Arthur Peabody

A motorist bent up my old frame, a cheap ($200) 22-inch alumin(i)um touring I bought from Nashbar about 25 years ago. Nashbar has some nice-looking Soma frames for $300-$400 but they're all too short. REI, where I bought the previous frame, has only a few unsuitable frames. Amazon has only alumin(i)um and carbon, all expensive. eBay is a mess. I hope that somebody as organized as Nashbar has a wider selection, but I don't know who. I checked Jenson too. I prefer steel, wish I had bought steel last time (I'd be able to un-bend it). I'm not touring anymore, just getting around town, shopping and recreation. My 40-year-old Blackburn rack is still good - I'd like braze-ons for it, as well as the cantilever brakes

Iride01 

Though it's rare, you can find some old frames on Craigslist and eBay that are actually decent. And for less than $70 USD. But then you have to know enough about the frame to know that you can put your stuff on it without having to buy other components that are potentially pretty expensive. Making the cheap frame a bad choice.

You can buy a fairly decent bike with gears and in a cargo utility configuration for 500 bucks, IMO.

Homebrew01

A used bike might be an easier option. Keep your old parts for spares, or donate to a local co-op or such.

"...I'm not touring anymore, just getting around town, shopping and recreation...."

dedhed

First I'd look used on Craigslist. I've bought a few bikes just for the frame and get extra parts in the deal.
​​​​​​https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bik...296718342.html

If I was buying new one of the places i'd look at is Surly. They sell all their stuff as framesets as well as complete bikes.
https://surlybikes.com/bikes

Cougrrcj

Frame size?

I bought both a 21" (54cm) and 23" (57cm) complete touring bikes for under $150/ea. ('88 Miyata 615 and '84 Univega Gran Tourismo respectively) Both are butted CrMo framesets, have canti-brakes, front and rear rack mounts, triple cranks... what's not to love???

Kapusta

First figure out WHAT you want, then search for who has it.

For what you are looking for, try Surly, Soma, and All City. Pretty much any shop can order Surly or All City, and many can order Soma.

Of course, if this was a 25 year old bike, you will need to pay attention to component compatibility.

katsup

You did not mention if you wanted used, new or have a budget.

Soma has the Pescadero frame in stock for the 56 and 58cm sizes. They announced in their newsletter last month that they hope to have more double cross frames and the new fog cutter frame out this month as well.
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...dero-frame-set

Arthur Peabody

As I mentioned, I looked on eBay and found a mess. I can't make the specifications precise enough and turn up frames that need extensive machining.

Where? The LBS?

Who would sell these?

I wrote 22-inch in my original message.


Great - where?

I have to shop the market to figure out what's available. I last bought a bike 30 years ago, a frame 25 years ago.

I'm not going to go to a shop and order a custom bicycle.

No prices. I was happy with my $200 frame until a motorist collided with it. As good a frame for $300 would work for me.

katsup

Look at the used market. The Soma prices on Nashbar were them clearing out the hard the sell sizes. If you check, those are out of stuck anyway, they just didn't remove the place holder so who knows when they last had that frame.

Good luck with your search.

mstateglfr 

You bought a Nashbar branded touring frame at rei?

Anyways, you may dislike ebay but it is flush with steel frame that have rack and fender mounts. Tons for good prices still too.
Is it a mess?...type in a frame size and search. Pretty straight forward.

Kapusta

Yes,and searching and buying in 2021 is different than in 1996. You want to do things the hard way? Go ahead.

Custom bike? Who said anything about a custom bike? These are stock steel frames.

Cougrrcj

The Miyata 615 was obtained from a fellow BF.net member last year about this time, and the Univega was on Craigslist.






I sold a 25" Miyata 1000 to a fellow BF.net member, too. Shipped it clear across the country to him!They're out there if you look!

fishboat

OP..the way you're presenting this you seem to assume that all frames and components over the last 30 years are readily interchangable...they're not...at all. With the info you've presented so far, there's about a zero chance you'll pull this off successfully. Without specific info on what you have(hope to transfer, presumably), no one here can help you..in which case..there's no point to the thread.

Given the age of your last bike/frame (25 yrs), and last bike (30 yrs..assuming you transferred the components to the 25 yr frame..your components are then 30yrs old) and the apparent desire for a basic town all-rounder & not wanting to spend a lot of money...there's a bazillion nice used bikes available for not much money. I'd go that route..keep it simple.

