ModeratedUser

Hello all,

I'm getting interested in starting another build and I'm leaning towards building up a steel framed bike. The fork I can go either a steel or carbon fork. Seems like I'm starting to run across some pretty sweet looking setups in the $500 range and in steel and thought I'd see if anyone has their fav. I just really need something that I can go off road and have mounts for a rear rack. I don't need something that has latest and greatest fill in the blank. Having something that is durable is very appealing.

john_mct

Nearly 5k miles of mixed terrain on my Vassago Fisticuff and can't complain.

fietsbob

Volpe.

tangerineowl

Fyxation Quiver frameset. Disk or Canti.

mstateglfr 

Monster Cross Frames - Black Mountain Cycles
Monster Cross Frames - Black Mountain Cycles

- 3 bottle cage mounts.
- Can take up to 50mm tire.
- You pick the steerer tube length for comfort.
- rack mounts for both front and rear.
- fender mount is possible too.
- Chainstay is 432mm-450mm depending on how you want to set the bike up.
- wet paint with powder clearcoat means urable and excellent looking finish.
- comfortable geometry for long rides.
- high quality double butted tubing(a frame weighs less than a Ritchey Swisscross frame) with rust inhibitor under the paint.

The welds are excellent, paint is sharp, and the Pacenti PBP fork crown is just awesome.

Cptimagine

Volpe frames are great ! I rode one for years, the only down side was toe overlap .
I swapped mine in when Bianchi made the ZeroUno Cross frame mid 90's .
The ZeroUno, is the same geometry with a longer top tube .
ZeroUno Cross frames show up now and then . They're fantastic all around rides .

fietsbob

I have a TIG Pinarello CX, I got in 1990 the fork is more like a touring bike, with narrow spaced cantilever bosses.
not huge mud clearance, Its a 32 tire road bike , in how I use it.



.....

ModeratedUser

This is what I was leaning towards. Liked all the specs and what really got me believing they were on the right track was that they had a threaded cable stop for the rear brake! Something that simple! When I built up my Kona, I was WTF!!!!!! Why would builders and designers leave something so simple off their list? And that was the same with many others too.

I really like that Black Mt has their frames coming from Taiwan too.

ModeratedUser

There's a frame on my local CL. There's a pic of the frame that shows a profile.



What are the brakes it is designed to use here?

wschruba

Judging from the cable stop on the back, and lack of cantilever posts, I'd say it was intended for centerpull brakes, with a separate mounting plate.

dgodave

CX and touring seem like polar opposites in terms of bike characteristics. Maybe I'm wrong?

TimothyH

That's what I was thinking.

Sort of like racing tractors.


-Tim-

mstateglfr 

Sure. But there are a lot of frames which blur the lines and blend the best of both, so to speak.

Not all touring needs to be done on an overbuilt heavy LHT frame. A lighter tube frame can work great for some.
And at this point, steel cyclocross race frames arent exactly incredible common as the preferred material(s) have changed.
Also, not everyone wants/needs long chainstays, and some prefer a more nimble frame geometry(which CX would be, since they have to take sharp turns, etc) even for touring.



With so many different approaches and goals for touring- its neat to see all the ways people go about finding solutions for their approach.

dgodave

Yeah. Some people like to tour on a touring bike. Some on a road bike. Some on a mountain bike.

Darth Lefty 

There's a class of "cross commuter" that predates "gravel bikes" but has a lot of the same characteristics. They essentially cop the style of cross bikes to take the features that make good commuters, especially the big tire clearance which allows for 35 tires with fenders. A true cross racing bike wouldn't have fender or rack eyes but these do. They're still lighter than a touring bike and have more road bike than touring components. The Volpe is an excellent example of the genre, so's my XR800. What they keep from the cross bike and what's "normal" is up to the marketers. They usually come with skinny knobbies, but not tubulars or tubeless. My Cannondale has the high BB, but its shift cables are routed under the BB like a road bike. The manufacturer will usually also have a real cyclocross racing bike in their lineup, with Ultegra and a carbon fiber frame and etc. at twice the price.

ModeratedUser

I should have stated light touring. Maybe I should angle for a touring setup that is off road capable and even double as an everyday bike?

This bike is basically going to be my go to bike everyday. That means a little touring too.

mstateglfr 

Other options-

Space Horse | All-City Cycles 435mm-445mm chainstay depending on frame size. Rack and fender mounts.

Double Cross Disc | SOMA Fabrications quality tubing, light touring capable.

ModeratedUser

Surly has a nice setup called the Cross Check. Comes in under $500. What's nice about it is the spacing comes in at 132.5mm giving you a choice of using a 130 or 135mm hub. Haven't worked with this yet, but being a steel frame, I'd say that's a pretty good way to offer your frame!

mstateglfr 

The early Black Mountain frames were like that- 132.5 but he switched em just to have a clear size instead of trying to be jack of all trades.
It could be good though, for sure. Especially since there are often times solid deals on 135mm MTB rim brake wheelsets.

Just be aware for planning purposes that the headtube on a Surly CC is small, relative to some other options. Itll just mean more spacers as the stack height is shorter.
Its 1.2"(just over 3cm) smaller on the 56cm compared to a Black Mountain frame.

tyrion

Soma Wolverine

Wolverine | SOMA Fabrications

ModeratedUser

That's getting to be out of my budget. It's ~$530 for the frame. Nice frame though.

My budget is around $5-600 for a frameset.

RockiesDad

Been checking around lately looking at steel frame bikes and it seems there are a ton of new vendors out there. The ones mention on this thread seem to be the popular ones but if you wanted to go custom, one would go crazy trying to find the perfect bike...

Check this site out for starters...

https://www.cxmagazine.com/category/...ces-bikes-gear

blitzo

You can find the Wolverine frameset new for around $550

ModeratedUser

If anyone runs across an article or write up the current steel CX bikes out there, can you please post up? My slant is with something a little touring mix in it would be sweet.

Thanks