bonny790
02-22-2008, 09:54 PM
In the near/not so near future, I may have to go down to one bike. Right now I have three; An older roadie (steel lug) as my daily, go to commuter, a newer (steel TIG) road bike that sits, and my old mxb (alum) whose new life is strictly cargo. The mxb is far from pristine and would take a bit of coin to be an only bike and would never really be happy as a multi use bike. After all, it was built for trails. My older, daily commuter was a salvaged 10 speed and doesn't have the gearing for loads and hills. Again, compromising always leaves something to be desired.
So, that's what I have. This is my wish list...
I'd like a steel frame, rigid fork, disc brakes, 26" wheels, gobs of braze ons for racks/fenders, etc, and a longer wheelbase is preferable to a shorter one. Budget, $500 or so, but if push come to shove, I might be able to raise the ceiling to $1000. These parameters I realize are rather restricting, but also not absolute. One option would be to buy a frame set and build up, but that alone would take up about $500 which would mean building as I go. It would also be difficult to stay on the upper end of budget.
Another option is to buy a complete bike based on framset, knowing I can upgrade over time. Would cost more in the long run, but I'd be riding from day one. So this is the one I'm leaning towards.
One bike I'm interested in is a Marin Muirwoods 29er. Not real crazy about the big wheels. Brakes and other components are easy upgrades, but wheels are a pretty tall order. Another one is a Novara Safari. It's almost ideal, except for the big one, the aluminum frame. I've thought of the Novara Randonee, but no disc. Still an option, but...Kona's Ute also looks interesting, I'll also be checking it out come Spring. There are a few steel mountain bikes with suspension forks (that's fine), but they are meant for trails once again. There are some others, but nothing that has stood out.
I'd like to get some thoughts from others about bikes I've missed or if you have first hand experience with the Muirwoods or Safari. All of this may be moot as I might not end up getting anything, or buy a used something or other, but I've been wanting to ask for a while, so here it is:D
Thanks
Toby
So, that's what I have. This is my wish list...
I'd like a steel frame, rigid fork, disc brakes, 26" wheels, gobs of braze ons for racks/fenders, etc, and a longer wheelbase is preferable to a shorter one. Budget, $500 or so, but if push come to shove, I might be able to raise the ceiling to $1000. These parameters I realize are rather restricting, but also not absolute. One option would be to buy a frame set and build up, but that alone would take up about $500 which would mean building as I go. It would also be difficult to stay on the upper end of budget.
Another option is to buy a complete bike based on framset, knowing I can upgrade over time. Would cost more in the long run, but I'd be riding from day one. So this is the one I'm leaning towards.
One bike I'm interested in is a Marin Muirwoods 29er. Not real crazy about the big wheels. Brakes and other components are easy upgrades, but wheels are a pretty tall order. Another one is a Novara Safari. It's almost ideal, except for the big one, the aluminum frame. I've thought of the Novara Randonee, but no disc. Still an option, but...Kona's Ute also looks interesting, I'll also be checking it out come Spring. There are a few steel mountain bikes with suspension forks (that's fine), but they are meant for trails once again. There are some others, but nothing that has stood out.
I'd like to get some thoughts from others about bikes I've missed or if you have first hand experience with the Muirwoods or Safari. All of this may be moot as I might not end up getting anything, or buy a used something or other, but I've been wanting to ask for a while, so here it is:D
Thanks
Toby