.