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Generic steel frames?

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Old 10-21-07, 03:07 PM
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Generic steel frames?

I've seen a few generic aluminum frames. For instance, thebikebiz sells a no-name aluminum track frame "manufactured by a large frame maker"..etc. Nashbar has some aluminums... Performance has their Scant line.

Does anyone know of a vendor who sells a no-name steel road frame "manufactured by a large maker of steel frames.. blah blah blah"?

(PS: I realize there are options for old steel frames of ebay, and I'm aware of the Surley/Soma/etc lines. I truly want to know if there's a vendor of no-name steel frames. Thanks).

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generic steel frame
no-name steel frame
off-brand steel
off brand steel
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Old 10-21-07, 03:50 PM
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Why?

To save money on a new frame? Or?
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Old 10-21-07, 04:33 PM
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I would think that's not a bad idea.

Especially if you have a painting and building fetish, like yours truly.
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Old 10-21-07, 08:55 PM
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I think you're about 5 years too late. Who qualifies as a "large maker of steel frames" these days? (At least, for use in the US that is)

Fortunately, I believe you can easily remove existing decals as long as they aren't under the clear coat. Not sure which manufacturers that covers, aside from Surly, whose frames are pretty cheap.
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Old 10-21-07, 09:34 PM
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Soma fabrications
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Old 10-21-07, 10:08 PM
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Call up Bikesdirect and see if they'll send you that Fuji that is rebranded as a Mercier.
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Old 10-21-07, 10:52 PM
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Surly seems to be the cheapest option for simple 4130 cromoly steel frames. Pake makes dirt cheap track frames. The decals are removable with a little elbow grease.
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Old 10-21-07, 11:01 PM
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Soma.

If you're looking for a "track" frame (geometries + dropouts), call up the people behind the Pake. See where they make their frames.
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Old 10-22-07, 01:53 AM
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I was set on either a Surly or Soma until I found out that REI keeps a stock of Randonee frames for warranty claims. It was extremely cheap(About $150, as I recall.) and works wonderfully as my commuter.
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Old 10-22-07, 08:07 AM
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REI Randonee

THat's the sort of secret & price I was looking for. It's pretty affordable to experiment w/ frame size & build-up when the frame's only $150. Do you recall how you went about buying this frame? Telephone order? On-site?

THanks.
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Old 10-22-07, 08:27 AM
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REI says, "not for sale"

I called my local REI, and the salesperson raved about the frame, telling me he had one of his own & loved it, and then told me to call the main REI number. The woman I spoke with kicked the question up to their product specialist, and reported back that the frame alone is not for sale.

Anyone else w/ leads on a low-price rebranded or no-name steel frame? I want to be able to experiment w/ frame size & build-up ideas at an affordable price.

Thanks.
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Old 10-22-07, 09:22 AM
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https://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-ROAD-R...QQcmdZViewItem

This would be comparable to, what?, a lower end Fuji or KHS frame? Get the bike, auction the parts you don't need, and it probably brings the actual cost of the frame pretty low.
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Old 10-22-07, 10:15 AM
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Not the cheapest options...but most of the small frame builders will build you whatever you want, however you want it. So if you want steel they can do that.
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Old 10-23-07, 03:00 AM
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Originally Posted by mnr102
THat's the sort of secret & price I was looking for. It's pretty affordable to experiment w/ frame size & build-up when the frame's only $150. Do you recall how you went about buying this frame? Telephone order? On-site?

THanks.
I just walked into the store and asked one of the folks in the bike area about it. He looked it up online and placed the order. I had the frame 2 weeks later.
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Old 10-23-07, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Chieftan
I just walked into the store and asked one of the folks in the bike area about it. He looked it up online and placed the order. I had the frame 2 weeks later.
Do you have a picture?
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Old 10-24-07, 02:18 AM
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Originally Posted by v1k1ng1001
Do you have a picture?
No, but I can take one tomorrow and post it up. I basically robbed my old Fuji Roubaix of all it's 105 components, Ritchie Handlebars, stem and wheels. Then added some cane creek brakes, el cheapo seatpost and called it a day.
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Old 10-24-07, 02:19 AM
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I'm pretty sure I still have the receipt too,..somewhere. So maybe I can get you a part number or something.
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Old 10-24-07, 02:40 AM
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Ok, it's late...but I ran out and grabbed a crappy shot anyway. It also seems that I was a wee bit off on the price. It's still cheap, but not as cheap as my fantasy... $190 for the frame and $50 for the fork. I'll try to get a better shot tomorrow.
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Old 10-24-07, 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Chieftan
Ok, it's late...but I ran out and grabbed a crappy shot anyway. It also seems that I was a wee bit off on the price. It's still cheap, but not as cheap as my fantasy... $190 for the frame and $50 for the fork. I'll try to get a better shot tomorrow.
Thanks for the pics! I'll have to keep this in mind. It looks like a nice frame for $190. I'm selling a CAAD9 soon and I want to pick up some cheap steel to build my commuter.
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Old 10-26-07, 07:57 AM
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Originally Posted by mconlonx
https://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-ROAD-R...QQcmdZViewItem

This would be comparable to, what?, a lower end Fuji or KHS frame? Get the bike, auction the parts you don't need, and it probably brings the actual cost of the frame pretty low.
Has anyone seen these Dawes bikes? Probably non-butted tubes and heavy, but that's pretty cheap for a complete bike, except those shfters have to go - I think bar ends could be a cheap sub. Better seat, and maybe a new/used crank? Make a decent commuter bike at least.
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Old 10-26-07, 07:58 AM
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www.chucksbikes.com

Generic cr-mo frame there.
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