Bike Recommendations

[Ydm9]

Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length is
an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as I
look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

 

[S O R N I]

ydm9 wrote:
> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
> no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
> Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length
> is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions
> as I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

Visit your local bike shop.

Bill "Fuji, perhaps?" S.

 

[Bbense+Rec Bicy]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article
<[email protected]>, ydm9
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
>no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
>Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length is
>an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as
>I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

- - Jamis makes nice inexpensive steel bikes.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/jamis/aurora.html

sounds like what you might be looking for.

_ Booker C. Bense

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBQFDDdGTWTAjn5N/lAQF12gQAghviudPY6VV/XPoGoOpn96CZHuL-
r7WaP mQkEOSgr5zDBojeLCY+iMVo4s45WRAlsZ1oTUrzLjwo/WgwtGrtfD-
eOyJzYccfn2 TiHmP4fvMT84vbtaIYBPHHMI+vqiLR9ZjZ9wjxZX5RdVaex-
8vWcKpsWU/p3RNZNl IpkbY/7X5V0=
=/KZ4
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

 

[Bfd]

"S o r n i" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ydm9 wrote:
> > Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel
> > (absolutely no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra
> > components. Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top
> > tube length is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new
> > bike suggestions as I look for used ones, but no luck
> > yet. Any ideas?
>
> Visit your local bike shop.
>
> Bill "Fuji, perhaps?" S.
>
>
Excellent advice. A good LBS will not only have production
bikes that will fit your budget, they should be able to
fit you. Remember, if the bike doesn't fit, you won't want
to ride! Besides Fuji, a good recommendation, other
production bikes to look at include Bianchi, Marin, Trek,
Cannondale and Specialized. Make sure the bike fits to
your riding style....

 

[David Kerber]

In article
<[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
> no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
> Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length
> is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions
> as I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

What kind of bike? Fuji has some nice entry-level road
bikes: The League and Finest are both well within your price
range, and would leave you room to get some clothes and
accessories, and the Touring is slightly above at about
$800. I have a Touring and love it.

I don't know nearly as much about Mountain bikes, so I'll
let someone else answer that part of the question?

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

 

[Luigi De Guzman]

On 11 Mar 2004 10:58:57 -0800, [email protected] (ydm9) wrote:

>Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
>no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
>Prefer 9 speed.

Why no Al?

>I have a short torso, so top tube length is an issue.
>Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as I look for
>used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

Jamis does nice steel bikes. You've already gotten the
bike sorted in your mind, so why not see what's in
stock near you?

-Luigi

 

[Joel Roth]

Lemond makes some nice steel bikes.

Joel

ydm9 wrote:

>Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
>no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
>Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length is
>an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as
>I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

 

[Matt O'Toole]

> ydm9 wrote:

>> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel
>> (absolutely no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra
>> components. Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top
>> tube length is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new
>> bike suggestions as I look for used ones, but no luck
>> yet. Any ideas?

joel roth wrote:

> Lemond makes some nice steel bikes.

Not for $700, though. If you're lucky, you might find a
Tourmalet (w/ Tiagra) on sale for $900 or so.

Matt O.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Thu, 11 Mar 2004 22:20:07 GMT,
<[email protected]>, "Matt O'Toole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> ydm9 wrote:
>
>>> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel
>>> (absolutely no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra
>>> components. Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top
>>> tube length is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new
>>> bike suggestions as I look for used ones, but no luck
>>> yet. Any ideas?
>
>joel roth wrote:
>
>> Lemond makes some nice steel bikes.
>
>Not for $700, though. If you're lucky, you might find a
>Tourmalet (w/ Tiagra) on sale for $900 or so.
>
>Matt O.

And, are the Le Mond bikes not renown for having longer top
tubes because of Greg's pedalling style?
--
zk

 

[Xkred27]

> Not for $700, though. If you're lucky, you might find a
> Tourmalet (w/
Tiagra)
> on sale for $900 or so.

