I am saving up for a nice steel lugged frame. It does NOT have to be custom-made. It has to be nice for around $1,000 or less. (The geometry can be track, road, or somewhere in between.)

I'm turning to you all because I'm interested in some options and also would like to hear your thoughts. If you had $1,000 (maximum) to spend on a frame, which would you chose?

I was going to use this frame to build a daily commuter, but now it has become special to me: https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/446593-just-having-fun-painting-frame-pics.html

Therefore I'm looking for a different but nice frame to build a bike that I can keep and ride daily forever.

Thank you for any help!


EDIT: You can read through the thread if you want to get caught up, but I finally found a builder in the state. He's a very cool guy to work with, a family-man, and a one-man frame builder, from start to finish. The link to his blog is posted in post #65 of this thread.

Thanks for all the nice replies. Cheers.







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I know it's not lugged and I'm sorry, but if that was my budget I would be all over a Cream City.
https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...e8d6aba85f882a

What size are you looking for ?

EAI Bareknuckle, or a Cream City from Bens Cycle. I would reccommend some road frames, but your posting on the ss/fg forum, so I'm giving you the dedicated single gear frames I would like to build with. A ton of color options, top-notch quality. You know, you could probably build a great ss/fg bike entirely on your budget.

cream city isnt lugged, neither is bareknuckle (kinda heavy). My friend had a cream city and liked it, but the tubing isnt super nice, nor are the welds. tubing on bareknuckles is also so-so

i think your best bet is a used/new keirin frame. they are lugged and all of them use exceptional tubing, and there are a ton of great deals right now on the web. tell me your size and ill reply with some recomendations.

i would recommend an OCEAN via njsframes.blogspot.com but i read somewhere they arent taking new orders.

new panasonic

plus one, but i dont like the way they look, although the lugwork is pretty sweet, i like how they stamp panasonic on the headtube lugs and on the dropout lugs, which btw is a nice touch cus you dont see alot of frames with lugged dropouts anymore.

bridgestone might be another place to look if you want an off the shelf keirin frame.

what youre crazy, the panasonics are gorgeous

if i had to pick a frame in your price range it would be between this two-tone makino selling at 750.00 1 day left or BIN @ 800

OR

this super sweet m-idea frame with absolutely ridiculous lugwork for 950.00 @ keirinculture.com

there not ugly by no means, there friggen sweet, but i guess if i was gonna spend a G on a new frame i would want to have more paint options. I was actually surfing their site the other day looking at the track frames, and the various color options. I mean they look good, just sort of basic for my taste. BTW, njsframes.blogspot.com sells to-order panasonic's (choose color and size) as well as a few pre-fabbed ones in different colors.

Thank you. My size is about a 53 frame.

You guys are most helpful.

If I was going to spend $1000 on a lugged steel frame, then I'd want to make damned well sure that it fit me perfectly. Lots of small-volume builders do framesets for less than $1,000. I'd go that route if I were you.

Used Cinelli Super Corsa... if you can find one. Or on a deep discount, whatever you can find. That frame is ta-mazing.

In a couple of weeks Velocult.com will open up and you will be able to get any of the best classic track frames on the web. If I couldn't find a frame through veloculture then I would put a $750 deposit on a custom Richie Ditta frame, and by the time the frame is done and painted you will have saved up for the other $750 to pay it off ($1500 = deal [best deal out there]).

I already have one of the best Classic track bikes in San Diego (imho), so my next purchase is going to be a custom Ditta.

I hope that peice of **** univega is going on your wall not getting built with nice parts instead of the yet to be purcased $1000 frame.

keep your eyes open. I chanced upon my road bike frame in a local shop. A mondonico - list was $1000 and they were getting rid of it for $500 (5 years ago). funny thing is, they tried to discourage me from buying it

maybe you can get lucky too.

New Panasonic is good because. a. it is new and not an abused old racing bike
b. you can choose exactly how it looks paint colour options and logo colours etc.
c. it looks teh sex.

What source can I look into in order to purchase of a Panasonic frame? I googled but the first couple of pages returned mostly topics about the bike (new and vintage), but no sources for a new purchase.

Thanks for all the help!

I know deathhare is running a Panasonic ordering middle-man business.

+ MANY

https://cgi.ebay.com/Waterford-Track-...QQcmdZViewItem

PANASONIC

you should save up another $1800 and get a vanilla

Soma Speedster. Roughly $650 from any shop. It is a beautiful frame.

Yea, If you want to wait 5 years.