dr_lha

So I wanted to ask the expertise of this forum. I currently own, what I would classify as a cheap CX bike. It's a Diamondback Steilacoom RCX which I got for $600. It's served me well, and has had upgrades (seatpost, stem, wheels), but every day I look at it and have a feeling of "meh". That mehness is amplified when I ride it and get juddered by it's horrible stiff aluminum frame.

I have a steel road bike that I absolutely love, and it's making me want to covert my DB into a steel CX/Gravel bikes, perhaps with some light touring capabilities. So I thought, I could strip the DB for parts (it has nice ones, 105 level Shimano and the like), put the parts into a new build on top of steel frame. I will do the build myself, I'm a competent wrench and built up my Ritchey road bike. My budget is limited, I'm thinking no more than $700 for the frameset (frame + fork + headset). The DB has a cantilever brakes, and I'm not interested in buying a new wheelset, so the frame should take cantis. I'll probably need to buy a new crankset as the DB has a BB30 one.

I'd like a bike that can take at least 700x35 tires (oh and 700c wheels, obviously).

I have another request, and that is that the frame not be orange. This is for marriage harmony. Shouldn't be a problem right? Right?

I've been looking around and a few obvious choices come up.

Surly Cross check:

Cross-Check | Bikes | Surly Bikes

OK... this comes in. Orange! Darn it. OK, also comes in black, but I'm not a fan of "murdered out" look, and the DB is black.

Soma Saga:

Saga Frame Set | SOMA Fabrications

Seems to be more of a touring frame, but perhaps OK for gravel/CX? Thankfully only the disc version comes in orange.

Soma DoubleCross:

Double Cross | SOMA Fabrications

Almost perfect, but again, I'm going to complain about the color, my Ritchey is grey, so I'm more interested in something that looks different. Shame.

One left field choice that came up recently through a Google search is Black Mountain Cycle's Cross bikes, which are out of stock right now, but apparently new stock is arriving on a ship and they come in pink (no) and British Racing Green (yes please).

Black Mountain Cycles: Cross Frame Info

Am I missing anything obvious? Advice is welcome.

shelbyfv

I really like the looks and specs of the Black Mtn. I think someone on the forum has one. I've been trying to justify one for a couple of years, just not enough "gravel" around here.

dr_lha

Yeah, now you say that I think it was in the steel appreciation thread that I became aware of the brand. I'll admit it does look like it hits the spot.

justin1138

Those BMC bikes look pretty legit for the money. All the reviews I've found on them are quite favorable too.

bikemig 

I love my soma double cross; it is a fine riding bike.

justin1138

There's also the All City bikes too.

Macho Man | All-City Cycles

Space Horse | All-City Cycles

dr_lha

Any idea on the prices of those as framesets?

btw I think I can rule out the Macho Man due to the lack of rack mounts.

justin1138

Universal Cycles carries both of them for $600

dr_lha

Ah cool. In the right ballpark then. Thanks for that, I had forgotten about the Space Horse. It's a nice look frame and bonus: not orange!

Jarrett2

I caused a problem, didn't I?

Why not just get this whole bike for $700?

All-City Macho Man Bicycle - REDUCED!

wheelsmcgee

I really dig the black mountain monster cross framesets...Ive been following the blog and have thought about pulling the trigger on one when he gets his new batch, but am waivering on whether I need to just go with disc brakes and be done with it.

The surly ogre framesets (offroad touring) have both canti and disc mounts...wish more cross/gravel framsets came that way. The only one I've seen recently was the origin 8 cx700, but alas, it has been discontinued

sgtdirt

https://www.transitionbikes.com/

check out the Rapture.

BluesDawg

I bought my Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross frame in 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed riding it for 3-1/2 years. I recently sold it to a friend who is now loving it. Hated to see it go, but had to make room for my new AWOL. I highly recommend it.

Mike Varley knows how to design a bike. He is also a pleasure to communicate with when buying a frame. I bought mine based on Guitar Ted's endorsement. He still has his and reports on riding it from time to time. Plenty of room for 45mm tires and it handles great while gobbling up miles of gravel roads.

Downstream of Hungerford Lake dam by Benny Watson, on Flickr

dr_lha

Well this has been simmering for a while. I've decided I don't need another bike, but I would prefer to have a nice steel cross bike instead of an aluminum one!

dr_lha

Disc only? Looks to be outside my price range. If I could afford $1200 I'd just get a Ritchey SwissCross!

Jarrett2

I'm the last person you have to justify a new bike purchase to

dr_lha

Correct. It's the wife I need to work on.

sgtdirt

frame only $599.00.
oops, sorry about the disc thing.
a SwissCross for $1,200! i'd like to see a link for that!

dr_lha

Oh I must have been looking at the wrong place. Ok right price, wrong brakes!

As for the SwissCross, I was referring to frameset price.

Jarrett2

I got it. Temporary separation, buy whatever bike you want, followed by a miraculous relationship recovery

dr_lha

I think if I leave my 6-months pregnant wife for a bike, she might not take me back.

BTW I scored myself a cheap Shimano crankset, so that's one more piece of the puzzle (as my steel frame will need a 24mm crankset, obviously). Clearly the way to avoid wifely issues is to buy things one small piece at a time, assemble in secret in the basement, and then just start riding it as if you've had the bike all along. "What do you mean, my bike's alway's been orange!"

Jarrett2

Nice

jtbadge

+1

Space Horse for gravel/road/touring.
Macho Man for gravel/cyclocross/light singletrack.

tarwheel 

I can vouch for the Soma Saga canti version as a gravel bike. I have ridden mine extensively on unpaved roads and trails, including a 400-mile loaded tour on the GAP-C&O Canal trails and unloaded trips along the New River, Virginia Creeper and American Tobacco trails. My Saga is currently equipped with Clement LAS 33s, which measure 36 mm wide on my Dyad rims, and it could probably handle 40 mm tires. This has been a great bike for me and it's a bargain. You can buy the frames on Soma website right now for $480 and even less on on-line sites.

robow

Love the double cross but the top tube is longer than average so take that into consideration