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Old 08-14-19, 11:00 AM
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HillRider
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 33,656

Bikes: '96 Litespeed Catalyst, '05 Litespeed Firenze, '06 Litespeed Tuscany, '20 Surly Midnight Special, All are 3x10. It is hilly around here!

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Originally Posted by iamacat
Any recommendations for frames/forks that'll work? I would like a Surly (or something else designed for this purpose) for sure but wanted to see if I could save some money by fixing up an older bike.
None I know specifically except perhaps an old touring frame like a Trek 520. I do know that many older frames, even if originally fitted with 27", wheels don't gain a lot of tire clearance by going to 700c wheels. I had a '84 Trek 400 I bought used in the late '90's. It came OEM with 27x1-1/8 (630-28) tires and barely cleared fenders. I changed the wheel to 700c with 700-23 tires and obtained good fender clearance but it still wouldn't clear tires much larger than 700-28 with adequate fender clearance.

Frankly, by the time you spend the money and effort retrofitting an old frame, something substantially more suitable and modern won't cost much more.
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