John Valuk

If I were in the situation described, I'd be looking for a 90's-vintage steel touring bike or hybrid (e.g., Trek 7XX Multitrack) through whatever local used-bike channels I could find.

• That might include Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
• That might include inquiring at local bike shops. Some of them sell used bikes. In addition to that, they may be connected to the local cycling community, and there's always a chance that some networking might lead you to someone who has what you want.
• That might include local organizations that fix up and sell bikes.
• That might include pawn shops.

Something else you could do would be to put out some local "want to buy" ads. The bike you want might be gathering dust right now in someone's garage.

Charliekeet

First, look through the Classic & Vintage Sales forum here on BF! Trustworthy & knowledgeable people with quality stuff to sell & ship to you.

You can also find a bargain by buying a Craigslist or eBay bike if it’s of a similar vintage and type to yours, and if you can’t figure out whether your components will be compatible, ask here or open a thread in C&V for detailed discussion.

I have had luck buying both just frames and whole donor bikes that way. Sometimes one can find an NOS item like this- I picked up last year on C-list and swapped most of the parts from my son’s cracked mtb frame onto it.

Iride01 

eBay and Craigslists takes time. I looked for a bike frame for over a year before finding one at the price I was willing to pay that was in the condition and size needed. Although it turned out just when the frame I was willing to pull the trigger on with eBay, I also found a better frame at a local source. That is the frame that became my 1991 Paramount. Seems you either can find nothing, or you find too much all at once.

Yes, after all the name brands we recognize dried up being in stock after COVID hit, the shop I bought my Tarmac from had quite a few bikes in a cargo configuration that were 400 to 600 dollars or so. I wished they were a little smaller size as I would have gotten my wife to look at them. But they were your size.

Also, a LBS was the place I found my 1991 Paramount frame. It was the shops owner and he was the original owner of the frame. He'd gotten over the sentimental thing he had for it and was ready to sell it and many other old frames he had from his personal collection.


You can be patient or you can buy out of desperation.

Cougrrcj

Well, where are YOU??? No location listed in your profile block...

OK, here in the Cleveland area today:


A bit taller than you want, but...

1984 Trek 520, 18 speed, 58 cm touring bike, made in USA - $390 (Cleveland)

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik...296176550.html

Arthur Peabody

I bought an Alù frame at Nashbar; I bought its predecessor at REI. I don't remember enough about previous frames.

I got a lot of stuff that didn't fit the criteria; one that did required extensive milling, according to the seller.

I asked for advice.

I've replaced everything but the handlebar stem at least once - including the frame. I know most of them will fit. I'm willing to buy new stuff.

I had 1 bicycle; I've always had 1 at a time. Now I have 0.

Kapusta

And advice is what I gave you.

And you have apparently decided to ignore it, which begs the question of why you asked In the first placr.

Have you looked at the websites for Surly, Some, and All City?

Phil_gretz

Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are two sites that I would scour until I found what I wanted. There are touring bikes out there. I see them from time to time. Nice ones: Miyatas, Nishiki Crestas, Raleighs, Cannondales, Fuji Touring Series III - V, and the like... Plenty of them are can be found.

The DC craigslist has a 58cm Schwinn Voyager pretty cheap. There's a Surly LHT that's overpriced, also a 58. I see a Trek 520 that would fit you, $350 in Southern MD....

Kapusta

I am frankly shocked at how much time some people in this thread are willing to spend doing the leg work searching for a bike for someone unwilling to do it themselves, who has done nothing but dismiss and second guess advice given and - unless I missed it - has not thanked a single person for taking the time to try and help.

You all are much better humans than I am.

mstateglfr 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TREK-1220-Z...EAAOSwS0hgaJMD
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-Trek-5....c100752.m1982
https://www.ebay.com/itm/56CM-Lemond...gAAOSwLrNgRV-C

Type '56cm bicycle frame' into ebay and look at results. Or keep crying on here.

Iride01 

Just get one of those cheap POS's from anyplace you can for now. Then continue to look for your perfect bike. Then you'll have two.

You should be able to find a POS anywhere. New or used. You just have to be willing to ride something you feel beneath your imagined stature or need for "quality".... whatever quality is.

Walmart or Dick's if you want a new POS. Craigslist or eBay has a lot of cheap used POS's.