Yeah, I know I'm fat. Beer, great food and a warm bed filled with my honey keeps from from giving a ****, mostly.

I am looking at framesets and am down to 2.

Gazetta and French 75.

Since I haven't ridden either, I'm asking which one of you can tell me a few things - and help me save myself the headache of getting the wrong frame.


At 230-175 depending on the season (thyroid makes life fun when it doesn't work!) and carrying 15-40 lbs. of **** home/school/work routinely - which one isn't going to be .99 cent noodles?

They both look like they are good looking frames, which one is going to also have the long-distance comfort too, in your opinions?

I have a gazzetta and I can vouch for it...great frame!

Dude, just go with your original plan of getting a Bare Knuckle - just don't get a blue one.

Steel is a surefire frame material for sometimes* heavier people. So, yeah out of the two, my vote goes to the gazetta. Or better yet, a blue EAI bareknuckle.

I'd definitely go for a blue BK.

I vote BK

Yeah, I'm going to get the BK. It was the original frame I was discussing with Scrod, but I got the impression the finish on the other two frames was a bit more, well, finished.

I'm thinking black - or kawasaki green.

SRAM S300 crank
IRD Technoglide headset
DEDA stem/seatpost
Brooks or Fyxation curve
KMC Devil 101
S500 levers
Dura Ace 6700 front brake

I like the TB14 (32s) rim, but I'm not sure it's the better choice over the XR300 (36s)
Pair these up with All City New hubs.

6700 is Ultegra, not DA.

And no freaking way is 230# mastodon grade (take a look at the clyde forum). I was that heavy for years and never broke a thing. How you ride matters a lot more than how heavy you are.

The finish on mine and the others that have passed through the shop have been fine. I've seen complaints on the interwebz about the paint chipping easily but haven't had any trouble with it.

Knowing what you'll be using the bike for after talking to you about it, I really think you'll be happiest with a BK. I'll be back at the shop tomorrow if you need to bend my ear a bit.

BTW - I still have that sale-priced green 56cm.

green bareknuckle

That Kawasaki green is seriously tight.

I agree...go with the steel BK. The finish on the french75 scratches when you look at it. Both are good, but at your weight I would trust the BK to last longer. Also the BK fork is heavier duty than the carbon/al french 75 fork. I have no oninion about the bk finish...mine was ok, but I bought mine 8 years ago and it isn't a good reference for new BKs.

my answer is C)

all of the above

throw workin' and hustlin' in there too

gotta make that paper

Mostly hustlin" though.