Im looking for a no-name frame for a sleeper.

[Darkhorse85]

I desperately need a road bike, as i'm tired of commuting 100mi a week on my '01 trek 4300 hardtail. I also have a serious urge to compete.
Problem is, i'm 21 years old and poor, haha.
I've beaten my university tri-club people in a time-trial with my mtn bike and they all had nice light roadies. I'm a very strong rider, and i would love a "sleeper" bike. Something about beating people who spend 5 times as much money as i did really makes me happy and makes me feel like i deserve it.

sooo im wondering if you guys know of any off-brand or custom frames/bikes that are fairly cheap. Aluminum. Aluminum w/carbon stays...whatever. Im looking for CHEAP but functional. Maybe around 500 dollars as i still have to buy some riding gear.

please help, thanks.

 

[531Aussie]

. I'm a very strong rider, and i would love a "sleeper" bike. Something about beating people who spend 5 times as much money as i did really makes me happy

ha! ....It doesn't always work like that, coz it's more so the components (including the wheels) that people will notice. So, even if the frame is unbadged, the dudes "in the know" will notice the good tyres, or whatever, etc And you can't hide the most important piece of equipment: your legs! If you have pistons like Jan Ullrich, dudes will probably assume you're on your training bike.

Are you talking about $500 for a complete bike?

Your best bet is second hand. I've bought a few cheap 2nd hand alu frames, costing me (~USD) $75, $200, $50, $175. There's heaps of cheap stuff coming out of Asia, and one of your local shops is bound to have a used frame lying around for well under $200. Cheap frames are often cheaper than buying a complete bike (comparatively) because the 'Joe Average' customers want a whole bike, and aren't prepared to build one.

As for speed, there's no doubt that bikes and frames are WAY overrated. The guys around here with the fancy bikes participating in the fast group rides and races don't exactly leave everybody else behind. If you have a very heavy bike, you might be at a slight disadvantage in hills, but all you need for speed on flats decent wheels with not-too-old hubs, not-too-slack spoke tension, and better-than-average tyres with correct pressure. Being slightly more aero by riding in the drops makes the rider faster than being on a $10,000 bike. It's all about the legs and the wheels

 

[cheapie]

check and see if any local racing/riding clubs would have anything available. a lot of them get new frames as a type of payment and dump their old ones fairly quickly. not a sleeper, but likely pretty inexpensive.

 

[gclark8]

My "sleeper" is for sale. see below. I put a pair of 650c training wheels with 23mm conti GP and Gator skins on it for a day and did my second best time over my favourite training route.... to the Uni Tri Club's pool!!

 

[mikesbytes]

An old steel frame bike road bike will do, there isn't a huge difference between the performance of frame materials. Just get good shoes and cleated pedals, good wheels, tubes and tyres.