ahsposo 

My commuter/utility/adventure bike was stolen and I'm looking to replace it.

I used this bike for light off road riding, commuting, beer runs, hauling photo gear around wildlife areas, etc.

Here's what I lost:



I can't deal with flat bars is my first caveat. Drop bars or swept back bars are a must.

My biggest complaints about this bike was the short chainstays causing heel strike with panniers and the Tange steel was heavy. But having said that after I got rid of the riser bar and replaced it with the Nitto Dove bar it was really ridable.

I'm kind of inclined to buy a Nashbar 'cross frame and carbon cross fork and building it up with barend shifters and v-brakes (but I'd consider disc brakes if I can get effective fenders).

Everything I've seen in the LBSs around town has flat bars with OS stems. I would consider something like these Cinelli Valencia City bars5 to replace the stock bars.

Please give me some thoughts and ideas.

ijsbrand

Judging by the amount of light between the rear tyre, the mudguard, and the seat tube, the chainstays were long enough. Your rear carrier was just uselessly short.

Sorry to hear about the theft.

bigbenaugust 

Too bad the SJPD isn't functional anymore.

no1mad 

How many gears ya need? Specialized/Globe Daily 2 may be of interest..

blakcloud

The Cinelli Valencia City bar has some odd diameter for grips, 24 mm. Which means it won't take mountain style shifters or brakes. A better choice of bar is the FSA Metropolis City Bar. I just bought this bar for my commuter and it is the nicest bar I have ever used. I have the same bike with Nitto Albatross bars and I like the FSA a lot more.

Ijsbrand, comment about the rack sounds reasonable to me. You just need a better rack that sits farther back. NoImad suggestion for a bike is also very reasonable. It looks like a nice choice for a very upright position. You could go build your own bike but sometimes having something pre-built with free tune ups from the LBS is something to look at. I think that Jamis has a great line of commuting bikes that are great value for the money. Go to their website and have a look.

Building your own can get expensive quite quickly unless you shop for deals and have the skills to put it all together. I personally like this route if you already have a bike to ride and you have the time to put a bike together. If you are like many and you need a bike now, this is not the route to go.

Good luck with your search.

ahsposo 

Flip the handlebar and move the kickstand to the rear, check.

Erase the stink of that front basket? Probably not.

ahsposo 

Thanks for that! I totally missed those specs.

ahsposo 

The St. Jude Property De-Thefter?

Axiom

What is your budget? Trek release a new commuter called the CrossRip. It's basically the FX series with drop bars, Sora group set instead of Alivio and disc brakes in the front in back. It also has eyelets for racks and what not. It's a bit pricey though; around $1,100.

Edit: It has STI shifters instead of thumb shifters and the break cables are hidden inside the frame.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...rossrip_elite/

FanaticMN

Trek Allant if you're more on a budget. Swept bar hybrid; lower-end components but servicible enough. Fenders & rack included. Fits studded tires in winter. Heel strike not a problem. Got almost 5000 miles on mine over 16 months.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...llant/allant/#

megalowmatt

Have you considered the Nashbar touring frame? I built up a really nice commuter around one of those frames.

ahsposo 

My local Trek dealer did not have one in stock but this is definitely as pre-built bike of interest. My budget is a function of my innate frugality vs. my barely controllable bike-lust. And either I would want 105 or more than likely swap the Shimano out for Campy Centaur or Veloce.

Same as above. The owner of the shop was out with a back injury when I shopped them and I hope to get by and see if he would put one in stock on spec.

No, but I'm gonna look at that. I guess my perception of touring frames is that they aren't very nimble and handle better with a load.

megalowmatt

I guess I wouldn't necessarily describe the Nashbar touring frame as nimble but it feels pretty responsive to me. The chain stays on the touring are 3 cm longer than on the cross frame.

Here's the bike I built last year with the Nashbar touring frame:

bigbenaugust 

I thought you were still in San Jose, thus the San Jose Police Department.

ahsposo 

Nice!

ahsposo 

In fact I think this is a wonderful idea.

Thanks.

megalowmatt

One thing I should mention about the Nashbar touring frame is their top tube measurement on the website is actual tt as opposed to effective. For example, the 52 is actually just under 54 by my measurements.

I did a build thread on that bike last year during the progress:

Nashbar Touring Frame Build

ahsposo 

Oh, Man! Thank You!

I think I always knew this bike was gonna be re-written but from the ground floor.

Thanks for the inspiration.

I'll endeavor to equal your totally unmatchable thread, Dude!

What a Beauty!