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My friend...

(18 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by Its_Me_Knees
  • Latest reply from Instography

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  1. Its_Me_Knees
    Member

    I have a friend. Let's call him "Its Me Shins". He is suffering a little from n+1 syndrome, but can't afford to buy a brand new bike. Mrs Shins would also go ballistic if he arrived home with another new bike. But IMS feels he might just get away with an old bike that he could pass off as a long term 'project' to his wife.

    My friend wants a mid-distance tourer. He - so he tells me - has a vision of an old (but light) steel frame sourced from ebay or gumtree, equipped with front and rear panniers, 700C wheels, moderately narrow road tyres, something between 10 and 24 gears, bullhorn bars, a Brooks saddle, twisty grip gear changers (not sure how that would work with bullhorns...). But he is unsure how to go about this, starting with what he should be looking for as a 'base' bike. Roadie or old school MTB?

    Of course, I personally think the whole idea is stuff and nonsense and will have nothing to do with it, but I feel duty bound to pass on my friend's query...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Instography
    Member

    A place like Soul Cycles might be a place to start the looking. I find buying components one at a time can easily create enough confusion over what is needed for existing bike(s) and what is new build to allow things to slip under the radar.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. wingpig
    Member

    Based on a road bike, definitely. I can recommend bar-end shifters and 'horns as comfortable, though brakes were a slight pain in the face until I found the right thing.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. Uberuce
    Member

    http://eastsidebikes.com/second-hand-bikes/dawes-shadow-52cm

    Is that the sort of thing you mean?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Ex-road / tourer / "clubman" sort of steel frame if you want 700c wheels.

    gripshifts have distinct disadvantage on a horn / dropped bar in that you have to keep moving your hands up to the flats to change gear. Also, they preclude a comfortable place to put your hands. Down tube or bar-end shifters are cheap, reliable and will work with most all gear setups you are likely to encounter.

    You can still get good quality 8 speed systems and components as new, they are much cheaper than their 9 or 10 speed bretheren and consumables (chainrings, cassettes) generally cheaper to find off the shelf in a reasonable quality than 7s or 6s. 8x2 = 16 potentially a bit restrictive at the low end unless you put a big MTB casette on the back and a long-reach derailleur. 8x3 will give you low low ratios at the bottom end for hauling heavy stuff up hills.

    Oh. did I say "you". I was referring to It's Me Shins of course, the "Royal you"

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Its_Me_Knees
    Member

    @Uberuce: My friend has apparently sworn quietly under his breath at the near perfection of the ready-made offering you have linked to. Although he thinks the frame may just be a tad too small for me. I mean him.

    @Kappers: Its Me Shins is, I promise you, far removed from royalty...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Smudge
    Member

    Bar end shifters and an long reach "MTB" (Deore) rear derailleur (or what used to be called a "touring derailleur!) along with a "megarange" cassette results in a huge range of available gears on my Surly for a moderate outlay. Very handy if your friend shares less than perfect knees with us ;-)
    All 8 speed incidentally for a (slightly) stronger chain and less silly maintenance cost.

    The other advantage of the bar end shifters is they will work as either index or friction shift, so if you want to use MTB front rings you can, also allows normal riding if they need adjusting at any stage and you can't immediately sort it.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. Uberuce
    Member

    @Its_Me_Knees: tee hee hee, thought it might be liked.

    The third place to look is Bike Station, although they don't list online. If the bikes they have on offer aren't right, you can ask to see their frames, which is worth doing as an endin itself, since the frame shed is a fettler's nirvana. Really needs a dry ice machine and gospel choir on standby.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. crowriver
    Member

    http://eastsidebikes.com/second-hand-bikes/revolution-cross-58cm

    http://eastsidebikes.com/second-hand-bikes/thorn-club-tour

    Both on the larger side. Finding something in the middle/average size always tricky, like shopping for shoes...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    That Thorn is a fairly high-end touring bike at a fairly competitive price if anyone was considering one.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Numptie
    Member

    "Your friend" must be on the large side as the 58" Cross is my current commuter (except with black mudguards and no pannier rack, much cooler looking!) and i'm six foot two and find it anything but small.
    Bruce - thanks for the link to Eastsidebikes, haven't come across this shop before.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. crowriver
    Member

    Eastside are my LBS, they are great.

    I'm always happy to give them a plug ;-)

    @kaputnik, I think one would struggle to buy a good used Thorn bike for that price on fleaBay for example. It's a steal. I saw it in the shop a month ago and began to salivate... Alas too big for my wee stubby legs or I'd have bought it before now.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. chdot
    Admin

    "haven't come across this shop before"

    Full set here -

    http://edinburghcycleshops.wordpress.com

    Must add the 'coming soon' one in Rose Street...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Tom
    Member

    Its_Me_Knees the shorter chain-stays on a road "race" bike might prevent your heels from clearing the fronts of the panniers.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Tom I JUST have enough heel / Ortlieb clearance on my steely-road-light-tourer-cum-Audax bike, helped by the flexibility of the Ortlieb's attachment system that is set with the pannier as far back as possible on the rack. If I put the panniers on the wrong side I can't pedal properly. as my heel bangs a fully loaded pannier and I have to pedal with a foot-pointing-down position, which after 5 minutes is agony (not possible without foot retention of some description)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. ruggtomcat
    Member

    I just got hold of a canondale 'race 600' and the chainstays hardly have room for my feet, never mind panniers!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Its_Me_Knees
    Member

    @Uberuce: I pass by TBS en route to/from work - may drop in to see what they've got.
    @Numptie: The Dawes Shadow was Uberuce's original suggestion, but it's a 52cm frame which will be slightly too small for my friend's preferences. The cross is nice but is sadly out of my...his...price range.
    @Tom: Pannier/heel issues noted. Its Me Shins has, oddly, similarly large feet to myself, so could be relevant. To him.

    IMS thanks you all for your input. He has added Eastside to Soul in his bookmarks...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. Instography
    Member

    The Cross is gone.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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