Retrieve

Good afternoon!

I am looking to purchase my first steel road bike. Would like to move toward a more relaxed geometry, endurance style, with a 105-ish level group set.

Thoughts on a few bikes to look at initially. Budget is under 2k.

Thanks in advance!

silversx80

You could give this a go: https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/s...-105-5800.html Not steel, but Ti is nice.

HardyWeinberg

Viaje XL | Volagi Cycles mechanical disc/105 $1995 list, 1x10 down to $1400

shelbyfv

JAMIS BICYCLES These are nice but it would be hard to pass up the Lynskey.

Pb_Okole

Gunnar Sport

tangerineowl

- Jamis Quest

- new Kona Kapu (endurance?)

moppeddler

Salsa Vaya?

steeljunkie

Consider the Black Mountain Cycles Road Bike from Mike Varley in Pt Reyes Station California. He'll build it up any way you want or you can but the frame and build it yourself. I've had mine for nearly two years and absolutely love it.

exime

I was looking to get a steel endurance bike but the options seem limited. Then most of them have carbon forks which begs the question : if steel is so good and real then why do a majority come with carbon forks. So I said to myself, this is just admitting defeat. Why not just get full carbon. If the fork is going to be carbon. Might as well go full ******. Sorry I'm just thinking out loud. It's been a very bi polar bike search for me.

Raleigh has some steel bikes with a 90s look. Kona and jamis has some steel. Bianchi has a steel. The performance levels all have carbon forks though. Especially if it has ultegra.

mawashi

For 2k you could have something really really decent, fact more than decent.

I would get a Ritchey Road Logic frame for about $1k
Road Logic Frame

adrenalinebikes has a decent build up combination
https://www.adrenalinebikes.com/stor...oductid=132753

Or if you prefer, you can look at ebay, chainreaction, probikekit.co.uk or planetx for a all the rest of the items.
Wheelsets you could find on Nasbar like the Vuelta Corsa Lite Road Wheelset for around $250 or the Fulcrum Quattro 35 for $240.

I have found Plantx to have great deals especially with their house brand items like saddles, stems and handlebars. Their carbon team saddles are a great value.

Cheers on your steel road bike.

mjrLV

Endurance/Touring: Salsa Vaya or Marin Four Corners (disc brakes)
Endurance: Kona Kapu (thought it doesn't seem to be in 2016 lineup) or Jamis Quest Elite

rpenmanparker 

Your thinking has led you into a common error. Not every part on a bike is made from exactly the same material for good reason. Horses for courses. Steel makes very fine entire bikes. Carbon makes very fine entire bikes. Why is it so hard to imagine that steel for the frame and carbon for the fork is a superb combination? If you value steel and carbon for what they each do so well, you won't eschew the combination.

Don't get me wrong. I think 100% carbon is unmatched. But if you value steel for some reason, by all means have it. Just be aware that its qualities that folks seek are best realized in the main frame. Combining that with carbon for the fork is an excellent strategy.

bikecrate

I have a Quest and love it, but I would be giving the Lynskey a hard look at that price.

bassjones

Salsa Collossal is quite nice. Surly Pacer is also nice. If you can source a parts build to build up a Gunnar Sport under budget, that would likely be your best option if you have a groupset preference. Collossal is Apex/disc. Pacer is 10-speed 105 rim brake. Gunnar Sport is rim brake but if you build it yourself, you can choose your groupset. Gunnar also has the Fastlane which is basically a disc frame Sport.

cydewaze

Hard to resist that as an n+1 for me!

Jarrett2

First, its important to understand the differences in steel. So when someone says get a Surly, understand that is using some of the heaviest steel on the market. When step up to say a Gunnar (True Temper OX Platinum or Reynolds 853) or Ritchey (lightweight proprietary blend), those bikes are *considerably* lighter than a Surly will be. In steel, looking for Reynolds 853 or 631 is a good thing.

