Need ideas for new bike

I'm looking for help finding a cyclocross or touring bike. While I'm not intending to use it for cyclocross- I want something that I can use on dirt roads and is essentially designed like a cyclocross bike. (Currently BF and I are riding on dirt roads quite a bit- my touring bike has wider tires and works well, but the fit isn't perfect and the bike is 17 years old and heavy.)

I'd like to stick to a steel frame and fork. So here's the question- anyone know of a stock steel frame bike designed to fit a woman 5'5"? I'm picky about fit- my road bike is a custom bike and I'm looking for something that will fit me as well as it does. (The touring bike I'm currently using is designed for someone my height, but the reach is still a bit long, even with a shorter stem.) Are there any WSD cross bikes out there? The Luna Orbit looks appealing, and I know I can get what I want if I get another custom bike, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of anything less expensive that would fit me.

Thanks for your help :)

I'm 5'4" and very comfortable on my 19" Trek 520 and my 50 cm Cross Check (both full steel frames). Neither is WSD. Of course, it depends on your proportions.... What tt length do you need?

CA

I've been shopping around a little myself. I'm 5'4" (with short legs) and I want a bike for commuting, country road rides, potential light touring, and eventually maybe a cross race or two (maybe).

I need a bike that is all steel, fairly light (relatively speaking), fits larger tires and that accepts fenders and a rack. Oh, and it has to come in SMALL sizes.

So far, I've found 2. The Surly Cross Check and the Soma Double Cross. I believe that both will fit me if I stick to the smallest frame size. They both have slightly longer top tubes than my road bike, but I think I can make it work. Soma also has a road bike that might suit my purposes (except for the cross racing, I think) called the Smoothie ES. It won't take super wide tires, but I believe it'll fit up to a 32mm which would work for me.

All three of the bikes I've mentioned come in a suprisingly wide range of sizes, so I'm sure they'd have something that would work for you. I like that they are all reasonably priced, too.

GLC - Too funny. DH is thinking of building up a Smoothie ES - the catch - we've never seen a SOMA frame in person. Kind of a big leap to take, huh:)

CA

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

we've never seen a SOMA frame in person.

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Me neither! :eek: There is an LBS not too far from us that carries them, so I want to get down there and check them out this weekend.

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

I'm 5'4" and very comfortable on my 19" Trek 520 and my 50 cm Cross Check (both full steel frames). Neither is WSD. Of course, it depends on your proportions.... What tt length do you need?

CA

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My current bike is also a 19" Trek 520 (from 1991)- it's a great bike, but again I've gotten rather picky about fit and can tell I'm more stretched out on it than I should be. How is the reach on the Cross Check compared the the 520? (I'm on vacation visiting my parents so I can't access any of my road bike numbers right now.)

Have you checked out the Salsa Casseroll? It's pretty sweet... (I was >this< close to buying one before I found an older bike on Craigslist that suited my purposes. But I still kind of lust after the Casseroll.)
http://www.salsacycles.com/casserollComp08.html

I meant to add that the Casseroll isn't a 'cross bike, or really even a touring bike. It's meant to be a comfortable, but sporty, versatile all-'rounder. (At least, that's how it was described to me at more than one LBS, and my test rides lived up to the description.)

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Originally Posted by anakiwa

My current bike is also a 19" Trek 520 (from 1991)- it's a great bike, but again I've gotten rather picky about fit and can tell I'm more stretched out on it than I should be. How is the reach on the Cross Check compared the the 520? (I'm on vacation visiting my parents so I can't access any of my road bike numbers right now.)

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I'll try to measure when we get back (we're packing for a weekend away), but as I recall it's about 1cm longer than the 520. Sorry:( Maybe try the 48?

CA

The Surley bikes are good, and it's a nice company to support. But, they really are not light! They are quite heavy actually. For a good steel frame.. maybe a Lemond Poprad? Not sure if they still make that one. I assume custom is out of the question? You could do a steel frame, coming down from top-of-the-line material and still get something good quality and light from some framebuilders for not too much (that's always relative, isn't it). One of my favorite framebuilders for a low-cost steel frame that is really nice is Curtlo:

http://www.curtlo.com/

Take a look there an see if that might be a good option.

