escarpment

Im thinking about buying this frame from cl, It is an old touring frame but I was thinking about building it into a ss cx frame, I have enough parts aside from brakes and cx tires.
The frame is cromo but it looks like it is in good condition.

He wants 100 for it which I feel is fair, far cheaper than any steel frame I could buy online. And I dont want a generic al frame either.

i know the pic is small, it looks like a 58- 60 cm frame which is fine with me, Im interested because it has canti tabs.

Andy_K 

It's probably a bit heavy, but it should work for SSCX.

koolerb

I'm thinking about doing the same thing. I cant see spending a grand on something that I know I'm going to just abuse. Old touring bikes are pretty solid and many do have cantilever brakes. I'm shopping for one right now, but I'm not sure how old I want to go. Not sure if downtube shifters would be adequate in a race. If all I have to upgrade are tires I'm good. If I have to start upgrading shifters, wheels, cassettes, derailleurs, that's another story.

Breathegood

I looks like it has vertical dropouts in the picture. If it does, you'll need a tensioner, eccentric BB, or eccentric hub for SS.

escarpment

your probably right, Ill just stick to a tensioner or throw a derailleur on it and use a barcon. Although I was hoping there is enough dropout that I dont need any of that.

marqueemoon

Those are definitely horizontal dropouts.

Even if you needed a tensioner there is nothing wrong with a good tensioner. Cross races are often bumpy. Even with horizontal dropouts or track ends you can drop your chain if your chain tension isn't perfect or the wheel shifts around. Switching gearing is also way easier with a tensioner. Most people I know who have used the ENO hub are happy with it, but some have had experiences with it slipping.

I would much rather race a generic aluminum frame than that honestly. Comfort is not really the name of the game, and for 30-60 minutes I can put up with getting beat up a little. I would rather have a little extra stiffness (for power transfer) and weight savings. Shouldering a heavy bike really sucks on lap 5. Also, while I don't hate quill stems in general threadless really is a better system for this kind of bike. Set it and forget it.

I don't hate that frame, and really if you plan to do a variety of things with it in addition to CX on it it could be a good choice. Really, you can start racing on just about anything. You may already have a bike you could race. But, in terms of building a bike specifically for racing I would not choose that particular frame.

marqueemoon

Downtube shifters are a terrible idea for racing if you want to shift. Barcons can be workable but a triple may be annoying

Keep in mind that the bottom bracket for a typical touring bike is going to be lower, and most courses have off camber and sometimes rooty sections where you may smack a pedal.

Finally, touring geometry is about holding a line and staying steady when loaded down. Wheelbases are typically longer. The requirements of cross racing are way different.

Again, you can race pretty much any bike but cross bikes are the way they are for good reasons. There is no need to spend $1000. You may have to spend half that and be patient. Looking in the middle of the season makes things tougher too.

escarpment

you are probably right, I mean I have a a few road and mtb bikes, but no cx bike which is the realm im trying to break into. Although I have a ton of older parts including quill stem, bars, brake levers, old cranks, old wheels, which i thought this frame would be appropriate.
Anyone have good links for cheap cx frames? I ebay the crap out of them but nothing in my 150-200 budget.

caloso

I love my Pompino.

https://shop.titusti.com/product-p/froopv3.htm

marqueemoon

Seconded. I love mine.

My only significant peeve is it's slightly too compact to shoulder easily (I have an XL). Oh, and the fork crown isn't drilled all the way through. I had a shop drill it so I could run a fork mounted hanger.

It would be nice if it were 130 spaced too. I didn't think I would care, but I've seen a lot of great deals on tubular road wheelsets come and go.

Breathegood

Lot's of people seem pretty happy with the nashbar CX aluminum frame. Currenlty $114.99. It's not really intended for SS, but as has been said, tensioners are cheap and easy. They are just a potentially easy to damage apendage when talking about a SS bike.
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...97_-1___203559

If you already have road and mtb's, you shouldn't compromise with a touring frame unless you plan on using it for commuting or touring. If it is going to be a dedicated CX bike, get a real CX frame.

caloso

Agree. I really liked the specs on the Traitor Crusade SSCX, but it's 3 times as much. But for $149, the Pompino is really hard to beat.

koolerb

I checked out that Pompino frame, good price. Why are the rear dropouts like that?

marqueemoon

A former teammate had an early iteration of the Traitor. Maybe it's better now, but the clearance at the fork was terrible. Like he had to stop mid-race and clear mud out so he could actually get the bike to move.

caloso

They are track ends.

escarpment

the on-one looks pretty sweet, im think that might be what I do, Caloso, mucho gratzi. I would rather have steel over al for that price.