Abundance of steel sport tourers/commuters

I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. See http://www.universalcycles.com/ They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:39:09 -0700 (PDT), Jay Beattie
wrote:

I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. See http://www.universalcycles.com/ They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

I got an email like that too.

I also decided to just look around at what bikes I see outside when
coming and going from work (I walk and take the subway but am outside
a bit). It was mainly mountain bikes and I guess cheap sport touring
bikes.

The types of bikes are pretty different when I'm riding in the park
late at night or early morning - then it's much more racing bikes.
Also when I'm out on the nicer regional roads on weekends.

This is about New York City and surrounding areas.

On Apr 16, 11:39*am, Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. *Seehttp://www.universalcycles.com/*They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. *No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. *I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

Yes--but how many shops stock built out versions? Mine local is the
exception around here, stocking both the Kona Honky Tonk and the Dew
Drop--but most other shops don't carry a single drop bar bike that can
take a rack and fenders.

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:10:21 -0700 (PDT), landotter
wrote:

On Apr 16, 11:39*am, Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. *Seehttp://www.universalcycles.com/*They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. *No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. *I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

Yes--but how many shops stock built out versions? Mine local is the
exception around here, stocking both the Kona Honky Tonk and the Dew
Drop--but most other shops don't carry a single drop bar bike that can
take a rack and fenders.

Where are these other shops?

There are bike shops where I live that have some bikes that are
ostensibly cross bikes but can easily be used as sport touring bikes
-- that is as low-end racing bikes or for light touring.

Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. See http://www.universalcycles.com/ They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

Those Pakes are nice frames. My was surprisingly light, high quality
paint, and very elegant welds. I expected something much different at
that price.

--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

On Apr 16, 11:24*pm, "Paul M. Hobson" wrote:
Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. *Seehttp://www.universalcycles.com/*They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. *No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. *I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

Those Pakes are nice frames. My was surprisingly light, high quality
paint, and very elegant welds. I expected something much different at
that price.


Well, ya shouldn't expect less these days. Even the welds on my
Chinese Redline are on par with the Pake. They're all made on similar
production lines, let's not get romantic about it--but it's nice to
see the quality making its way to China, free or not.

Peace to ya in PDX, my friend.

On 2009-04-16, Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. See http://www.universalcycles.com/ They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap.

Still is coming back, I reckon because they've recently figured out how
to weld it cheaply in the far east just like they do with aluminium.

It may be that steel frames are cheaper than aluminium again.

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:55:10 -0700 (PDT), Dan O
wrote:
You go into a bike shop today, and there are a lot of choices - lots
of choices you didn't get in the 1980s, but those entry-level drop bar
road bikes that happened to have relaxed geometry and fender eyelets
aren't there anymore.


I don't know about the relaxed geometry, but in terms of those entry
level drop bar road bikes, I think you're mistaken:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...ad/2266/32191/
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...equoia&eid=117

To say nothing of cross bikes that fit what you describe.

Plus fast flat bar hybrids make a lot of sense for some people and, as
you suggest, didn't exist back in the day.

In article
,
landotter wrote:

On Apr 16, 11:39*am, Jay Beattie wrote:
I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about
their selection of road frames.
*Seehttp://www.universalcycles.com/*They have a number of cheapish,
steel road frames with eyelets and fender clearance -- Surley,
Soma, Pake, Salsa. *No fork Soma Smoothie for $388. A Pake C'Muter
for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross frame that is pretty
cheap. *I think all the hand wringing about the death of sport
touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay Beattie.

Yes--but how many shops stock built out versions? Mine local is the
exception around here, stocking both the Kona Honky Tonk and the Dew
Drop--but most other shops don't carry a single drop bar bike that
can take a rack and fenders.

My LBS doesn't stock any bikes that won't take a rack and fenders, drop
bars or not.

http://www.hiawathacyclery.com

But they are a bit off from the center of the curve by choice. Unusual
shop which stocks most of the kinds of bike equipment I use. It's rare
I have to go somewhere else to buy something.

On Apr 16, 10:10*am, landotter wrote:
On Apr 16, 11:39*am, Jay Beattie wrote:

I got some spam mail from Universal Cycles and got curious about their
selection of road frames. *Seehttp://www.universalcycles.com/*They
have a number of cheapish, steel road frames with eyelets and fender
clearance -- Surley, Soma, Pake, Salsa. *No fork Soma Smoothie for
$388. A Pake C'Muter for $288. There are also a steel Voodoo cross
frame that is pretty cheap. *I think all the hand wringing about the
death of sport touring and commuter frames is unjustified. -- Jay
Beattie.

Yes--but how many shops stock built out versions? Mine local is the
exception around here, stocking both the Kona Honky Tonk and the Dew
Drop--but most other shops don't carry a single drop bar bike that can
take a rack and fenders.

Agree but some do...like us. Soma, Gunner, Waterford, Moots, all built
as test ride bicycles. You don't need to get bikesouttaboxes to have
frames/bicycles that take racks and fenders.