sleeper frame?



Cutters

New Member
Jan 7, 2007
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Looking for a 'bang for the buck' sleeper frame. You know, a bike that people wouldn't even take a second look at. I'd like a stiff climbing bike that will scream down fast technical hills without getting twitchy. Suggestions?
 
Cutters said:
Looking for a 'bang for the buck' sleeper frame. You know, a bike that people wouldn't even take a second look at. I'd like a stiff climbing bike that will scream down fast technical hills without getting twitchy. Suggestions?
Nashbar aluminum frame looks like a good value to me. A buddy built one up last season and has been very happy with the results. He got the model with CF seatstays; believe it was under $300 with CF fork. Finished in candy red, with no decals, it's a real sleeper.
 
dhk2 said:
Nashbar aluminum frame looks like a good value to me. A buddy built one up last season and has been very happy with the results. He got the model with CF seatstays; believe it was under $300 with CF fork. Finished in candy red, with no decals, it's a real sleeper.
Does anyone know if Nashbar ships their frames to Australia?
 
thomas_cho said:
Does anyone know if Nashbar ships their frames to Australia?
No and don't bother asking. They don't seem to like international orders and their credit card authentification process takes weeks at best. If anybody has had a positive experience with nashbar in Aus, please tell.
 
I built up a winter beater with the full AL Nashbar frame. It's nearly as light as my C'dale CAAD8 and it climbs/sprints just as well. No labels adds to the stealth effect.
 
Cutters said:
Looking for a 'bang for the buck' sleeper frame. You know, a bike that people wouldn't even take a second look at. I'd like a stiff climbing bike that will scream down fast technical hills without getting twitchy. Suggestions?

Take a look at Leader.
 
Cutters said:
Looking for a 'bang for the buck' sleeper frame. You know, a bike that people wouldn't even take a second look at. I'd like a stiff climbing bike that will scream down fast technical hills without getting twitchy. Suggestions?
I just gave up my full carbon fiber monocoque frame because of a high speed shimmy and twitchy, but not that aggressive steering. I asked around a lot because of it and it seems that it comes down to a LOT of factors, but head angle and fork rake and fork offset play a big role. I went to Six13 and it descends and corners like mad and feels completely solid. Of interest is my shoes overlap the front wheel on the Six13, but not the CF bike!! Shows how dramatically different approaches two companies take to front end geometry on racing bikes.
 
+1 on the Leader brand of frames. Great quality and value, though you can get something awesome like a CAAD8 for close to the same price.
 
capwater said:
+1 on the Leader brand of frames. Great quality and value, though you can get something awesome like a CAAD8 for close to the same price.
My LBS has a 06 caad8 with full DA $1749.00!! Thats cheap (well for a DA bike it is). It was hard passing it up for the considerably more expensive Six13 with ultegra/DA group. I didnt ride it, but I guess the caad8's are tremendous cornering and sprinting, climbing bikes. Just chatter a bit in corners due to the stiffness. Chatter not shimmy!!
 
rayhuang said:
My LBS has a 06 caad8 with full DA $1749.00!! Thats cheap (well for a DA bike it is). It was hard passing it up for the considerably more expensive Six13 with ultegra/DA group.
Your LBS are doing their job very well then.
 
bobbyOCR said:
Your LBS are doing their job very well then.
LOL-I think it had more to do with my 41 year old bones and back problems......

Not that there arent tough 65 year olds racing bone shaking frames (hate qualifying everything for the internet).

Ray
 
Cutters said:
Looking for a 'bang for the buck' sleeper frame. You know, a bike that people wouldn't even take a second look at. I'd like a stiff climbing bike that will scream down fast technical hills without getting twitchy. Suggestions?

MTB or road ?

Either way, I'd recommend a Soma steel frame (about $300) ... great quality, not too much on the paint/bling factor.. you could always scrap the stickers off.
 
Adam-from-SLO said:
MTB or road ?

Either way, I'd recommend a Soma steel frame (about $300) ... great quality, not too much on the paint/bling factor.. you could always scrap the stickers off.
I looked on SOMA's website after a Google search for steel cross frames. Glad to hear a positive on there frames.
 
bobbyOCR said:
No and don't bother asking. They don't seem to like international orders and their credit card authentification process takes weeks at best. If anybody has had a positive experience with nashbar in Aus, please tell.
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I agree. We've got an American bank account and they still don't want to know because we're not in the US.
Forget them:mad:
 
capwater said:
+1 on the Leader brand of frames. Great quality and value, though you can get something awesome like a CAAD8 for close to the same price.
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I've thought about getting a LEADER. Great reviews - for the frames and the service. Excellent prices. Get one without decals and you'lll be pleased:)
 
Bigbananabike said:
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I've thought about getting a LEADER. Great reviews - for the frames and the service. Excellent prices. Get one without decals and you'lll be pleased:)
I tried. After some asking. For a $240USD frame, it costs $250USD to post, $490 USD!!!!!! No.
 
bobbyOCR said:
I tried. After some asking. For a $240USD frame, it costs $250USD to post, $490 USD!!!!!! No.
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I feel sorry for you Aussies(for the normal reasons...!!) for the prices you pay for frieght on frames from the US. I've noticed listing on ebay where the seller will send almost anywhere but not Australia due to the high price or it being oversized so Aus won't accept it.
There is nothing like that in NZ. I've got about 6 frames from the US in the last 3 years - no worries.
The best one was a 61cm frame(the fork was off and in the box). I got the seller to cut the box to suit(so it's smallest size) and it cost $38 US(+insurance) to get to me in Auckland.

On a more serious note - the drought is very serious stuff. I got some photos from a friend who's teaching in the outback somewhere. One showed a small lake, another showed the same lake some weeks later - it's now more like a big puddle:eek:
I went and saw the movie Jindabyn(Lantana is one of my all time favourite films - great director)(I also have the song of the short story by Paul Kelly).
As you may know it features the flooded original town. I could imagine that slowly that old town will show more of itself as the waters receed. Freaky.
 
The "Planet X" frames (the 7005 metal one, some call it the Team model, not their carbon builds) are pretty nice and reasonably priced.
When you say sleeper, and bang for the buck, this won't match the price of the Leader frames, but I see it around with carbon forks included for about $650 USD which is way less than say a Salsa Campeon.
I generally remove the decals and/ or repaint the frames anyhow. Lots of bikes look like billboards, but I can see where many enjoy that look.
Personally, I generally don't even pay attention to, or notice what kind of bike someone is riding unless it is a regular riding partner, or it's a really slow ride (or the bike is making a bunch of racket or some kind of annoyance like that).
I do remember the riders though and how their particular riding style goes, and also what-ever part of a course we were riding on.


 
I'm liking Surly! Their steel Cross Check is simplistic and an all around solid frame! It weighs the same as the kona Jake at 23.8 but the "Joke" is alu. I've always liked simplistic steel frames and it came down to Surly or Soma both are nice! Soma build was a little too much. So I'm going with Surly.
 

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