Most recent activity
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Yeah, the chain's past its end of life - also incompatible with the 9-speed cassette on my Tiagra wheels (originally a 7-speed). I was going to redo the whole drivetrain anyway as a SS, replacing chain and all gears. Just need to figure out whether to convert my existing wheel to SS with one of those spacer/conversion kits (keeping the freewheel), or get a new dedicated wheel... And yeah, brake pads worn too. The main thing is that I want to use a pair of bullhorn handlebars on it, and a threadless stem I've got, so whether it's worth going to all the bother of buying a threadless/threaded adaptor etc etc or whether the frame's rubbish and I might as well start elsewhere...
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Soooo... I've managed to pick up a Trek Multitrack 721 frame (well, whole bike) on the cheap. I've never before had the luxury of choosing what frame to build bikes on, but I need to build myself a new SS (old bike got nicked) and was going to get this frame resprayed at Armourtex and build it up with new components (probably a set of Shimano 4400 wheels I've got lying around, or find a flip-flop hub).
Anyway, I don't know if it's worth its salt. I'm 6'2, the frame's 58cm (23") (so maybe a bit small? I'm not sure)... and boasts that it's "Monotube Cro-Moly" on a sticker on the frame. Opinions please? Is this worth spending money getting resprayed and building on, or should I try and find something better? I need something which can take a pannier rack and mudguards, and a frame lock, and a naff kickstand (yeah I know, I know, this is my commute bike, not racing bike :P) - so this is functionally perfect, but...
Opinions? :)
Well this is the thing - I'm commuting on my road/touring bike at the moment (a Trek Pilot 1.2) which is lovely, but a little overkill for commuting, and I'm slowly trashing it over London potholes etc etc. So I've got something to get myself around, and I'm looking to build something nicer! I'm willing to spend a decent amount on all the rest of the kit, just want to find myself a frame that's good, and I have literally not the slightest clue about how to judge a frame's worth (or even what a 'good size' is) etc etc.
Yes, they're not-quite-vertical dropouts. I'd prefer something horizontal but I'd probably use a chain tensioner anyway... Where would you look for frames? And also - forgive my naïvety - how do I tell the quality of the steel? It says it's chromoly steel, but I don't really know how to tell one steel alloy from the other, and what's 'better'...