Can't speak for older Tourmalets, but the 2004 is aluminum
frame, not steel, with Ultegra rear derailleur, and 105 rest
of the group. A 2003 issue of Consumer Reports sez the
Tourmalet has a steel frame, so maybe the aluminum frame and
upgraded gruppo are new for this year.

Peter

"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > ydm9 wrote:
>
> >> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel
> >> (absolutely no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra
> >> components. Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so
> >> top tube length is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer
> >> new bike suggestions as I look for used ones, but no
> >> luck yet. Any ideas?
>
> joel roth wrote:
>
> > Lemond makes some nice steel bikes.
>
> Not for $700, though. If you're lucky, you might find a
> Tourmalet (w/
Tiagra)
> on sale for $900 or so.
>
> Matt O.

 

[Xkred27]

>And, are the Le Mond bikes not renown for having longer top
>tubes because of Greg's pedalling style?
Yup. Just bought one for that very reason.

"Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thu, 11 Mar 2004 22:20:07 GMT,
> <[email protected]>, "Matt
> O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> ydm9 wrote:
> >
> >>> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel
> >>> (absolutely no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra
> >>> components. Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so
> >>> top tube length is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer
> >>> new bike suggestions as I look for used ones, but no
> >>> luck yet. Any ideas?
> >
> >joel roth wrote:
> >
> >> Lemond makes some nice steel bikes.
> >
> >Not for $700, though. If you're lucky, you might find a
> >Tourmalet (w/
Tiagra)
> >on sale for $900 or so.
> >
> >Matt O.
>
> And, are the Le Mond bikes not renown for having longer
> top tubes because of Greg's pedalling style?
> --
> zk

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Zoot Katz wrote:

> And, are the Le Mond bikes not renown for having longer
> top tubes because of Greg's pedalling style?

Yup, although the actual difference is way overblown.

Matt O.

 

[Rob Lipsey]

I agree with one of the other posters. In the $700 range, I
don't think that any new (road) bike is going to meet all of
your criteria. Most bikes in this price range are going to
have Sora components and 8-speed rather than 9. Most budget
road bikes are aluminum so your steel requirement will limit
your choices. I can think of a few: Bianchi Brava, Bianchi
Strada (flat-bar road bike), Iron Horse Triumph, Fuji
Finest, Jamis Satellite.

I was recently looking for a budget steel bike and I chose
the Satellite. For the money, it is a good bike but it has
Sora and 8-speed.

Good Luck.

 

[Gerry]

Check out your LBS. I recommend Lemond.

"ydm9" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
> no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
> Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length
> is an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions
> as I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

 

[Daniel]

Just a friendly comment about Giant bikes - STAY AWAY. I
managed last summer to break a rear spoke two separate times
and also had my derailer shifter break (plastic insides).
This is on a bike that in the two summers I rode is went
about 900 miles total.

The good thing I have to say is that I bought it from a
regular bike shop and they took pretty good care of me. When
the second spoke broke, they only charged me for the spokes
when they relaced the wheel.

Dan

"ydm9" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length is
an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as I
look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

 

[B A R R Y]

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 16:48:00 -0500, "Daniel" <dcxdanATwowwayDOTcom>
wrote:

>Just a friendly comment about Giant bikes - STAY AWAY. I
>managed last summer to break a rear spoke two separate
>times and also had my derailer shifter break (plastic
>insides). This is on a bike that in the two summers I rode
>is went about 900 miles total.

Do know that Giant probably manufactured none of those
parts? Do you also know that ANY bike at the same price
point probably has the same parts? <G>

Giant makes some great bikes and some cheap bikes, just like
any other large manufacturer.

What model is the Giant?

