# looking for an inexpensive road bike for commuting and touring



## bikedreams (May 26, 2011)

NOTE: I think a solution has been found for my dilemma. A rack and pannier CAN be installed on my Lemond after all, and my HT MTB can be used for commuting and running local errands. No need for any further responses, unless you feel you want to.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the story: I currently have an '07 Lemond Poprad. Lovely bike, super fun to ride. Downside is that I don't know any practical way to run errands or tour with it. It doesn't have the clearance or braze-ons for racks. Also, it's nice enough looking that I am scared to leave it locked up anywhere. 

I also own a very old Sears road bike with a few upgrades (700c wheels, 7 speed cassette instead of 5, etc). Looks like hell, but is very practical. Lots of clearance for panniers, and I'm not overly worried about theft. 

Problem is that the Lemond kind of "wrecked" any fun I had riding the Sears bike. Something about integrated brake/shift levers, I suppose. So, I'm looking to sell both bikes, and replace them with an inexpensive bike that I can use to run errands with in the city, and do the occasional 2 - 3 day road ride. I like drop bars and the integrated shifters, so a typical city bike won't cut it for me.

Ideally, I want to come out money ahead (or at least break even) after selling the old bikes and buying the new one. So, I have a budget of maybe $500.00 to $1000.00. 

What would you recommend as a replacement. I'm thinking new, but am open to a decent used ride as well. Oh, and keeping in mind that I am around 230 lbs at the moment, so I flimsy bike won't cut it.

Will Sora componentry be good enough, after adapting to Ultegra / 105?

Thanks


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

JMO, but selling a really nice, fun bike and a beater bike (that you'll likely get nothing for) to buy an entry level bike (albeit, more up to date) doesn't net you much, and you lose the Lemond in the process. 

I'll admit that given your intended uses this isn't the ideal solution, but I'd keep the Lemond for pure enjoyment and use the beater as a stop gap, investing minimally to make it a more suitable commuter, while saving up for a commuter/ tourer. Assuming one or both of your bikes fit well, you could use them for comparison and keep costs down by looking locally for used bikes, possibly at your LBS's. 

Re: the integrated shifters, if you look around for 8 speed Sora's, you could probably upgrade the Sears bike for under $100. Admittedly, not knowing its current setup, that's a guess.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I have a nice '99 LeMond Buenos Aires, and I usually have a beater bike for commuting and errands. Actually, I think it's a great strategy.

It takes a little discipline. Keep in mind what the purposes of the bikes are.

There's no reason you can't make a few changes to make the Sears bike more fun to ride, though. Copy the fit over from your LeMond. Get some nicer tires, either the same size or one size up relative to what's on the LeMond. If the Sears bike has its shifters in a stupid place, move them to the down tube or bar ends. Maybe even the same handlebars as on your LeMond while you're at it.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the suckiness of riding your Sears bike is having a bunch of commuter stuff strapped to it. I have a nice commuter bike lately, which is a change for me. I rode it a few times stripped, like a racing/training bike, before I installed my fenders and rack, taped on a backup light, and bungied on the locks that are on it pretty much 24/7. Now it rides more sluggishly. (Go figure.) So at worst, you're proposing to replace your nice bike and your practical bike with a mediocre bike that won't ride well a lot of the time anyway.

If the Sears bike is too far off from your LeMond to fit you and you haven't trashed the components, performancebike.com and nashbar.com have frames for as low as $100. I considered doing that when I broke the chainstay on my previous commuter, but a lot of the period components would have been an awkward transfer and both wheels were pretty much done. I thought it would probably be enough trouble and extra money to try to build a bike from the cannibalized old one that I may as well just spend a couple hundred dollars on a non-broken bike. So, don't dive into a new build blindly. Make sure it really makes sense.

Finally, I don't think the Poprad is necessarily out as a light touring bike. I turned my nose up at P-clamps for a long time, but I found them to be pretty secure when I finally used them. There are racks that attach at the dropout at the bottom. I think you'd want something purpose-built if you're carrying a tent and cooking supplies, though.


----------



## bikedreams (May 26, 2011)

While I see the logic in what both of you are saying, and very much appreciate the time you took to answer, there are other factors to consider. 

I'm trying to pare down my herd (flock? fleet? peleton?) of bikes. I currently have 5 bikes now - 3 mountain, 2 road, and it's gotten to be too much to store and maintain them all.

I'm also not riding as much as I used to. It doesn't make a lot of sense to keep all these bikes around, when they could be being used / enjoyed by others.

While there is a lot of enjoyment in riding the Lemond, I'm not really hooked on it. I know, I know, sacrilege.  But I'm just not hooked on riding in general like I used to be. Or should be, if you ask my waistline. If I had a decent all purpose road bike that could handle anything, I might ride more. And my budget right now dictates no new bikes without a cash infusion from selling other bikes.

Both the Lemond and the Sears bike are a tad bit too large for me. Not insufferably so, but enough to be noticeable.

Upgrading the Sears bike is something I vowed not to do any more of. It just isn't worth it. As it is, it's almost a two person job to fix a flat, as I have to pry the chainstays apart to get the wheel out / back in. It doesn't have vertical dropouts for the rear wheel, so I am always concerned about the QR shifting around if I hit too big of a bump / pothole. And, like I mentioned above, it's just a bit too big of a frame.