I've been doing a lot of research on this lately, here's what I've found:

Kona Kapu: KONA BIKES | 2015 BIKES | ROAD: CLASSIC | KAPU (not on the website anymore)
Kona Roadhouse (853): KONA BIKES | 2016 BIKES | STEEL ROAD | Roadhouse (replaced the Kapu)
All City Mr. Pink (Columbus Zona) : Mr Pink | All-City Cycles
Jamis Quest (631): QUEST
Charge Plug 5 (Tange Prestige): Charge Plug 5 Road Bike -- 2015

Ritchey Road Logic - has to be built and these places will build you one and ship it to you:
Ritchey Road Logic 2.0 Frameset - Framesets - Excel Sports
https://www.adrenalinebikes.com/stor...oductid=132634
www

Then there are the heavier Salsa, Surly bikes out there as well, but as mentioned, most of them are using heavier steels. If you want a heavier bike, then great. But if you want something that weighs as little as a carbon bike, gotta spend a little more.

If you are looking for an inexpensive titanium bike, its good to keep an eye out here as well:

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/store/loft.html

Also Adrenaline Bikes will build you up any steel or titanium frame you want and ship it to you:
https://www.adrenalinebikes.com

I own a 2009 Jamis Eclipse (Reynolds 853) steel bike and I'm taking delivery of a Lynskey R240 this very day. Lynskey is running some CRAZY good deals on their bikes right now. I got this one:

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/s...m-force22.html

If I don't dig the Lynskey A LOT, I will be sending it back and considering a custom build steel.

If I were buying a steel bike today, I would be torn between having Excel sports build me up a Ritchey (they offer nice discounts and custom builds) or going the Gunnar route which would mean paying full price to my LBS likely.

exime

Thanks for putting it in perspective. That makes sense.

Jarrett2

Yeah, I made the same logical error. This is coming from someone that just sold a full carbon bike after riding a steel bike with a carbon fork. Not all materials make sense in all places on a bike, ime.

rms13

I'm currently riding a steel frame with full carbon fork, carbon seat post carbon/leather saddle and carbon pedals. It's my bike and I don't care if other people don't get it. I like the way steel frames feel. I like the compliance and I actually like that little bit of spring/energy return from the bottom bracket when I'm hammering it. I also just like the way the bike looks with the mix of steel and carbon. And I also have some carbon wheels on the way for it...and again it's my bike and I don't care if people think I should have a full carbon bike. I have had a pretty nice full carbon bike in the past and I have nothing against it and I will probably build another carbon bike in the future. But my current build is just under 19 lb with 5800 group and Tange Prestige tubing which is a very nice riding steel but a pound heavier than some higher end steel in the same size. Once I get my new wheels and put on the new stem I got, it should be around or just under 18 lbs which is not bad for steel/105 and lighter then a few of my buddies carbon bikes

I'm just ranting, but OP if you want steel get steel. I would highly recommend the Soma Smoothie frame that I have. It's slightly more relaxed than standard race geometry and you could easily build it up with 6800 Ultegra under your budget especially if you can do the work yourself. Even if you pay a shop you should be able to get close to that with labor and if you are fine with 5800 it would be even less. You could probably build a Gunnar or Ritchey with 5800 under budget too and those are both wonderful frames.

rpenmanparker 

You were saying? Voila! 16.75 lb. With low profile aluminum wheels, 16.25 lb. And not such light tubing, Reynolds 531 Designer Select mix.

rms13

That's a beauty and much more unique than everyone else with their matte black carbon bikes. Mine in close to current state. I have swapped the Fizik saddle for an old lighter Selle

JohnJ80

I just built a 55cm equiv top tube frame custom steel bike that came in at about 16 lbs too. But it's not <$2000. Remember, general rule of thumb is that a third of the weight is the frame, a third in the wheels and a third in the components. Getting to <19lbs is not a problem and pretty straightforward.


Great choice for a long ride type of bike in steel especially with a carbon fork.

J.

TobinH

I like this one, but of course it depends where you live.

Cycles Marinoni

dtrain

...but is it still a slide??

sam_cyclist

Someone just posted a review on BD motobecane gran premio elite.

It's $900 with steel endurance geometry and 105 11 speed.

The main concern I have is that you can't test ride BD bikes.