Help Choosing a Frame ...
 

(I'd rather have the input from this section of the forum, so I've chosen to post this here rather than in "general" or "commuting" or somesuch)

I've got a dedicated road bike (and another frame awaiting a build) and a fixed gear at the moment. In the coming fall I'm going to need a bike suited to commuting to school and as I've just come into a new group set, I think this is a good time to start thinking about a frame.

This is what I'd like the bike to be able to do for me:

1) take fenders and be zippy enough to use as a rain bike on some training rides if needs be
2) take a rack so that I can toss my school stuff, lunch, gym clothes etc into some panniers
3) perhaps allow for wide enough tires so that I can use it on fire roads etc when the opportunity arises

*I'd like to use standard road brakes on this bike, so full fenders are likely out of the mix, correct? That's cool ... those crud racer ones look good enough.

All of this makes me think CrossCheck, but I wonder if there is another option (or two) out there that I'm not thinking of. Obviously this is not going to be a light bike, but I'd rather not build a tank if I can help it.

Budget = cheaper is better. Somewhere in the $500 range? For something really nice I could extend the budget a bit.

Your thoughts?

Or you can get a used Trek or Specialized, and install STI or barend shifters instead of downtube, and you'll have a complete bike for less than $350. One thing to consider is theft at campuses, and new shiny bikes attract thieves like summer flys.

^
My caad9 hasn't been stolen so far..
To them it's just an ordinary black bike. Lol

Surly Pacer, Soma Smoothie, Traitor cycles, Handsome cycles - plenty of options. For a really nice, more individual bike, the Marinoni Ciclo would run to about 700usd and would be lighter and more raceable than the other options, and you get to pick the colours.

Well, I already have a group including wheels, so I'd like to get just a frame rather than a complete bike. Used if fine, but I'd rather a used frame than a used complete bike which I'd then have to strip.

I'm a grad student and will be able to keep the bike in my (shared) office, so theft is not really a huge issue. It will get locked from time to time, but never for extended periods, and I have good locks.

Yeah, Marinoni is for sure an option. My road bike is a Marinoni. I live in Canada.

PICS! :)

(I'm a grad student too - our race team spare bike is a Marinoni Special)

$500? For just the frame? Screw that! Buy yourself a Nashbar Double-Butted Aluminum Touring Frame. Wait for a 20-25% off sale and you can get it for around $120.

Without fenders, it'll fit 700x35 tires easily and 700x38 may be possible. I have fenders on mine and use 700x32 tires. My Vittoria Ranndonneur Hyper tires roll well and the large volume ensures a reasonably plush ride. The frame isn't the prettiest or lightest, but the it is well-made. I built one as a touring bike, did 1000 miles of training, then rode it from San Francisco to Los Angeles without a hitch. The frame has braze-ons for everything you need: rear rack, front rack, fenders, and three water bottles.

The only downside is that you'll have to use cantilever brakes if you want to run wide tires and fenders. I bought Avid Shorty 6 cantis and they suck, even with KoolStop salmon pads. Worst brakes I've used... Luckily, I got a great deal on the Nashbar Carbon Fiber Cyclocross Fork at the same time I bought the bike. It makes the bike steer a bit quicker... and it also happens to have a disc brake mount. I installed an Avid BB7 Road caliper up front, which stops the bike well no matter what the weather throws at me.