Barry

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 16:48:00 -0500, "Daniel" <dcxdanATwowwayDOTcom>
wrote:
>Just a friendly comment about Giant bikes - STAY AWAY. I
>managed last summer to break a rear spoke two separate
>times and also had my derailer shifter break (plastic
>insides). This is on a bike that in the two summers I rode
>is went about 900 miles total.
>
>The good thing I have to say is that I bought it from a
>regular bike shop and they took pretty good care of me.
>When the second spoke broke, they only charged me for the
>spokes when they relaced the wheel.

The bike shop probably should have retensioned and stress-
relieved the wheel before selling the bike. Granted, Giant
should have done that before shipping the bike, but they
probably expect the shop to do it.

The broken shifter was probably manufactured by Shimano,
not Giant.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Luigi De Guzman]

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 16:48:00 -0500, "Daniel" <dcxdanATwowwayDOTcom>
wrote:

>Just a friendly comment about Giant bikes - STAY AWAY. I
>managed last summer to break a rear spoke two separate
>times and also had my derailer shifter break (plastic
>insides). This is on a bike that in the two summers I rode
>is went about 900 miles total.

Broken spokes aren't a Giant problem. If your shop didn't
prep your wheels properly then it's no surprise you
popped a spoke.

As far as shifters, well...that's not a Giant issue, either.
Giant makes frames and forkes, and (mostly) assembles
components built by other makers.

>
>The good thing I have to say is that I bought it from a
>regular bike shop and they took pretty good care of me.
>When the second spoke broke, they only charged me for the
>spokes when they relaced the wheel.

Nice of them.

-Luigi

>
>Dan
>
>"ydm9" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
>no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
>Prefer 9 speed. I have a short torso, so top tube length is
>an issue. Budget is $700. I prefer new bike suggestions as
>I look for used ones, but no luck yet. Any ideas?

 

[Gabike]

>Just a friendly comment about Giant bikes - STAY AWAY. I
>managed last summer to break a rear spoke two separate
>times and also had my derailer shifter break (plastic
>insides). This is on a bike that in the two summers I rode
>is went about 900 miles total.

I have a Giant OCR1, for the money its a outstanding
beginner bike. If you had it 2 years and only went 900 miles
the failures were most likely a matter of neglect. Any bike
that gets ignored will have failures. Mine came with 105
components, very reliable though a bit heavy, I have
upgraded and have about 50% ultegra on it now. Ive broken a
couple of spokes on my bike also but ive put several
thousand miles on it in the 3 years ive had
it. The biggest problem I have with Giant is that thay put
too many stickers on the frame. For my next bike im torn
between a trek 5200 and a Giant TCR elite. Ill probibly
just buy a frame and transfer my ultegra parts and
replace the 105 parts.

 

[Steven M. Schar]

"ydm9" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Looking for bike recommendations. Prefer steel (absolutely
> no aluminum) frame. Will settle for Tiagra components.
> Prefer 9 speed. I
have a short torso, so top tube length is an issue.
Budget is $700.
> I prefer new bike suggestions as I look for used ones,
> but no luck yet. Any ideas?

Very difficult, as most low end bikes are aluminum. Also you
want to look for a non-compact frame, and a quill headset.
These are generally only available in higher end bikes.

You have a couple of options:

1. Fuji Touring meets your requirements (at least the 2003),
not sure about the top-tube issue. Also it apparently has
a traditional quill stem, which will give you a more
adjustability than a threadless headset.

http://bikesdirect.com/products/02fuji/fuji_touring.htm

Sold out at this on-line retailer, but Performance
carries Fuji.

2. Bianchi Brava, though it has lower end components. It's a
lot cheaper than $700, they were selling them for $510,
at a LBS in Los Altos, California a month ago, regular
price is $600. Also quill stem. But Sora component set.
You could go with the Sora initially, and upgrade if you
truly felt the need, but really the Sora is fine.

I don't know where you are, but on Craigslist.org for San
Francisco, there's a guy that regularly advertises rebuilt
steel road bikes.

Other than a used bike or those two choices above, I
don't think that $700 is going to get you a new
chromolloy steel bike.