steamroller and fillmore - thoughts
 

i know these bikes have been discussed in other threads, which i have read, i would like to elicit some additional comments. i am looking at these 2 bikes (steamroller as supplied by surley complete) and have ridden the fillmore. the fillmore will accomodate a 700X28 tire and comes with a 25. the surley will take up to a 38. i will ride mainly for commuting around boston. i wonder if the flexibility of the surley is a big advantage? size for size the TT length, ST length, and HT length are longer on the surley, particulary the HTL. i guess this gives the fillmore a more race feel. i found i need quite a bit of seat height on the fillmore 57 (i am 6'2") as the 61 is quite a bit bigger, probably too big. thanks for anyones opinion and advice on these bikes.

in my opinion you don't need the super huge fat tires on the steamroller that there is clearance for. and it's sort of disappointing that they've 'slackened' the geometry of the steamroller since first introducing it, but i'm riding a 2001 56cm and i'm 5'9" -- i like to be comfy since i need to put in the miles to get anywhere from the southside of chicago. that being said, i've been hit, crashed, thrown, etc etc on that bike and nothing has happened to the frame. they're bomb broof. i love 'em. go for the surly.

i ride a surly. sure, i admit it, i bought it mostly because it was for sale used in my size. but since then i've come to love the relaxed geometry. i do just fine in races, plus i can put lots o miles on it comfortably.

I'm 5'-11" riding a 55cm Fillmore. It's my first road bike and I like it; I like it a lot.

thanks for the comments on the 2 bikes. the 57 fillmore has a TT length of 575 vs. 587 on the steamroller 59. i wonder if the 12mm makes much a difference? the lemond tech support manager suggested adding a longer handlebar stem if necessary. i wish i could ride a steamroller before making a decision. none of the local dealers have any around. thanks

I've got the same frame as salome, and I'll second that. I'm really pleased with the construction and the way it rides. I even just picked up a Surly Pacer frame.

my surly's a little big for me, but i just lowered the seat a little and its comfy as poo

im worried the steamrooler i just got will wind up to be too big....i really want at least 10 cm of post showing eh...we'll see when i finally get home to build it up

im 6'3" and it is a 62 cm frame

crissy, where are you located?

very few dealers will have built up steamrollers-- they are almost always sold frame & fork. your best bet is to try a friend's. good luck.

i think the steamroller will be far more durable, but the lemond is a really pretty bike.

From her first post, Boston. I didn't catch that the 1st time either.

i see no need for fat tires on a road bike or a fixie,
and the fillmore is one of the prettiest bikes i have seen in a long while...

so pretty...

It's also possible that this would be the only year to get a Fillmore since Greg and Trek aren't the best of friends lately.

I got my Fillmore for a great deal off ebay, $625; the guy was moving and had to sell his most recent bike; only had 20 or so miles on it. If it weren't for that I would have had a tough time deciding between a Steamroller and the Fillmore. I guess for me assuming both frames will fit fine it would have been more of a choice between whether I wanted to buy a prebuilt bike or build one up from scratch with all the components personally selected. That's how I'd make my decision.

previous discussion ...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=63464

it's not that pretty. not digging the rear break + brazes at all. at least the steamroller is only drilled. and decals on the steamroller are super easy to get off

http://www.lemondbikes.com/images/20...ge/filmore.jpg

(hello steamroller my friend)

http://www.excelsports.com/image/Sur...teamroller.jpg

I'm saying I do need wider tyres for the trails on my commute...but I do like the lemond just cuz.

Here's another pic without the rear brake and with some bullhorns; granted the braze ons are still there. The bike comes fix/free, thus the rear brake.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...chmentid=24074

it all depends on how you plan on riding it. if you plan on riding the filmore as a singlespeed or you have bad knees and you want to ride fixed you might want the back brake..and the braze ons sure look a lot better than diy cable guide/zip tie things.

Or a lot worse if you decide not to run a rear brake!

very true. i guess i was trying to say that if you were planning on it then it might be an ideal frame..otherwise probably not.

I agree with salome. I don't find the lemond that nice at all. Surly is nice. It was the first fixie I gushed over...never owned one though..

huh? when did this happen?

without actually looking anything up, i can tell you for sure the chainstays have been bumped out, the BB height is different. i'll try to find some actual specs later when i need to procrastinate.

I believe it came with the change of color: the "baked bean" steamrollers were the ones with a trackier geometry. After that, they slackened. Don't know the year, '02 or maybe '03?

the baked bean variety had 1" head tubes, too.