Road bike?

[cybertect]

There aren't many other manufacturers doing a decent range of modern ready to ride steel bikes (in fact I'm not sure there are any).

http://www.byercycles.co.uk

My LBS, Pearson Cycles in Sutton still do off-the-peg steel (though I think it's almost exclusively for touring frames these days)

Of course, there's Mercian and Bob Jackson which even are more toward the custom-build end, but they do advertise complete bikes.

e2a: Japanese retro - Grand Bois

 

[Cid]

Surly looks interesting, Cid, though I'm not finding a fully-assembled one in the UK. Mostly frames / framesets. I've got a steel-framed fixie racer, fwiw Which I'm thoroughly enjoying, and which is a part of what's pushing me to look for a faster / nippier road frame

Not looking very hard...

Spec not great mind you. At this point I'd recommend building from scratch, but there is no way I'd give that kind of advice to you...

Anyway, have to get some work done.

 

[Final]

The bike I've got calls itself an Audax. Though it's an Audax with the suspension fork replaced by a carbon fork - which hasn't been an ideal replacement. Bottom bracket scraping the ground far, far too often, and steering somewhat stiff. I suspect it's a slightly 'arder bike, mind.

I think you might have been able to get something which was maybe 5% more suitable if you'd known what you wanted in the first place.

But I'm not convinced that an Audax unsuitable enough to warrant changing so soon.

Maybe enter yourself into a 100km audax event

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3931

 

[cybertect]

The bike I've got calls itself an Audax. Though it's an Audax with the suspension fork replaced by a carbon fork - which hasn't been an ideal replacement. Bottom bracket scraping the ground far, far too often, and steering somewhat stiff. I suspect it's a slightly 'arder bike, mind.

Are you offroading with it or are there particularly vicious speed humps in your area?

I was thinking of mentioning an Audax style bike as an option - what used to be a sports/light-tourer [feels old]

 

[mrs quoad]

Not looking very hard...

Spec not great mind you. At this point I'd recommend building from scratch, but there is no way I'd give that kind of advice to you...

This, basically

I think you might have been able to get something which was maybe 5% more suitable if you'd known what you wanted in the first place.

But I'm not convinced that an Audax unsuitable enough to warrant changing so soon.

OK! TY! I am quite enjoying it... There are two... ongoing... niggles... that I would really, really like to address / am concerned about, mind...

Firstly, the bottom bracket is only 22cm off the ground with the new fork. The cranks have about 5cm clearance. This Is Not Much. Erm, I'm guessing (?) this would be slightly greater with a road bike designed for a non-suspension fork...? My pedals are certainly taking a bit of a brutalising atm.

Secondly, handlebars... I'd absolutely love to get a decent pair of road handlebars on t'bike... It's got an absolute mess of straight handlebars with bar ends plus aero bars atm, making something like 62cm-wide tribars. With mountain bike shifters / brake levers. Road handlebars (with attendant shifters / brake levers) look like they might be a pretty prohibitively expensive change / operation, though...? I'm somewhat wary of taking yet another step towards changing my audax into a road bike when most of what I've done so far seems to've been about doing exactly the same thing - making it less of what it was, and turning it into something else.

e2a:

Are you offroading with it or are there particularly vicious speed humps in your area?

Oops! Pedals. Pedals. The pedals are twatting the ground I'm pedal striking a ridiculous amount, where I wasn't before changing the fork

 

[Cid]

But I'm not convinced that an Audax unsuitable enough to warrant changing so soon.

It should be mentioned quoady's idea of an Audax is bodging a road bike fork onto a hybrid with MTB geometry.

 

[Final]

It should be mentioned quoady's idea of an Audax is bodging a road bike fork onto a hybrid with MTB geometry.

photo!

 

[mrs quoad]

It should be mentioned quoady's idea of an Audax is bodging a road bike fork onto a hybrid with MTB geometry.

Well...

It was sold as an Audax / touring bike.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Black_Falls_2009/5360037606/

The carbon fork was something I then put on it, because it was horribly spongy with the fork that came with it

e2a: though I see the bastards have now re-listed it as a hybrid / city bike +1 to the 'get a road bike' score

 

[mrs quoad]

And the Rather Confused Handlebars...

 

[Final]

Well...
It was sold as an Audax / touring bike.

+1 to the 'get a road bike' score

seconded

 

[mrs quoad]

seconded

I'm averaging 19ish mph over 50 miles, and 22 mph over 20 miles...

I think I'd quite like to find out what a proper road bike could do

 

[Boycey]

And the Rather Confused Handlebars...

o.................m...................................................g....

ummm.....

i don't know what to say... did you have a seller lined up?

 

[mrs quoad]

o.................m...................................................g....

ummm.....

i don't know what to say... did you have a seller lined up?

I have a feeling I'd need to put the sprung fork back on before selling it as it came... Or trying to sell it as it came

e2a: I might be being unduly harsh It is good fun. It's fine for 50 mile stretches. I enjoy the aero bars. A lot. But I have a feeling I could squeeze more out of an intentionally-designed road bike

 

[Cid]

 

[mrs quoad]

Bastards

 

[Cid]

 

[mrs quoad]

Right then!!!

That's that sorted

So it's the carbon frame with 105 components, or the aluminium frame with Ultegra and Mavics!!!

(And a quiet hope that someone on eBay is looking for a large, expensive, very confused hybrid )

 

[cybertect]

 

[Lemon Eddy]

So I shouldn't buy my neighbour's "Trek" hybrid with flat bars and panniers, but should hold out for a proper tourer ?

You should take your neighbours bike for a nice, long ride, and see if you like it.

Consider the huge range of human build. Height, reach, inside leg, foot size, weight, strength...and then consider the different things we're all looking for from a bike. There is no-one, I mean absolutely no-one, who can better advise you if a big is suitable for your needs than your own arse over a long ride.