mister

A couple weeks ago, I noticed that I was a bit of a tard and didn't get my rear wheel centered after replacing the tube. The result, a worn spot through the carbon fiber of the chain stay. To replace it, was ridiculously expensive, to repair it wasn't in the budget, but a new Nashbar frame was.

I got the frame today and started building. It came with Frame' stickers, but those are staying off.

Here's what I started with. A Trek 5200. Not your typical commuter by any means, but it was fun.


Here's the Nashbar frame. First impressions were really nice. It's aluminum, so it's going to be a bit heavier, but I'm definitely not a weight weenie.


The biggest gripe I heard about the frame is the welds. They're not hand welded frames by any stretch, but they really aren't that bad in person. The bottom bracket is the ugliest and it's not that bad IMO.






And here it is so far. Still have to run cables, get the crank off the 5200 and onto the new one, get a new seat collar (the old one is too big), and get a shorter bolt for the rear brake.

aley

That's going to be a nice-looking bike. The welds aren't the prettiest (pity they didn't file them before painting, but I'm sure that would have added considerably to the cost), but they look plenty serviceable, and the frame overall has a nice look to it. I take it that's their road frame?

CCrew

Looks nice. I could live with those welds, no one's going to see them from 10 feet anyway.

-R

bengreen79

Is the new frame bigger?

mister

No, it's actually a size smaller. The geometry is very similar, but the top tube is about 1.5 - 2 cm shorter than the 5200. I'm fine with that though; I always felt stretched out on it but never got a shorter stem.

Tabor

I actually disagree. The welds aren't the prettiest, sure. But I think it is still classier to leave the welds than to file them off (unless they are really, really bad). Maybe because I used to be a weldor.