RC

I'm 5'6", and when I was shopping for a commuter (and looking for a cross bike), I rode a Lemond Poprad that I really, really liked. The 49 was a nice fit for me, not stretched out (though I think that term can be a little bit relative). It is steel, and very smooth, but around 20 lbs built up with knobby tires -- not too bad for steel. Much less than, say, the Trek 520 or Bianchi Volpe.

I should note that I rode the 2007 version (a great orange color) that had cantis, not disc brakes, and I'm sure the disc version is heavier.

If you can locate one of these in your size, you should be able to get a good deal on it, given the Trek/Lemond situation. I think the 2007 I was looking at was on sale (it was December) for around $1100. It was mostly 105 (not sure about the cranks, and I THINK I remember that it had better brakes, Avid, maybe?).

I don't normally see much demand for steel bikes, I'm curious why you guys prefer them. Softer ride? then why not carbon fiber?

I just don't trust carbon fiber - I know people do, it's personal preference for me. I don't want to worry about if my bike falls over, rubs something on the rack, etc. that it will fail. The aluminum bikes I've ridden were quite harsh. I'd love a Ti bike, but it's not in the budget yet.

CA

I like old steel bikes, the ones I had when I was a teenager. That's my affinity to steel. It's not the steel, per se, but the crappy componentry and friction shifters, and it's mostly the adjustable stems that I like a lot! I like the look of the narrower steel tubes over wide aluminum or elliptical carbon fiber, too; I like the aesthetic of steel bikes.

If I were racing, I'd go with the lightest, highest-tech bike I could find, though! There is a big difference in riding my steel touring bike with friction bar-end shifters and my aluminum road bike with brifters. The bike I ride for any particular occasion depends on who I'm riding with, mostly. If I will need to keep up, I ride the road bike. For pure pleasure, it's the steel tourer.

Karen

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Originally Posted by stephanie1129

I don't normally see much demand for steel bikes, I'm curious why you guys prefer them. Softer ride? then why not carbon fiber?

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They're more expensive. I have one that's all built up for racing & I love it. Some people worry about frame failure, but honestly, any material can fail just as easily, but the failures happen in different ways- metal can bend or break (welds can break, too). Carbon doesn't bend. If you wreck, etc, then it's either fine or it breaks. There's no in the middle... which is why you hear of "catastrophic failure" of carbon parts. I don't see it as unsafe in the least.

To the OP- I have a Surly Crosscheck (in addition to my lightweight carbon steed). I LOVE it! I'm about to race CX on it, and once CX season is over, it's getting some fenders & maybe a rack and turning into my new commuter.

There are some weight limits to carbon that does make it a less than suitable material for building up a loaded touring bike, and it may not be the best material for a bike you are going to abuse and know that will be crashed often (like a cyclocross bike - I'd leave the CF to the sponsored pros who don't have to pay when they break something) but I essentially agree with Andrea.

I also have a carbon bike for racing. I don't feel in danger on it, and I've even crashed a few times without breaking anything. It is actually pretty tough stuff (its not going to break from tipping over when its parked...), its just that when it breaks it does so pretty spectacularly. The technology has come pretty far since the early CF bikes too, which I think may have been a little more prone to early failure. And I also agree with her that any material can beak. I have a teammate who has had unfixable failure of not one, but two titanium frames - and she's not particularly a heavyweight at about 5'2"... My husband broke a weld on a steel bike and the repair would have cost more than a new frame...

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

I've been shopping around a little myself. I'm 5'4" (with short legs) and I want a bike for commuting, country road rides, potential light touring, and eventually maybe a cross race or two (maybe).

I need a bike that is all steel, fairly light (relatively speaking), fits larger tires and that accepts fenders and a rack. Oh, and it has to come in SMALL sizes.

So far, I've found 2. The Surly Cross Check and the Soma Double Cross. I believe that both will fit me if I stick to the smallest frame size. They both have slightly longer top tubes than my road bike, but I think I can make it work. Soma also has a road bike that might suit my purposes (except for the cross racing, I think) called the Smoothie ES. It won't take super wide tires, but I believe it'll fit up to a 32mm which would work for me.

