Originally Posted by
RoadWearier
I don't even own a bike stand. I have done and can do the basic maintenance one can do on a vintage bike with standard non-bike tools. That's the main reason why I like older lower level bikes. They were built to be ridden and could be maintained at home with little more than a set of wrenches, pliers, a screw driver and maybe a set of hex wrenches on rare occasions. I dont want to have to do a complete teardown but don't mind cleaning and adjusting. But the less of those things I have to do, the better. The Raleigh I just sold weighed in at a hefty 32lbs so I'd like something a little lighter. Hoping to find either a Chromoly/aluminum frame and aluminum wheels and maybe closer to 26 lbs.
Ok, we are getting closer to a definition of worth and value as it applies to you.
You can have your cake and eat it too by picking a bike that is modern enough to have 700c wheels and 8 speed cassette on the back, which implies it having a hub instead of a freewheel, which lowers the fixing and maintenance needs. The 700c is just easier to source and often cheaper.
As you probably know the standard for quality is double butted (or triple butted) tubing. Long story short chromoly steel is way stronger than high tensile steel. They weight the same (1 cubic inch of high tensile == 1 cubic inch of chromoly, weight wise), but being stronger it can be shaped thinner in the middle, fat at the ends so it can be brazed/welded. The result is a lighter bike frame, which is what you want (sorry if you already knew this).
If you can wait you should, more bikes are always popping up.