I'm looking for a commuter, steel. Maybe some touring in its future too.

let's see…

90's steel hardtail ftw

Agreed ,change the tires to something more pavement-worthy ,instal some racks and you got a good comfortable stable touring bike that reverts back to a mtn bike with a tire change

For the road change back to a steel fork so you got rack eyelets and lighter weight

Canadian company too, I see. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Marinoni is still making some VERY nice bikes in Canada as well.

Huge pallet of colours and range of groupos to choose from:

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/IndexEn.html

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If you are planning to do loaded touring on the bike (i.e. you want the slacker geometry and longer wheel base for loaded handling) there are still a fair number of options out there but most of them (the classic Trek 520, various Surly options, Kona's well equipped Sutra for examples) are just no-name butted CroMo tubing.

If loaded touring isn't a big priority there are a MILLION options for butted-Cromo road bikes these days.

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-D

Those Steelwools are retarded heavy. It's a shame, the angles are decent. And yeah Marinoni makes a hell of a bike still, but it sounds like the OP is pretty cheap and they're not.

let's see…
90's steel hardtail ftw

This…
My 91'(??) rocky equipe is probably the most influential bike I've ever bought (been riding for 16 years, owned over 25 bikes).

I ride it every day, I'll strap a chainsaw to the rack and pedal 2 hours up the road to go build, groceries, commuting to work, etc.

So far I'm into it $25, rack, panniers, a new drivetrain and a tire.

Hey Team.

I'm looking for a commuter bike that may get some touring duties in the future. I need rack and fender mounts, and prefer steel.

I was looking at a Rocky Mountain Sherpa, and I liked it because it looked retro and not flashy, and was a Reynolds frame. Price is a factor…Jenson had a RM Sherpa for a great price, but it's been sold recently.

Masi has some interesting options, but I know nothing about road/track companies.

I don't need Reynolds, but I like the idea of quality steel.

What's out there?

Hey Straw,

We at Brodie make two steel touring bikes: Elan and Argus and it's pretty much what you're looking for; steel, not too expensive and has all the rack and fender mounts.

If you're looking for a flat bar bike instead of drop bars, we're actually releasing a limited quantity of steel flat bar bikes (same frame as argus/elan) and will msrp roughly around $1049 with mechanical disc brakes. If you need any specs/geometry or more info, feel free to contact me at anytime.

[email protected]

I've toured on flat bars before..wondering what difference drop bars would make?

When I ride my road bike I have difficulty riding in the drops and find myself riding/braking from the hoods 90% of the time.

That's what I heard is the biggest factor of riding flat bars. If you love it great, but if you need multi-position to change up your position/angle etc. then drops are the way to go just for the sheer fact you have options.

if you need multi-position to change up your position/angle etc. then drops are the way to go just for the sheer fact you have options.

this is one of those great arm-chair tourer cannards, ime. like the ubiquity of spare parts for 26" wheels around the world, and the prospect of having some jungle welder repair your steel frame in darkest peru. gotham's experience seems pretty universal for people who do (rather than talk about) tour. don't believe you need to be running drops to have "options" - find a hand and body position that works well for you; if your shoulders or back gets stiff, take a break and stretch.

Hey Straw,

We at Brodie make two steel touring bikes: Elan and Argus and it's pretty much what you're looking for; steel, not too expensive and has all the rack and fender mounts.

How does the Elan/Argus frame compare to the previous-generation steel Ronin frame? I have the steel Ronin (mech discs, fenders, rack) and love it to bits. I like having a triple chainring too, I need that granny on climbs! Heavy bike overall, IMO, but such a super comfortable ride!

Flat bar vs. drops is personal preference - I've had carpel tunnel problem with my wrists in the past and find (on longer rides especially) my wrists are far more comfortable on the hoods of a road bar vs. a flat bar. I never use the drops, ever, just move from hoods to bar and back. Obviously, others find the FBR layout more comfortable, you certainly see more folks with FBRs on the commuter circuit.

Check out the Seattle used market - tons of good steel road bikes down there for great prices.

bummer about the size there straw , that would have been a good ( cheap ) start to a project . unfortunately too big for me :lol:

for everything but pure road work ( gran fondo , etc ) i like the flat bar set up . way more cheaper shifter / brake options . i use a bar about as narrow as the hoods would be , so with bar ends and a similar bar height / seat height ratio i'm pretty much the same as i am on my road set up .

tip for the wrist thing . . . i use the ergon grips on all the flat bars and what a difference / relief it makes . i can't recommend them enough if you have problems there .

I think the ideal setup for touring would the butterfly bars that all the Europeans use. They are really ugly but they offer a lot of hand positions.

this is one of those great arm-chair tourer cannards, ime. like the ubiquity of spare parts for 26" wheels around the world, and the prospect of having some jungle welder repair your steel frame in darkest peru. gotham's experience seems pretty universal for people who do (rather than talk about) tour. don't believe you need to be running drops to have "options" - find a hand and body position that works well for you; if your shoulders or back gets stiff, take a break and stretch.

I run an old Scott AT-3 bar on my old steel GT Avalanche. Lots of off road touring miles on it all over BC [HTML_REMOVED] Washington.

Sheldon Brown even has an old article up on these bars:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/scott.html

I run an old Scott AT-3 bar on my old steel GT Avalanche. Lots of off road touring miles on it all over BC [HTML_REMOVED] Washington.

seriously though, i did say in my experience; ymmv

I posted the Scott bar as it allows you to use flat bar brake and shift levers, but also give you lots of hand positions.