All three of the bikes I've mentioned come in a suprisingly wide range of sizes, so I'm sure they'd have something that would work for you. I like that they are all reasonably priced, too.

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I'm looking for pretty much the same bike for pretty much the same usage. I'm 5.4 and I usually ride a 49cm seat tube frame (ideally with a 51cm top tube). I really want something that doesn't have a really long top tube (that's why I was initially not interested in the cross check), everything I've found that is in my size has a 52 or longer top tube. But I'm interested to see if anyone my size has experience with the fit of any of these frames or can recommend another. Maybe I just have to use a short stem?
Thanks!

Lots pf good suggestions here! I did think of another that hasn't been mentioned yet. As everyone knows. Redline makes some great cross bikes, and has a few choices, so check them out if you are still looking. On the touring scene, along with Trek 520, check out the KHS TR-101... it's a great bike as well. Soma also makes some nice steel frames/bikes, so another choice.Have fun looking!!

AS for steel bikes, they are definitely starting to make a comeback. Many companies are offering a mixture of frames from carbon, aluminum, to steel... it's nice to have choices. Steel rides really well and is more forgiving, will definitely give you a warning if there is a frame problem(in terms of breaking) unlike carbon. And it also offers another pricepoint, which is nice with the 15-20% increase on the '09 models.

Last week I picked up my new Gunnar Crosshairs. So far I love it! I chose the Gunnar because they offer custom geometry at a more reasonable price.

This bike is basically to replace the 1991 Trek 520 that I'd been using for dirt roads and wet weather commutes. (I don't mean to diminish the 520- it's done well by me year after year, and while it's going to be ridden less, I'm still not intending to part with it.) The difference was immediately obvious. The toptube is markedly shorter making the positioning much more comfortable (the bike seems much more petite, but fits well). The new bike climbs like a dream (the old bike had a lot of excess weight and drag- BF immediately noticed the difference with the new one and is worried that it won't be nearly as easy to stay ahead of me on the dirt now). The bike also glides over potholes, bumps, etc quite comfortably. For anyone looking for a steel cross bike (or any steel bike for that matter), I'd highly recommend Gunnar based on my initial experience.

I'm in the market for a cyclocross bicycle as well after giving up long distance fixed gear riding (if you want a good way to destroy your knees...ugh).

I've looked at the Jamis Aurora which is essentially a touring bike but can be rigged as a cyclocross set up really easily. It comes really well-equipped and will fit just about any height type. I have a friend who's my height (5'4", she may be a little shorter) and she has done many tours on this bike and has had little to no problems with it.

The Surly Cross Check is a great bicycle too, although contrary to popular belief the steel Surly uses is fairly low-grade. It does come with good stock components, but you're paying a lot of money for steel that won't last as some of the cheaper bikes out there.

The Bianchi Axis looks like a good cyclocross bike, too. I actually haven't ridden one but I've owned Bianchi road bikes (the Brava) and fixed gears (Pista) and they've always fit me really well. I've heard the Axis runs large but in my experience Bianchi's frames run small..I haven't ridden one but I am looking into maybe buying one depending.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Good luck!

I think Redline makes a steel cross frame. I ride a 48" Conquest Pro and it fits great (FWIW I'm 5'4").

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...bridgecopy.jpg
Angels sing when I ride this bike.

Zen, what tires do you have on this bike? Can't say from the photo. Thanks!

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The Surly Cross Check is a great bicycle too, although contrary to popular belief the steel Surly uses is fairly low-grade. It does come with good stock components, but you're paying a lot of money for steel that won't last as some of the cheaper bikes out there.

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Surlys are 4130. This is an excellent frame material, nothing "low quality" about it, and it will likely outlast 90+% of anything made out of aluminum or carbon fiber. I would say it is extremely durable. The only caveat is that it is heavy.

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Originally Posted by TxDoc

Zen, what tires do you have on this bike? Can't say from the photo. Thanks!

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Vittoria Raddoneurs, 32's.