With the Lemond, there is no room for panniers. I don't dispute that it's possible to get a rack and panniers on the bike, but there wouldn't be any room to pedal - the chainstays are too short, and I would be hitting my heels on the panniers. If I managed to move them back enough, then I suspect it would make the bike feel a bit squirrelly with the panniers filled with cargo.

Also, I would fear leaving it locked up outside a store. I have _never_ left that bike unattended when I am out for a ride, even if it means bringing it into a bathroom when nature calls. I know that having a cheaper bike is no guarantee of theft protection, but it would make it less likely.

Again, I thank you both for providing suggestions. I really appreciate it.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

If your heart's not really in road riding, that's another story.

For me, the biggest functional problem in using the same bike as a commuter and a bike for fun rides is with the pedals. I like clipless pedals for any extended riding, but I think they're stupid for my two-mile commute, or even for a six-mile commute when I had one. I reserve judgement on longer commutes, I've never lived that far from where I was going.  So you need to think about how you feel about this. I also fit my commuters a touch differently and leave the rack and fenders on full-time, but a different compromise on fit and not tying a bunch of extra crap to the rack would make a good dual-mode ride without adding and removing too much stuff.

I've also had a department store road bike from the '70s, and it was a real bear to keep rolling. Eventually it ended up stripped and in a recycle can; I got some money back out of the components and moved on.

What you're looking for, as I read it, is a bit of a throwback to the sport/touring bikes of the '80s, at least in attitude. Since you want STI levers, that brings your timeline forward to the '90s. Any bike that shipped with STI levers in the first place will have good cross-compatibility with current stuff, except for the headset. Which is annoying, but you can still get new parts. Not sure when the brakes changed bolt standards; again, you can still get new parts anyway.

Anyway, see what's on your local Craig's List, phone your local shops and see if they've got something on consignment or closeout, and go from there. I think it's silly to start by looking at viable models because there are a ton, and most of them won't be available in your area.

In a new bike, Surly is trying to address your use pattern. They don't have anything that comes out of the box quite right and they're a bit expensive, though. (Here's another thought - buy a frame that will fit you better and has the right braze-ons and part the LeMond to build it. Maybe the Surly Cross-check, as a frame only.) Jamis has a couple, and Salsa has a couple too. Your desire for STI shifters does make things a little harder, though, and since those are pretty expensive as an aftermarket upgrade, I think you need to include their cost in the price of a bike that doesn't have them in the first place when comparing.

What's funny is that I still see myself as more of a mountain biker, but my life circumstances have led my five bikes to be one MTB, a nice and a commuter road bike, a 'cross bike and a track bike.


----------



## bikedreams (May 26, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> For me, the biggest functional problem in using the same bike as a commuter and a bike for fun rides is with the pedals. I like clipless pedals for any extended riding, but I think they're stupid for my two-mile commute, or even for a six-mile commute when I had one. I reserve judgement on longer commutes, I've never lived that far from where I was going.  So you need to think about how you feel about this. I also fit my commuters a touch differently and leave the rack and fenders on full-time, but a different compromise on fit and not tying a bunch of extra crap to the rack would make a good dual-mode ride without adding and removing too much stuff.


I don't mind the clipless for running local errands, as I'll set up my day around wearing those shoes. If I am riding to work, I'll take my HT mountain bike - it has flat pedals on it that don't interfere with my workboots. I suppose I could also run some of the Shimano or Wellgo pedals with clips on one side, although they are a bit of a nuisance at times.



> In a new bike, Surly is trying to address your use pattern. They don't have anything that comes out of the box quite right and they're a bit expensive, though. (Here's another thought - buy a frame that will fit you better and has the right braze-ons and part the LeMond to build it. Maybe the Surly Cross-check, as a frame only.) Jamis has a couple, and Salsa has a couple too. Your desire for STI shifters does make things a little harder, though, and since those are pretty expensive as an aftermarket upgrade, I think you need to include their cost in the price of a bike that doesn't have them in the first place when comparing.


The Surly has crossed my mind before, although there aren't any local retailers who sell them assembled. The idea of swapping parts over is nice, although I think I would end up behind fiscally, which I am trying to avoid.

I hear you on being a mountain biker - I used to tease some of the people I rode with about being roadies. Somehow, though, I got drawn into the road riding universe.


----------



## bikedreams (May 26, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> ...Finally, I don't think the Poprad is necessarily out as a light touring bike. I turned my nose up at P-clamps for a long time, but I found them to be pretty secure when I finally used them. There are racks that attach at the dropout at the bottom. I think you'd want something purpose-built if you're carrying a tent and cooking supplies, though.


Okay... I've been doing some measuring of my old Sears bike and my Lemond. Wheelbase is about 102 cm (40 in) on the Poprad, and 107 cm (42 in) on the Sears. BB to rear dropout is 43 cm (17 in) vs 46 cm (18 in). So, there really only is one inch difference where it is most crucial for heel clearance. Of course, the seat tube angle and the subsequent difference in the seat stay angle will affect clearance somewhat, but I don't think it will be a huge. So... this might work. I think the P-clamp idea will be great - it worked on my Sears bike for years. They will just have to be longer P-clamps than usual, I believe.

If I want front racks, though, I might need a new fork. Not a big deal - I can tour for a night or two with the back racks, no problem. Not sure I can clamp anything onto carbon fibre, but who knows...

I guess I can always put a rack on my HT, and use it for running errands. Not as fun as a road bike in some ways, but more practical.

Thank you again for time you spent providing advice - sometimes I need to bounce ideas off of fellow cyclists (ones who aren't trying to sell me something).


----------

