soderbiker

HI .
i am thinking about building some sort of neighborhood bike . just to cruise around ( short rides )my area , but i want something that performs as well ..
i would like to build an old road racer bike into a 3 speed hybrid , if this makes any sense ?

basically i want a nice light strong frame + fork that can handle medium riding . SOMETHING STRONG.
the reason i say "Strong" is i have been riding mtn bikes since the early 80's and my style of riding ,well even if i am taking it easy can be a bit hard on the bike . Today i have a cannondale bad boy 700 and i have to true the wheels once a week because i just cant take it easy .

SO what would you bike pros suggest for an old racer frame + fork .?
i dont know much about old racer frames i have rode a few of them around but no real serious riding .
so thanks for the help .
Cheers T

PS . any conversion websites or useful info would be great !

Velo Dog

I've been toying with that same idea, using an internally-geared three-speed hub to build up a townie/commuter. I'm 6'4" and 240, and I have a mid-80s Trek touring bike made of Reynolds 531 (it's a singlespeed now, just the old middle ring and a BMX freewheel) that fits me and would be perfect for it.
Something like that would work, and if you're an average-sized guy, they're readily available and cheap--around here you can find them in thrift shops and garage sales for $25-$75. An old steel mountain bike frame would work, too. I commuted for a long time on a Bridgestone MB3 with fenders, racks and road tires.
A REAL racing frame (if you're not using "racer" to mean "road bike") is likely to cost a lot more--they're rare, and most people who have them know what they are, so they aren't going to give them away. They're not really suited to what you're describing, either. The geometry is wrong, they don't have room for big tires and they're not strong enough for crashing curbs and jumping fire hydrants.
For what it's worth, being proud of how fast you can destroy a bike doesn't really mark you as a serious cyclist. Riding fast is fine, but most of us try NOT to break our toys.

soderbiker

DId it come to you that i am trying to say i am proud of riding my bike hard and or destroying it ?

all i mean is i need somthing sturdy for harder riding, bouncing off curbs hoping over train tracks .being a mtn biker for so long and now switching over to a hybrid has been quite the experience for me .

anyway, thanks for the tips .
Cheers T