Steel Bike?

I had some Crud Racer mudguards, and the fit on the Carlton just allows for them with 700c by 23 sized tyres. They are certainly effective, but I gave up on them as I went to 700c by 25 tyres, which meant there was not enough clearance, and even the tiniest amount of grit used to make a noise. 

I am building up an nice old Raleigh [road frame] and this will be fitted with aluminium mudguards ready for next Winter. There is plenty of clearance and proper fixing points for bolting them on, unlike on the Carlton, which is simply not designed for mudguards at all. I did notice that with mudguards I more easily could feel cross-winds. Not a major issue, but on a light-weight frame, a gust of wind from the side can have a marked effect, the more so with mudguards ... I prefer the bike without, and like Winki I merrily get wet on commutes, if there is rain ... The Raleigh will offer a different option compared with the Carlton for me by this Winter.

Strangely the Carlton is in what was [at the time] the second grade of Reynolds tubing - 501 - while the Raleigh is the [then] top grade - 531 - tubing. Yet the Carlton is lighter by about 1 Kilo, in spite of also being a larger framed cycle. The Raleigh goes very nicely, but is geared rather less fast than the Carlton, and so is suitable on every level to make into an all weather cycle, but still nice.

To the original poster, I would consider going for a good classic second hand cycle rather than new. They are simpler to fettle if you want to do the work yourself, and are a fraction of the cost of a new machine. Also they are much less attractive to potential thieves. 

In the UK [in Bristol in fact] it may be worth investigating Black Beard Bicycles [dotcodotuk], and with a nice selection of various styles, you are likely to find something to suit.

For myself, the Carlton was something of a rescue case in that if I had not taken her as a gift, she would have been landfill by now, and the Raleigh is still in nice original condition [with a nice Shimano group-set and Campagnolo hub'ed Mavic wheels], though the enamel is no longer very good. No serious corrosion though. 

When I look at new bicycles, I tend to find them quite gaudy and the thick tubing looks ungainly. I did own an Ambrosio which was quite modern with about ten indexed Campagnolo gears on the back and twin chain-wheels on the front. Ally framed with Carbon forks, and the truth is that it weighed the same as the Carlton, had a coarse way with bumps, and was on average a cycle I made slower progress on over a weekly period [same computer giving the total average speed], though no doubt that it was possible to ride faster flat out on it than the Carlton. I sold it, as it was wasted on me in reality. The little Raleigh is a different cup of tea. A nice neat little cycle that will look splendid in plain white [tough, MOD standard] enamel, and stand a chance of claiming enough affection from me to get me using it regularly. That is key. You must like the bike, or else the use will fade out, and that is a waste of time and money, in my view.

Sorry to ramble on, but cycles are indeed something of an enthusiasm of mine.

ATB from George

Steve,

Good natured antagonism and hopefully taken as so . We can all be 'keen amateurs' to some degree; hifi, cycling, or performance cars. I'd bet that if you had to race that car for several miles uphill you'd do better alone with a few gallons of gas in the tank than with a passenger and a full tank. With cars and cycles, weight differences related to performance are more empirical whereas with hifi it's subjective.

Mango has a rather formidable uphill going to work. The rider's weight is constant in the scheme, whether he's first urinated, defecated, or cut off his head. The variable in climbing efficiency is the weight of the bike. Fit, comfort, and price are tangibles that play into the rider's choice. All things being equal I'd take the lighter bike. It makes climbs more enjoyable.

Anyhow, too many tangibles involved here to really give an individual proper advice on a 'best' frame material. I'd say demo on a hill, find one that is comfortable, transfers energy well, get a triple crankset, and make it as light as possible. Cheers!

Mango's weight won't be constant if he rides that hill every day.

If the make or break is a five mile uphill morning commute then either a light-weight conventional commuting cycle with good quality wheels and low rolling resistance tyres fitted. This more or less rules out those wide Mountain-bike type tyres, which are definitely much harder work uphill on tarmac than suitable road tyres.

Or another solution might be a cycle with electrical assist for this morning commute. as for example this latest development - The Copenhagen Wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S10GMfG2NMY

ATB from George

Decided to go with the comp carbon. :-)

I'll start with riding to work twice a week (Thursdays and Fridays). 

It's 10K each way.

