Help Me Decide

This sort of follows on from the Surly Steamroller thread but I didn't want to hijack it.

I've been riding some god awful conversion (SS) for a couple of years which is now dead. I'm torn between buying the following bikes:

Surly Steamroller with a mid range components build (self build)
LeMonde Fillmore
Charge Plug
On One Il Pompino Pro

I've searched, I've read and digested but I just can't decide. The last 2 appeal 'cos they're Brit companies but everything is outsourced from abroad anyway. Getting a test ride on each is nigh on impossible and by the time I would get to ride the last one i would probably have forgotten what the first felt like!

I've got an MTB so although the Steamroller would take me a while to get all the bits (due to cost), I wouldn't be off the road.

So I'm throwing it open to the guys and gals in the know to help me out on this one.

Oh yeah it'll be all road work on this bike, commuting and training rides.

I work for the NHS who DON'T offer the cycle to work scheme so that's out the window too

Thanks

mr bojangles

Surly Steamroller with a mid range components build (self build)
LeMonde Fillmore
Charge Plug
On One Il Pompino Pro

surly.

IMHO.

the lemond is more relaxed, has a low BB and is alloy. but some people like them.

the surly will do pretty much anything, except make the tea.

How about a Cotic Roadrat?

lol

sorry, I mistook the filmore for a pearson touche.

it's steel, not alloy

the filmore is steel and would be my choice, the surly overpriced imho, the pompino is a bit heavy and looks like a tourer, fine if that's the kind of bike you want.
charge is nice but the rims are a bit heavy and it's plain gauge.

how is the surly overpriced though? wiggle sell the frame and forks for £299 with £30 of free stuff (which you'll make use of for a self build) so it's essentially £270.

that's PDG IMO.

i agree. If i'd known it was that cheap i'd have got the frameset instead of buying my bianchi pista.

I have a Pompino Pro. weighs around 17lb with the upgrades i've made. not heavy by any means. it does have canti brakes and rather a lot of braze-ons though...which imho spoil the look a little. you're welcome to try it if you want.

JimmyP, thanks for the offer.

I really like the Steamroller. As an excercise I've just priced up a build and it comes to almost £900! eeek!!!
That's with CPX33s on Surly hubs, stronglight ST1000 cranks and reasonable kit. I don't think I can stretch to that but I have just seen that Wiggle now do a Steamroller complete bike for £599.My max budget was realistically £500 but I might stretch that a little and upgrade as I wear stuff out.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360032765&N=Surly%20Steamroller%20Singlespeed%20bike

Peace

Kurt

Specialized Langster is better value.

£359 for basically the same components, except with a much better carbon fork. £599 is a rip off.
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70088

You can even get a condor for £700

I've ridden a steamroller - it's alright, nothing special. Just a normal steel frame.

Dont waste your money.

flyers pretty good also, £600 seems a bit hefty for that build...

I'd get a 531 60s/70s road bike and do a better conversion. Ebay the bits you don't need and buy others. IMO you'll have a much better and more personal bike for about half the money.

Langsters seem to get such a beating on here. Dunno why that bothers me 'cos usually I don't give a f@ck what others think of my stuff.

So, if I was to rephrase my original question:

With a budget of £500-£600, what off the peg bike would you buy, with a view of long term ownership and upgrade worthiness of the frame?

Peace

Kurt

i went through this whole thing about a month or so ago. ended up with a lemond fillmore and i'm loving it! just today switched to pedal clips from toe clips and wishing i'd done that a long time ago. i also got straight handlebars when i bought the bike instead of the standard drops it comes with - got a good deal from my LBS so it only cost the same as it should have done (ie 450 notes). surly was way out of my budget - but then i did ask about it at a certain well-discussed-recently-on-these-forums bike shop who probably just tried to push me as far as they could. advice from another coop was don't bother with that.
so, for 5-600 i would go for the lemond again and use the extra cash to change some of the bits around if i needed to, but probably just enjoy the extra wedge in my pocket that i hadn't spent and use it constructively for lights, helmet (yes, i wear one!), shoes, wet weather gear etc.

I am biased but here is my opinion:
On One Il Pompino Pro: don't like the rear stays, looks like a cross-bike with those canti-mounts
LeMonde Fillmore: could build up nice with different components
Charge Plug: bulk steel pipe, no butting, yuk tyres and wheelset
Steamroller: YaY!

Seriously take a look at the Genesis Flyer, someone I know has built that bike up hell-elegant:
Flyer @ Evans
Elegant(bike on Velo)

Very nice...

http://velospace.org/node/3271

Really I had narrowed it down to a Fillmore or a Flyer. I still really like the Surly, but I don't see how I can build it within budget (admittedly with new parts), although I still keep playing with specs and prices to see if it can be done! I should have the rest of the money by next week so I need to decide by then.

Thanks to all for the input

Peace