I've done this with a couple of Raleighs and a Centurion and they are decent bikes but its difficult to know what damage or corrosion is inside the frame. Stress cracks from accidents that have been straightened on the rear triangle or just plain bad brazing with overheated joints etc. You just don't know what you are getting exactly. Some of those older frames were made with tubing thicknesses for specific brake styles and I'd be careful adding cantilever studs if the wall thicknesses are on the thin side ( run that by your builder) forks are pretty important . On one of my projects I tossed the original fork due to headset fit issues and felt better with a new, although inexpensive fork. When you start adding braze ons and paint you may as well buy a frame made for wider tires and all the goodies. Grant really does a good job in that regard with things fitting together nicely. I learned this with my Simple One.....racks, fenders and tire clearance is just neatly done. I'd be inclined to buy the San Marcos but actually a Sam Hillborne is a better frame in my opinion. Not to beat a dead horse but whats wrong with the Trucker? I have one and its fine.....I have a hard time believing that you'd notice much of a difference with a new frame. "Sprightly"...... that's a little vague.....be honest, you just want a different bike. It may as well be a Rivendell they are pretty nice for quite a few good reasons.
On Feb 7, 6:05 am, trek610 <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > > I am at a cross roads and need some help deciding on how best to spend my > money... > > I am looking to get a nice all around bike for commuting, perhaps a century > or two, 2 day bike overnight credit card, and light trail (crushed > limestone/dirt) type riding. In the summer I wind up with 50 - 150 miles > per week. I am currently using a Surly LHT for this type of riding, and > really like it, but am longing for something a bit more .....sprightly. > Here is a picture of my current LHT to give you an idea of how I would > like to setup this new ride. > > <http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/e_merlin/LHT%202010/IMG_0016.jpg> > > I am not the tallest guy and ride a 50 - 53cm frame depending on the setup. > I would outfit his new bike in a similar fashion with fenders, racks, > rando bag etc... > > Here is my problem. I found a 531cs Trek 610 from 1984 that has (IMHO) > nice geometry for my needs. Some specs - 430mm chain-stay, 52mm rake, 72mm > bottom bracket drop, and i think 72 for so seat and head tube angles. Trek > does not publish the geometry for anything but 22.5" frames that year... > > Trek Upgrade Path > > 1. 700C or 650B wheel conversion - bigger tire, better ride, more fender > clearance (I already have a nice set of velocity 700c wheels for this > project....) > 2. complete powder coat > 3. Canti brake studs added > 4. brazeons for various items > 5. cold set the rear end > 6. etc... > > I guess in the end this will require many new parts, some of which I have, > but will be a considerable investment nonetheless. > > Now here comes the San Marcos.... It seems to be a nice solution as well > and may very well similar in price to the trek by the time I am done with > the frame parts. The San Marcos may be a bit more, but may be a better > choice in the long run. The San Marcos seems to have perfect geometry for > my kind of riding... > > What would you do if you were me? What bike will better serve me in the > long run. I have to admit, since I live in Madison WI the Trek has some > sentimental value to me. The San Marcos lugs look really nice however! I > am torn with which direction to go, and since this is a big outlay of cash > for me I am looking for some advice before going one way or the other... > > Thanks in a advance to any/all help. > > Thanks -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
