Guess I can stop lurking
07-26-23, 07:22 AM
#1
Guess I can stop lurking
Long time lurker. I've been reading internet bike forums since the mid 90's. I've been lurking around here a while. My riding has always swayed towards mountain biking so I mostly used this place for some of it's vintage knowledge. The last year I build up an "adventure" bike. A Salsa Mukluk fat tire bike I built a set of 29" wheels and run 2.5" multi surface Surly Extraterrestrial tires. The idea was a bike I could bikepack with, and ride the road comfortably to gravel or single track. A master of non but I can ride any type of trail. A bike I built to use roads to get to trails taught me that riding the road isn't as terrible as used to think it was. So now I've gotten the itch to buy a road bike. So much information of the forums for that type of cycling. I really want a 90's to early 2k road bike made from steel or titanium. A lugged steel Bianchi in celeste green with campy brifters drivetrain would be my unicorn. I remember seeing one in a bike shop in the mid 90's and it was the first road bike I fell in love with. Or maybe a Tennessee made Litespeed. Some of the 831 made Lemonds look interesting and seem like good deals. Anyways... just bike shopping and using the vast repository of bike knowledge to help me shop. Just holding out for that great deal. I have too many mountain bikes and the wife won't let me bring any more into the house, but I have one small spot that will fit a drop bar bike and I intend to fill it.
07-26-23, 10:13 AM
#3
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,819
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Liked 5,822 Times
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2,502 Posts
Good choices for a new road bike. One caution, if you want to run wider than 25-27mm tires, check the clearances on those 90's racy bikes. My guess is that you will end up with 2 road bikes, or one with 2 wheelsets for skinny and wider tires. 70's & 80's road frames often have clearance for just about anything.
Running a 27mm, it's nice to have room for at least 35-38 on gravel.
Running a 27mm, it's nice to have room for at least 35-38 on gravel.
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Last edited by Wildwood; 07-26-23 at 10:23 AM.
07-27-23, 03:56 AM
#4
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,202
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
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862 Posts
Welcome to membership, The Lemond 853 frame sets are fantastic, I have 2 of them. If you want to use a bit wider tires, the Lemond Poprad will fit some 35mm, all 32mm. I have one from 2002. My other is a 2002 Tourmalet. It is one of my all time favorite bikes to ride. It fits all 28mm tires that I have tried. I see a lot of these frame sets for sale at reasonable pricing. I also have a Soma Smoothie with Tange Prestige tubing. A really nice, comfortable, bike capable of multi-use, including mounts for a rear rack. I also have a touring type fork that has more tire clearance and rack mounts.
