Frame Tubing Materials
I am a steel-man. I have nothing against aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, or the exotic bamboo. With the exception of one bike, all my bikes are steel. Steel is durable and has the reputation of lasting longer than my Canon one-megapixel camera. I like steel, so this one will also be steel.
Frame Size
When I started to take biking more seriously, the bicycles I bought are from garage sales and Craigslist. I got a Yokota Ahwahnee (700c... mtb X road hybrid bike) and Bianchi Timberwolf (26" rigid mtb). Both of them are about $25 each, really cheap, but the size were just too big. I enjoyed riding the Yokota a lot, but I have to lean forward in order to get into a bikable position. So, I either had a choice of holding the handlebar in a stand-up position, or sitting on the saddle without holding the handlebar like riding a unicycle, similar to how Lance rise his arms while pedaling after a victory, that's how bad it was. Furthermore, the standover height (height of the top tube in this case) is too high. If it's too high, for guys (I am sure for women too)... not a good thing. Long story short, I ended up selling them back on Craigslist or throwing it away.
How can you tell if the frame is too small? I also have some experience I would like to share. Besides being extreme uncomfortable, one of the symptoms is the front wheel will sometimes hit your toes when you turn your handlebar. The handlebar is also too low even in its highest setting. The lesson here: size matters.
Some of the things when I know I get the right fit is 1) I can effectively use my strength to move forward while pedaling in your most natural position, 2) effective top tube length fits your upper body in a natural position so you won't need to try hard to reach the handle bar, and 3) there needs to be clearance between the bike's standover and your inseam (as described previously).
Wheels For the Frame
Besides the size, the first thing to consider is the wheels the frame can accommodate. In my opinion, 700c (ISO 631) wheels seems handle better on the road than 26" (ISO 559). In addition to that, road tires are more common in 700c-size, whereas the selections for 26" are more for off-road applications. I don't know... the 700c vs. 26-in. debate is probably a bias based on my impression of and what I see in my local bike shops and online stores. Probably no studs on the tires. Unless I am forced to bike on unpaved trails, the bike will be designed for the streets. Normally, I would like the tires to be as narrow as possible... something like 700x23c. Since I have bikes that are configured with narrow and slick tires, this time I want it to be wider and more comfortable.
Disc Brake Tabs
Why disc brake for a bike built for commuting anyways? When it comes this question, I highly encourage enforcing the don't ask don't tell policy. I am sure v-brakes are good enough, and discs are just overkill. But I have a confession to make. I've never owned/worked with a bike with disc brakes and would like to try something different. So the frame has to have disc brake tabs to accommodate the brakes.
The Choices
So what frames met all those criteria? Generally, what I was looking for are cross and 29er frames. Off the top of my head, this was what I came up with:
- Surly Karate Monkey (my favorite)
- Surly Pugsley
- Soma Juice (heard good things about it)
- Soma Double Cross DC
- Origin8 cx700
- Niner SIR (@ around $849 just for the frame might be a bit over budget)
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