motobecane fantom uno - single speed commuter?
 

just moved to tacoma, and i'm interested in a single speed commuter to get me to work and back, but also cruisin, visiting gig harbor, maybe even 50 mile rides? i'm a fairly strong mountain biker, but i don't really know much about cruisers. definitely want a single speed for easy upkeep, not too interested in fixed gear, and after a bunch of research it's come to this question -

will the motobecane fantom uno let me do all of this?

i'm looking to put front/rear fenders and a rack on the rear as bare minimun, with the possibility of a front rack as needed. 42c tires if needed. this frame/fork combo on bike island can fit them all.

would cantilever brakes prevent me from attaching any of the above accessories? i'd be buying the frame to build up on my own, and canti's are cheap and easy (i'm even more clueless of v-brakes, so i'd rather prefer cantilevers)

finally, and i know everyone has a frickin conniption fit when this comes up, but i think i'd get the 56cm size. i'm just shy of 6'1" tall, 32.25" inseam, and all the bikes i've so far test ridden at various stores have fit similar to the 56cm model's numbers. any input

any help or opinions would be killer...thanks

im pretty sure you can run racks or fenders, i dunno if it has eyelets for both...ill have to check my bike,

but you should have no probem with the canti's..setup is easya nd they work great.

as far as sizing goes, i am 6'2", 34" inseam, and have a 58...its a bit too small, so i would say that 56 would be too small for you as well.

Cross bikes are great commuters. If it were me, I'd spring the extra money for a Surly Cross Check (if you're building with your own parts, I'm assuming cost is a secondary concern). I'd also go with V-brakes if you aren't going to be doing any cyclocross racing with it. You need different levers to use V-brakes, but they're way easier to get good stopping power from and very easy to maintain.

i was thinking about a crosscheck but i don't think the fork has braze-ons for a front rack, i could be wrong though (i been wrong before!).

I was thinking about the motobecane jury also, but i read the rear brake has some issues with needing a drop bolt or some jibberish like that (what the heck is that anyway?), and it needs long reach brakes like the tektro R556, and I don't think the fork on the jury has braze-ons for a front rack either (am i wrong?)

also, thanks for the sizing tip...i'm pretty sure i need to get sized up at a shop before i make a decision.

btw i'm not planning on racing this bike, unless you wanna race to the beer store....

Someone on the commuting forum was kicking around the idea of building up a cross check with a Long Haul Trucker fork. That could work for you. A single-speed Cross Check with an LHT fork would certainly be one unique bike.

I'm the same size and my 58cm is just a bit small.

The only problem I've had is that the rear rack drilling is a little close to the track end, you may need to "tweak" you rack a bit for the track-nut to fit.

Adding on to this thread my experience with a 58cm Fantom Uno I bought a month ago from bikeisland.com:

Supposedly the geometry is the same as the Messenger but the size 58 top tube is 56.5, not 57 as on the geometry chart and the standover is 810, not 827. This bike is actually smaller than my 56 Steamroller.

Since the seat is way up above the top tube, I've had to put an extender on the top of the steerer to get the handle bars up and put on a 130mm stem. I'm 5'11" with a 34 3/4" inseam.

i just ordered a fantom uno; for pretty much the same purposes. I think it's gonna be a great frame.

My crosscheck has a Jandd front rack mounted on it. It has eyelits near the hub and the rack came with p-lamps for the fork.

It survived a cross country tour with about 15lbs on it the whole time, so, as long as there is a place to screw in the bottom of the rack, p-clamps will work for the top!

agreed. i just sold my windsor the hour frame to get a fantom cross uno too.