Roadrat alternative (moon on a stick)?

Go on then, be a smartarse and help me find what I’m after…

I want to build up a new winter road bike which will do a bit of cross too. The Roadrat is almost perfect but I don’t like the industrial dropouts or the front brake on the wrong (right) side if I use discs (I won’t be racing it ‘cross).

So, I’m looking for:

Frame and fork only (steel preferred)
Disc tabs
Full mudguard eyes for proper guards
And about a £300 budget.

Is there anything other than the Roadrat which fits the above? I can’t think of anything.

Cheers

kaffenback

Close mate, but ideally I want to run discs… Kaffenback is canti only, isn’t it?

Go for a Roadrat – they’re superb! My frame’s for sale at the moment, if you’ll fit a medium. It’s great frame, you get used to where the front disc sits, and the dropouts work fine. I’m not sure of anything else out there like it, to be honest.

BTW – I’m not selling mine because I don’t like it – it’s been a fantastic frame; I just need to move it on.

Indeed, on closer inspection the kaffenback doesn’t have disc tabs – oops. Neither do the other obvious candidates, like the karate monkey. Perhaps this is a public service, disc brakes with skinny tyres being a recipe for mayhem.

If you can stretch to a few more pounds and wait a few months what about a Singular Perigrine?

I don’t think there’s anything out there – perhaps check ebay.com (usa) for stateside stuff as the market is bigger there for weird crossers!

If you could get a genesis croix de fer frame and a kona project 2 fork that would do nicely but I can’t see you getting hold of one of those frames yet. Otherwise there’s the Fixie Inc Pure Blood but I think that’s quite a bit more cash than you want to spend. (bloody lovely that pure blood – those seat stays – mmm)

What about a Roadrat frame and a project 2 fork?

Erp. Pardon me, the surly karate monkey does have disc tabs. You could have one that looks like Sheldon Brown’s even.

The Peregrine is lovely, but I’ll never be running bigger than 35c and I think with 28 and 25c tyres the wheels will look lost on the frame and spoil the lines (similar to sticking old Fatboys on a hardtail). Perfect in every other way…

GTTH – is is a medium long or short? What sort of money you after – ballpark?

To be honest Fangin, I’m more than happy with dual pulls, power wise, but I want to run cross tyres. I really don’t want to use canti’s (rubbish) or mini Vs (all pretty cheap and nasty) so discs are the way forward. Having said that, Avid’s new Shorty4 and 6s look promising.

Thanks for looking Fangin, but the KM has sliding dropouts, which I’d prefer to avoid as I’ll be running it geared, and prefer a cleaner, fuss free dropout. Such a fussy git.

Jim, that Pure Blood is perfect (I’ll forgive it for missing mudguard eyes simply for being so bloody beautiful)!

How long before Sterling gets to Eur1.80 ish?!

🙂 No worries IATR. There’s nothing like a satisfyingly obsessive bike project to fill the winter nights.

It’s the long (for use with flat bar) and it’s got a Cane Creek (I think) headset in, and the Cotic seat clamp. I’m looking at maybe £170 + carriage, or I could happily meet up somewhere if you’re not a million miles from the Peak District. It’s been very well looked after, I even have some mudguards that you could have if you wanted them thrown in. Let me know your email and I’ll send you some pics.

null

http://vassagocycles.com/fisty.html

Nail on the head! This little search tonight is keeping me off the Paddy (too windy)and the turbo (too, well, turbo-y)…

Cheers GTTH, but I was hoping it would be a short – I’ll be running drops… Thanks anyway.

Thanks Clink, also a good option. But I’ve always thought Vassago thought they were too cool for school, in a kind of ‘We’re, like, just proper mental us’ way. I do like the brown though…

2nd hand lemond poprad, steel cross with disc tabs. but may be hard to find.

Vimto – I’ve been watching eBay for yonks mate, no joy.

I nearly bought one new a couple of years back (loved the orange too) but bought a PaddyWagon instead for winter. If anyone’s knows where to find one in good nick…

the full moon on a stick experience! i do wonder why they are so rare as they look ideal.

http://www.somafab.com/dcdc.html

http://www.salsacycles.com/laCruz08.html

but too expensive …

kona dew drop, or sutra.

FIXIE INC… PURE BLOOD… the uk prices were set a while ago, and they now have a UK importer, its actually about 30% cheaper to get one in the uk than it is in europe.

I can probably do you one for £920 frame and fork.

Tang – I think those Konas are both 7005, although I haven’t checked…

Salsa La Cruz – thread closed maybe… Good colour, standard drop outs, no ugly canti studs, hose routing, mudguard eyes, sensible (but not too much) tyre clearance and True Temper Ox. Is Ross Schafer still behind Salsa, if not, who owns it?

Wish it was a bit cheaper, nonetheless I think this might be right. 55cm geometry is perfect too.

Charlie, I think the Pure Blood is too good for winter. Out out of curiosity though, how much are the Chip Chase and Betty Leeds? On the slim chance I get a bonus this year I’ll be changing my road bike (missus allowing)

do I get a prize?!

tang – Member

kona dew drop, or sutra.

Good recommendation, but outside the budget, unless you could find someone to sell you a 2nd hand frame (you’re not getting mine tho!)

Yes mate. Sleep soundly in the knowledge that you are the most knowing of all STWers… 😉

..or am sad and spend too long looking at bikes on t’internet

betty leeds £1080 frame and fork, and maybe stem too (no chip on Uk list?)
Complete pure blood around £2000
Salsa La Cruz complete £1500 now. Frame and fork £600 (very nice)
Complete Crosscheck £970 ish no disc option.

OR the Dave Yates build your own bike course… get welding and get the exact bike you want, and if its crappy then you know who to blame 😉

Can’t seem to see one as a frameset, but I had a look at a Raleigh Sojourn last time I was in the states, and was very tempted, ticks a lot of your boxes if you could get it as a frame/fork combo.

Raleigh Sojourn[/url]

GTTH

any chance of a pic of your roadrat frame please?

Is that Sojourn a folding frame? Looks like it might have a coupling on the top tube?

Stevemorg2 – what’s your email? I’ll send you one over straight away, though it’s on eBay at the mo with a bid just gone on it…

Sojourn thing is just a badge/frame protector. The one I saw in the shop didn’t have one. Whole touring bike ready to go for $1100 ish, so if you could persuade someone to do frame only it’d be very interesting. Still looks like a decent price fully built.

I’ll have a look on ebay – I’ll mail you my email from there

Salsa La Cruz – thread closed maybe… Good colour, standard drop outs, no ugly canti studs, hose routing, mudguard eyes, sensible (but not too much) tyre clearance and True Temper Ox. Is Ross Schafer still behind Salsa, if not, who owns it?

La cruz definitely a nice choice. Salsa now owned by QBP, I don’t know that Ross Schafer has any input to the operation these days. Peregrine would be close, can be built up with with 25c tyres and not look bizzare. See here. Can’t really do a new one for £300 though. What sort of size would you be loooking at? I may have some ex-demo frames about…

Sam
Singular Cycles

numpty ?

or the front brake on the wrong (right) side if I use discs

now can someone explain that to me

– was reading this thread cos i’m drinking beer when should be doing jobs and cos’ building a new commuter for mrs antigee and depending on if go 26″ slick and forks may go to discs