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name that bike, episode 485A
I'm in the market for a frame upgrade this year. Right now I'm riding a ~2001 Bianchi Campione,
which is my first roadie in a long time and I'd like to continue with a bike with similar handling characteristics, which are what I'm assuming are fairly racy. I like to climb, I'm 38, ~6ft 170, and I ride a 10mi combined work commute every day as well as 50-100 mi on weekends. Not a huge rider, but I get by and I like to climb. I have possible designs in competing in any of the myriad Fredly Crits in the next year or two. One of my concerns is that if I'm going to be all lumpy and mediocre in front of other people, I'd rather it not be on a $5000 bike. I'm looking for a logical upgrade that suits my skill level. Some of these things I have reasons for, but mostly they're prejudices or aesthetic preferences. I'm just curious what a reasonable price for these features a -No Aluminum -Braze-on FDer -Chrome dropout surfaces (preferably with the adjuster screws) -Chain hanger -Integrated derailleur cable stops That's pretty much it. The Campione is a 55cm and feels a little long on top, but I've got kind of a gangly body I suppose and besides I'm doing all my own adjusting and haven't really settled in yet. It seems like a 56cm would be too big and a 54 for a 32" inseam? I shortened my stem to 90mm this year and it's been a bit better, but I don't know if some brands have any bias towards these kinds of geometry adjustments, like how K-Swiss shoes seem to run a bit wide. I realize in a lot of ways I'm talking about a custom frame, but if there's a factory frame that sits in the zone I'm talking about I'm curious to know about the channel I'm looking to buy into. I know what you're saying, if I want an updated version of a Cinelli Supercorsa, which is at the very top-end of my price range, why not get one? I really don't know the answer to that, but I think it has something to do with seeing a fantastic pink-n-light-blue MX Leader-type Merckx model some years back. The Cinelli just seems, I dunno, a little boring next to that memory. Of course, you don't climb on the paint job, but still...And none of this is to say that I need steel. What about those steel/carbon combos, worst of both worlds? By the way, I only realized I was basically describing the Cinelli when I went to check its price. Freaky. Okay, flame on. -eric |
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#2
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name that bike, episode 485A
Eric wrote:
I'm in the market for a frame upgrade this year. Right now I'm riding a ~2001 Bianchi Campione, which is my first roadie in a long time and I'd like to continue with a bike with similar handling characteristics, which are what I'm assuming are fairly racy. I like to climb, I'm 38, ~6ft 170, and I ride a 10mi combined work commute every day as well as 50-100 mi on weekends. Not a huge rider, but I get by and I like to climb. I have possible designs in competing in any of the myriad Fredly Crits in the next year or two. One of my concerns is that if I'm going to be all lumpy and mediocre in front of other people, I'd rather it not be on a $5000 bike. I'm looking for a logical upgrade that suits my skill level. Some of these things I have reasons for, but mostly they're prejudices or aesthetic preferences. I'm just curious what a reasonable price for these features a -No Aluminum -Braze-on FDer -Chrome dropout surfaces (preferably with the adjuster screws) -Chain hanger -Integrated derailleur cable stops That's pretty much it. The Campione is a 55cm and feels a little long on top, but I've got kind of a gangly body I suppose and besides I'm doing all my own adjusting and haven't really settled in yet. It seems like a 56cm would be too big and a 54 for a 32" inseam? I shortened my stem to 90mm this year and it's been a bit better, but I don't know if some brands have any bias towards these kinds of geometry adjustments, like how K-Swiss shoes seem to run a bit wide. I realize in a lot of ways I'm talking about a custom frame, but if there's a factory frame that sits in the zone I'm talking about I'm curious to know about the channel I'm looking to buy into. I know what you're saying, if I want an updated version of a Cinelli Supercorsa, which is at the very top-end of my price range, why not get one? I really don't know the answer to that, but I think it has something to do with seeing a fantastic pink-n-light-blue MX Leader-type Merckx model some years back. The Cinelli just seems, I dunno, a little boring next to that memory. Of course, you don't climb on the paint job, but still...And none of this is to say that I need steel. What about those steel/carbon combos, worst of both worlds? By the way, I only realized I was basically describing the Cinelli when I went to check its price. Freaky. Okay, flame on. -eric Hi Eric, Your specs might be a little hard to match in today's market for a reasonable price (especially with regard to chrome dropouts) but Torelli has several frames you might like: http://www.torelli.com/torelli/countach.html This next one's the best deal, IMHO. TIG'ed Columbus Brain tubing and inexpensive. (I have a TIG'ed Brain bike and it's just grand). You can pop for the carbon fork they offer and still be quite near $900. If it were me I'd build this one up with Campy Veloce or Centaur (perhaps with compact cranks, if that's your sort of thing) and be proud of my bike. http://www.torelli.com/torelli/cstig.html They even have a steel/carbon model like you mentioned...it's a little pricey at $1500; you may or may not get perceptible vibration damping from the carbon seatstays. Personally, I'd buy the frame linked to above and spend the difference on parts. I like Torelli frames a lot. They're thoughtfully designed, have high-quality paint and Chairman Bill (the owner) is a slightly kooky guy who just loves bicycles. What more could you ask for? Also, you might want to consider one of Mark Hickey's inexpensive Ti frames: http://www.habcycles.com/road.html I've never ridden one or even seen one, but I hear good things about them and they'd certainly serve your purpose. They even have chain hangers. There are lots of opinions on sizing; personally, I pick out frame sizes by top tube lengths. I can deal with anything between 54.5 and 56 cm by sizing the stem extension properly, and I'm 5'9" or so. You say your Bianchi s a bit long, but you're considerably taller than I am. You might do best to find a local shop and get a professional fitting. It's hard to fit people properly over the internet, and you sound like you might be a standard deviation or two away from median proportions. Good luck! Jason P.S. The Torelli frames have geometry quite similar to that of your Bianchi. |
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