Congrats on your choice Mohit. That's a very nice bike!

As George suggests, maintain your tire pressure.

Maybe we can go for a jaunt on the Sammamish Trail

Joe is correct about tyre pressures. Low rolling resistance tyres [mainly tyres fitted to racing bikes, or tyres suitable to train for racing, which tend to have more resilience against punctures] are usually rated at 100 to 120 psi. This is very difficult to manage with a conventional handheld pump. A track pump will inflate tyres to this the recommended pressure in less than a minute without arm-ache or stress. 

This the one I have. 

Check the pressure once a week, and with the proper pressure punctures become rare incidents. 

I tend to reduce the pressure by 10 or 20 psi from the maximum recommended but check the pressure frequently, as this gives a slightly more supple ride without spoiling the rolling resistance by any noticeable amount, in my experience. A heavier rider than me may find benefit from using nearer the maximum recommended pressure.

ATB from George

My advice? Just suck it up and ride very day. No excuses. You'll soon get used to it and build the habit to the point where any day you really can't ride will seem frustrating!

Congrats on your new bike.  I tend to agree with some of the opinions expressed earlier in the thread - it doesn't come across to me that the material of the frame dictates entirely the character of the ride quality.  I had an aluminium framed condor which was very lively - too lively! and this was greatly improved in comfort (but not balance) by replacing the front forks with carbon. My wilier cento uno feels much more rigid than the colnago c59 - both carbon and I must confess my knowledge was not sufficient to tell the difference until after several longish rides.  I have a friend who swears by steel framed bikes, recently buying a rourke in stainless steel.  Looks fab, but I'm happy to stick with carbon.  Depending on your level of experience, I'd strongly recommend a bike fit to help get the most out of your new bike.

Peter

My bike is from 2001 - a Serotta titanium frame.  Somehow I've avoided "upgrade-itis" since then.  It's mostly that I don't ride that much any more.  But more than that, I kinda like my now-"old school" frame.  Everyone's on carbon now (not that there's anything wrong with it) and I can just be the slow guy on the old-school Ti frame.

The parts are a barely-holy combination of Record drivetrain with Chorus brakes and shifters.  The parts are a long story.  The people who built the bike for me in 2001 put Chorus triple on it.  Only the frame geometry cannot support that, and the chainline was never right. So after many years of dropping the chain, I found some new leftover 10-speed Record compact double stuff, and the Chorus shifters are happy to shift them.

Don't even start about my Mavic Open-Pro wheels

Enjoy the bike MM!

bikesdirect.com search titanium road bikes

MM...work commuter with some protection from the Seattle weather. http://organictransit.com/

I live only 4.5 miles from my office, but I'm convinced I'd get killed riding my bike to work.  Cambridge Massachusetts city streets . . . there are tons of bicyclists but tons of crashes.  Cars parked along the streets, lots of pedestrians, distracted drivers, etc. etc.  

A Vespa would be another option but I'd likely get run over on that, too

Jamis Bosa Nova. Not the fastest, but very comfortable steel frame and ideal for commuting/fast touring.

Jamis is an excellent, no-nonsense brand. Good recommendation.

Nobody has mentioned http://surlybikes.com, which are exclusively steel framed and built in the U.S. Their Long Haul Trucker model is the ride of choice for many tourers these days. They look strong and no-nonsense. I'm thinking of getting one myself, actually, for a tour of Japan in the future. 

Surly are made in Taiwan. Super nice bikes that are build to last.

Here is one of the three I have:

I've always rather liked the non-nonsense schtick of Surly bikes. I saw somebody hooning around a trail in N wales last year on one with enormous balloon tyres and having a real laugh.

Salsa cycles used to make mainstream off the peg steel frames but looking at the website they have gone to the dark stuff.

Bruce

Surely are excellent. I have a Long Haul Trucker purchased when my touring bike needed repair. The frame itself reminds me of the long wheelbase English Reynolds 531 frames that were common years ago. Think early Dawes Galaxy. Anyway, Surly are nicely made, durable, and the LHT is very comfortable yet lively.

If I might ask a question?

I have a Kalkhoff Coupe De Monde, with Sachs Hurey  changer, 5 speed hub and double front Silstar cranks.

If memory serves wheels are out of true and rusty.

Main question is it worth restoring?