Next year I turn 60.
That seems like a good reason to build a classic fixed gear bike.
We think alike, eh?

I need a frame, a lugged steel frame with traditional geometry that doesn't cost a fortune.
A DeBernardi track frame would fit the bill perfectly if the fork would accept a front brake.
That doesn't seem the case, but perhaps someone has an idea...

So, a custom made lugged steel frame and fork, with some consideration for keeping the cost reasonable?

Suggestions, with a URL, please?

how much is "reasonable"?

The World Class Cycles website says you can get a custom Bob Jackson track frame starting at $800.

gotta say I saw my first Jonny Cycles in person this weekend and they're boooootiful.
https://www.jonnycycles.com/
Check out those bling stems. Mrowl.

good suggestion. how about vanilla or circle a? does rivendell make custom stuff? either way, their single speed/fixies frames are beautiful and would make a perfect classic.

the de bernardi thron track frames have both front and rear brake provisions, actually... the geometry, though, may be a bit too stiff at 74 ht, 75 st. may i suggest a de bernardi road frame? bulltek sports has a variety of brain and sl tubed de bernardi road frames. have a look.

I second the Jonny Cycle suggestion. Nice frames, and Jonny is a super cool guy.

www.circleacycles.com - Providence, RI

Although their website is perpetually down, Andante bicycles in Florida will make a custom lugged steel track frame (their "eco" model) for around $500. I believe Jose R from this forum is in proud posession of one and has nothing but good things to say about it.

There is a guy in he bay area who advertises on both eBay and Craigslist from time to time who does lugged steel frames for (I think) $600. They're not custom, and they come in a few different sizes.

By "traditional" geometry, do you mean traditional track geometry?

I believe there was a thread a while back about track frames around the $500 mark... there are probably a lot of suggestions in that thread that might fit your bill.

m.

Crust & crumb wrote:

"...de bernardi thron track frames have both front and rear brake provisions..."

If someone could confirm that?

-----

Isotopsope asked:

"How much is reasonable?"

Under $1200, closer to $1000.

That puts Vanilla and Rivendell out of the running, I think.

Jonnycycles and Circle A have some scary beautiful bikes on their site, and no mention of price.

A Bob Jackson at $800, with lugs?
I'll chase that one down.
Seems too good.

Jonny Cycle are around $1000, I believe it says on the site. Or you could email Jon. He responds quickly.

Yes, World Class Cycles, Bob Jackson Vigorelli, $800.

Amazing.

Traditional, to me, means seat stays attached to the conventional place on the seat tube.

As far as traditional head tube angles, doesn't my Pista fairly typify track angles?
I'd like to know.

ken, if you were to order a de bernardi from world class as i recently did, it'll definitely be drilled, front and rear. i remember distinctly the wretched pangs of despair i felt upon opening my package and realizing such. oh, also note that the de bernardi's paint is less than poor quality.

so yeah, bob jackson...

You can get an "off-the-peg" Bob Jackson Vigorelli Track 631 in your choice of about 60 colors (it's just a guess, I didn't actually count them) for ~$550 (plus shipping from the UK). I wish I'd known this before I spent twice that on a Gunnar. Pic:
*Edit: I forgot to include a link.

In addition to the suggestions above, I'd keep an eye on the usual second hand suspects- cl, ebay, etc. There is a lot of classic track steel that goes for a grand or less.

I met a guy who had a catastrophc failure on a de bernardi frame. It snapped mid tube after a year of riding. After contacting them they offered to sell him a new one at 1/2 off retail (which was thier cost) and this was after a decent amout of grief on his end. While the tube failure is not thier fault they should have given him a new frame. This has been the only complaint about them that I've heard except for the paint issue.

ah yes, the "off the peg" bob jackson frames. great value- shipping cost, though?

as for angles, traditional (track) we'll put at 75 ht, 75 st (roughly). so, yes, i'd say the pista fairly typifies track angles.

I'll recommend Bob Jackson or Mercian, but I'm biased being in the UK. They both accept front brakes, reynolds steel, comfy 74 degree geometry, and have been making frames forever that last forever. Mercian will give more options, but costs a bit more.
I've been trying to decide between the two for nearly a year now... After seeing trespasser's mercian, I think my mind is made up.

Yep. $400 for the frame. ~$45 for the SS track ends. ~$45 for custom paint job. It fits like a glove and rides real well. I chose roadish geometry, since I will be using it mostly as a commuter/training bike. So, it has a relaxed wheelbase.

But, and this is a BIG but; I noticed a problem with the rear triangle, wrt the centering of the wheel between the seatstays. As I centered the back wheel based on the chainstays, it was off center relative to the seatstays. So I took the bike to Conrads here in the city (who have a jig table) to have the rear frame alignment checked out. It turns out one of the seatstays is longer than the other by about 2cms! Whoever actually built the frame, did a sh*t job. Now, the bike is rideable, and I haven't noticed any problems with tracking with no hands riding, so its not that big of a problem. But, but, its a problem I can't live with.

So, I e-mailed Johnny Coast of Coast Cycles, in Brooklyn, and will be taking the frame in for a consultation, to see how much it would cost to fix and how much work will be involved.

Its unfortunate because I love the way it rides, feels and fits, and I love the paint job design. But it is what it is.

WRT Ken's original question, I think $800-1,200 is a good range for a good quality custom frame with decent tubing.

And I would recommend buying from a local framebuilder, if possible, or getting a custom fitting if you don't already know your sizing criteria.

www.vanillabicycles.com

sweeeeeeet

sweet indeed, but:

Ken- are you scrapping the steamroller icebike project?

Waterford

BostonFixed asked:

"Ken- are you scrapping the steamroller icebike project?"

Yes, sorta.

After all that research and finding out it would work, the family asked me to postpone it for a year.
For the really nasty days I have a very competent geared ice bike from last year, with all the lights, fenders and studded tires.
I test rode it the other day and it feels creepy after riding fixed.
Like, slimy?
Vague?
Anyway, if I have to ride a geared bike for ten or twelve days next winter, I'll do it and feel thankful for it.

But, this time next spring...

Many more options presented in this thread than I would have expected.
This seems very doable.

I could do the frame around income tax time (I file electronically on Feb 2nd) and then the components a little later.

That seems like a problem that Andante should be tripping over themselves to fix. Have you contacted them about it?

Also, do you have any pictures of the frame? The photos on their site are (were?) total poo.

m.