I have a CAAD 10 for exercise/longer rides but wanted to get a 2nd bike for tooling around NYC, commuting, maybe occasional single track. so lots of potholes, rough road, some light off road duty. would be nice to have clearance for fenders/rack and wider tires and i'd like to stay around $400; i can spend more but am worried about theft and don't want to feel the burn too badly if/when it happens but i also would hope to get something that will have some staying power in terms of fun and build quality. have looked briefly at motobecane fantom uno, kilo tt/wt, jamis beatnik. i like the idea of steel frame vs aluminum i guess. any other suggestions? oh, would like a more relaxed upright position; will probably put swap in some riser bars. thanks much

Just curious...what part of Chicagoland is NYC in?

haha, that's old info. I'm living in NYC now via Chicago, so to speak. now fixed

I live in Manhattan and own a CAAD10 and also have a Kilo TT. Go for the WT if you want something "cheap" and wide tire ready. Also, NYC streets aren't really that bad.

I live in Brooklyn. I'd recommend a Jamis sputnik (not beatnik!) for what you want.

Go for a ride with Social Cycling NYC, most of them ride
fixie/ss. Check out their bikes ask questions, have a drink.
Not sure if they have a website, I get their Facebook feeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh5V...ature=youtu.be
.be

check out MSC (Mott Street Cycles) in LES. really cool dudes and great choice of color customization.

Definitely a steel frameset. Really helps iron out those less than ideal urban roads.

Mott street is nothing compared to King Kog and Chari & Co.

Not going to find anything in that price range at chari and co.

I recently stumbled upon Ciel Bikes on 65th between 1st and 2nd. I really like that shop.

Bedford Single Speed by Brooklyn Bicycle Co.

this one had pretty good review on the bicycle times Aug issue. $399

My votes on the phantom uno

I am looking at all of these NYC boutique bike shops, and they give off the impression that they're not much more than trendy, hipster places to purchase clothing and accessories. The Chari site, especially.

D.

Go to north Brooklyn cycles. The guys are kinda dickish but they have some great selections with the ideal frame style you'd want. State bike co is awesome too.

Have you tried perusing NYC CL? $400 can get you a lot of used bike if you're willing to wade through the spam/BS ads.
Just know that you're in for a lot of this:

("Vintage" Raleigh with "vintage" tubular Aerospokes)

Any bike +28mm tires.

Whatever floats your boat and you can afford. I've had a conversion of Giant Kronos road frame, a Bianchi Pista, a conversion of a 70s lugged Italvega, a Redline 925 and now a Soma Rush.

They all work. Wider tires are nice to soak up the less than ideal roads but really they aren't that bad. Like anywhere else you can ride what you want. Nice to have more forgiving tires and contact points (saddle, grips). I've even heard of people riding (shudder) aluminum and living to tell about it...

Forget their websites. Just go to their stores. They have great parts, and the owners know more than you can imagine.