After the last couple of months of constant down pours and a hefty bill for a service that could have been avoided I am looking into a commuter road frame that will take full guards

Genesis equilibrium and kinesis race light are possibles but any other ideas would be welcome. Looking for something cheap I can pick up and transfer over existing kit.

before i read the post my thought was genesis equilibrium, possibly a surly pacer as an alternative?

Giant Defy. Plenty on ebay

I was looking for same thing recently.

Have a look for secondhand genesis aether and at forme longcliffe maybe.

I almost got both, but wasn’t patient enough for a genesis and then grabbed a Ribble carbon winter frame mega cheap in their clearance sale.

There’s still a forme frame and fork for £200 on eBay that I nearly bought, if u are a medium.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/dolomite-5-2013-road-bike-frame-ec047052

Cheap option? C+ grouptest winner, take that with salt or scepticism as needed but it’s a nice ride, ideal winter bike angles. We have forks to go with it but for some reason they’re not listed there.

Ribble do a lovely steel frame that tskes full guards

Ribble 7005 Audax Winter Frame

Great frame and perfect for the job.You just need to look on ebay and see how many people bid on these when they come up to know how good and popular they are. I have one and it’s one of my favourite bikes to ride.

Do you want light and fairly racey or something with a bit more tourer like comfort? I’d say the Racelight is the former and the Equilibrium the latter.

I’ve just bought one of the steel Ribble frame’s & it looks great tbh.
Bit on the heavy side, but who cares for a winter/commuter/hack bike.

Have a look on their clearance list, I paid £99 for mine instead of the £175 they’re supposed to be.
They run standard drop brakes as well, so one less thing to have to buy if you’re swapping from another bike.

I’ve realised my upgrades to my Roubaix are meaning I could feasibly piece together a second bike some time soon (which my wife will love!). I was looking yesterday at this: . Subject to people’s thoughts on it, looks like a pretty tempting option.

I have a Racelight T which has done me proud for several years and is still in regular use. It’s quite racey (which is great if you want a similar feel to your summer bike), and has proper mounts for mudguards and a rack if you choose. I would definitely recommend it.

Hi Alan, as you probably know I use Crud Roadracer II’s. I have them on my Bianchi, Spesh Allez and Trek 1200. Not found a frame they wouldn’t fit yet although others seem to have issues.

Even in the worst conditions they keep the major cack off my frame and torso.

Give me a call if you need any servicing, happy to help you.

Just about the best value package you can get atm is the Dolan “prefissimo” or something like that. Ally frame carbon fork supplied with headset / seatpost / seat clamp. All for £200 to your door. Takes full mudguards / rear pannier rack. Its not carbon light but nice racey type geo so good for a commuter / winter trainer.

The Ribble 7005 is a bit harsh and only takes 23mm tyres with mudguards, the steel or carbon would be nicer.

That Pinnacle got a great review in the CTC mag last year.

Have a look at Defys, plenty on eBay and last years in sales. No bridge between the chain stays to attach a mudguard but Giant do their own guards for them?

I’ve got a Racelight. Use it to commute around 16 mile daily to work and back. Excellent bike. Combines speed with comfort and can take full guards and a rack. Bought one because a few of the serious roadies I know use them as their winter/commute bikes and haven’t regretted it one bit. Superb frame and cheap at the price too!

The Ribble 7005 is a bit harsh and only takes 23mm tyres with mudguards

Mine has 25c Marathon Pluses on and there’s loads of room with SKS Mudguards on. Can’t say I find the ride harsh either. Each to their own I suppose. 🙂

yup another Dolan owner here – fantastic VFM! Perfect winter bike.

Sounds promising – I’m definitely in for one of those once the spare parts can justify it. Probably for next winter. 🙂

I got a racelight T2 for this winter. It’s great not having the noise of Raceguards or Roadracers an dthey keep me slightly drier. The biggest benefit however is to my fellow club members. It’s a shame that it’s not requited by all 😐

I have a Kinesis TK, would only replace with another.

The Kinesis frames are great.
Personally, I would not buy a bike for use with guards unless it used long-drop brakes.
Anything else is too much of a compromise when it comes to tyre choice.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Have got a list to keep an eye out for a bargain.

MTB-Idle…
I have tried the same guards you have but they rub. The frame I got has such tight clearance that little clip-ons are the best I can do. If I pick up a frame I may well take you up on that offer of a bit of help.
I am doing a bit more these days in terms of servicing but time is my biggest problem at the moment!

no probs, you know where I am if you need me