bentupright
Interesting... a guy who moved in beside me has a partly rusted road bike frame (I figure about 15 years old), set up with 26X1.5 wheels/tires, the old 'lever' shifters, LUGGED FRAME, and he's probably better set up for loaded touring than my (somewhat oversized) Trek 1000. If I like the ride on HIS bike better, I might ask him to 'swap' with me, have the frame stripped and repainted, put some fenders on it, and call it MY ultimate touring bike! Gee, there are still frames around that allow my ENTIRE foot to touch the ground when I dismount!:eek:
Sure beats trying to find the same thing made THESE days! If STEEL isn't considered sacreligious, or LUGGED frames, then 26 inch set up for long haul touring surely is! This is what I have been envisioning:
1- steel frame (NO oversized tubes!)
2- 26 inch road geometry (NOT a mountain bike frame... I want the panniers/racks lower to the ground than a 700c makes for, AND the more readily avaliable 26 inch, "wider is better" tires, that should also allow for fenders as well)
3- as many bottle mounts as practicable
4- the mounts for brazed-on levers (on the down tube)
5- 26 inch wheels with as many spokes as possible (probably ones typically set up for tandem bikes)
6- three rings in front, eight speeds in the back (or SOMETHING close to it)
7- frame can be fitted with the best CHROMOLOY rack system still available (what few are still available by special order, NEVER found at a TYPICAL LBS!)
8- somewhere around the $1,500 price range, once it's all done
9- LUGGED frame WOULD be nice (if it would be possible to do with qualifier #10)
10- the bike isn't on a three month-plus waiting list to order
[tell me the truth... is this SO impossible that you are laughing at me?:D ]
Sure beats trying to find the same thing made THESE days! If STEEL isn't considered sacreligious, or LUGGED frames, then 26 inch set up for long haul touring surely is! This is what I have been envisioning:
1- steel frame (NO oversized tubes!)
2- 26 inch road geometry (NOT a mountain bike frame... I want the panniers/racks lower to the ground than a 700c makes for, AND the more readily avaliable 26 inch, "wider is better" tires, that should also allow for fenders as well)
3- as many bottle mounts as practicable
4- the mounts for brazed-on levers (on the down tube)
5- 26 inch wheels with as many spokes as possible (probably ones typically set up for tandem bikes)
6- three rings in front, eight speeds in the back (or SOMETHING close to it)
7- frame can be fitted with the best CHROMOLOY rack system still available (what few are still available by special order, NEVER found at a TYPICAL LBS!)
8- somewhere around the $1,500 price range, once it's all done
9- LUGGED frame WOULD be nice (if it would be possible to do with qualifier #10)
10- the bike isn't on a three month-plus waiting list to order
[tell me the truth... is this SO impossible that you are laughing at me?:D ]
