mildavw

I got bumped by a car without injury to me, but my bike was totalled. So I'm on the hunt for a new bike for my 10 mile round trip, year round often-rainy commute. I test rode a Surly Long Haul Trucker and a Cross Check. They're nice, but I'm a tinkerer and just can't bring myself to buy a bike that is all put-together already! (I know it's cheaper.) My last bike was a 90's Rock Hopper that was a pile of rust I got for $120 on craigslist. I had it sand blasted and powder coated a theft-deterring color "emergency pink", got used parts from a LBS and put 6000 fantastic miles on it over a few years. (Rode a century on it too!) So that's my aesthetic.

For the next bike, I was thinking that an internal hub would be more appropriate for my use-case. And since I ride in the rain with a few hills: disc brakes. I found a wheelset on Criagslist that fit the bill and bought it. They are 700c wheels, Shimano Alfine 8 speed internal hub on the rear, Alfine dynamo hub on the front. Now the question is, what kind of frame am I going to put these on? It seems like there are not many used frames/bikes that accommodate disc brakes and 700c wheels. The Surly Disc Trucker could work, but $470 for just the frame and fork is a little steep. I'd love to find another rusty something-or-other and fix it up.

A LBS mechanic I was chatting with suggested that I avoid getting a single speed frame, and instead get something with a hanger for a derailleur. Then I could run a tensioner and use two chain rings on the front to give me a fuller range of 16 gears. I liked that idea.

So my question is, does anyone know of any older model bikes to look out for that might work for me? Or am I stuck with looking at newer disc-friendly 29ers or cross bikes?

fotooutdoors

Drop bar or flat bar? Aluminum for rust prevention, steel for ride quality? How burly should it be (what weights do you put on it, do you ride off-road at all, do you ride off curbs regularly, etc)? What sort of tire clearances do you want/need? What braze-ons do you need for racks/fenders?

You are right that not many used bikes accommodate discs. Depending on your location (and hence local CL bike market), though, it may be possible. If you are using a tensioner, any most any disc-compatible frame would work. Personally, though, I think that throwing a tensioner and triple on a a IGH bike sort of defeats the purpose; you almost may as well just go with a regular derailleur system and save some money at that point.

Some places to look for inexpensive frames that get the job done (btw, I am assuming you are in the USA, if not, you will have more local brands that will likely be cheaper):
On-One: shop.titusti.com is their US website. They have decent, versatile steel frames for a good price. Paint job is a bit lacking in durability, but otherwise good. My commuter is built up from their inbred frame.
Nashbar: They have their own house brand, mainly (all?) in aluminum. Not always the best-designed, but totally functional. No options for horizontal dropouts (I know you said you wanted a tensioner, but...). I have a touring bike based upon their touring frame that I have ridden over 10k miles.
Origin 8: They have several inexpensive ($2-300 range) frames that seem decent. Many LBS's should be able to order them via JBS importers. No personal experience.

There are others, but these are a few places that I have experience with or considered when looking for a ~$200 frame for my commuter. Good luck!

fietsbob

Cheap, & Old, wont have the disc mounts, most are only set up for Rim brakes. until recently .

even less as a 700c wheel spec.

Above distributor is J&B (rather than JBS) several US warehouse sites other than their Florida based HQ.
so shipping to dealers is pretty fast, drop by your LBS.

mildavw

Thanks for the frame company suggestions. I knew about Nashbar but not Origin 8 or Titus. I'm in the US (just a few miles from the Titus office, actually.)

Regarding your questions, I'm thinking steel frame for comfort. I test-rode an aluminum frame and noticed the increased vibration/transient transmission right away. I'm about 200 lbs and I carry a couple of laptops back and forth to work occasionally, so I'll have a rack and at least one medium sized pannier most of the time. Fenders are a must due to rain. 99% of the time I'm on flat smooth roads. No curbs. I put the Nashbar touring bars on my old bike and really liked them. The variety of hand positions is great. I'd likely put those on the new bike.

I found a Voodoo Nakisi for $500 on Craigslist that might fit the bill. I'll have to ride it to checkout the funky geometry and to see if a large is large enough. It's 58cm and I'm 6'3".

Thanks also for the thoughts on the IGH. I was thinking I'd have a double on the front with an infrequently used small ring just for steep hills. When I'm tired, it's nice to be able to slowly spin up something without having to provide all that torque.

seeker333

As already stated, it is highly unlikely that you will find a cheap, used disc-capable 700c road-bike-type frameset in the right size, since they only started making them in the past couple years. You could look instead at 29er mtb framesets, they've been around longer. Personally I'd rather get a new frameset at a good price than hunt forever for something used, taking a chance that there's not something wrong with it (stripped BB threads, minor collision damage, dropouts or brake mounts not welded on properly from the beginning, poor frame alignment, etc.), then deal with refinishing it.

Here's one of the least expensive places to order a Surly LHT/DT frameset, 399 shipped:

https://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?IGPK=2126189352

https://www.modernbike.com/search.asp...04831&SCPK=607

mildavw

That's tempting. In stock in my size too. Thanks for the link!

dynaryder

Or even some 26er's. Before I sold it,I had my old 1x1 set up with 700c wheels and 42mm tires. They fit no prob,and there was still room for fenders. As long as you size it right,you can go flat bar or drop bar.

mildavw

Thanks for the private message seeker333. Funny and appreciated!

Don in Austin

This https://www.ebay.com/itm/57cm-FR-602-...item4173d5239e might be more than you wanted to spend, but would be real nice. I have bought several unbranded carbon framesets from China and had absolutely no problems. I have several thousand miles on one of them.

Don in Austin

FlatSix911

Take a look online for some great values ... no tax and free shipping

SHIMANO SORA Commuter Disc Brake 2013 Gravity Liberty CXD $499

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...iberty_cxd.htm

Erwin8r

I'll second the On-One suggestion. The Pompetine is disc-ready, and very reasonably priced. They make a great, inexpensive frame (I have an il Pompino single speed).

MichaelW

In the UK, frames by On-One, Cotic, Charge and Genesis would do the job.
I would strongly advise against mixing alfine with derailleurs and double chainrings. You loose the clean chainline and you will be surprised how much crud gathers in the pulleys.
Consider where you want the disc brakes: seatstay for easy cable routing, chainstay for compatibilty with rack and fenders.
Consider the options for chain tensioning:
Sliding vertical dropouts
Horizontal dropouts
Eccentric with
-external clamp
-internal wedge
-internal wedge with release mechanism
-set screw
A spring-loaded tensioner, even the Alfine one, is really for a retro-fit of an existing bike.

I would be strongly tempted to build a belt-drive version.