Recommendations for a tourer / hybrid / utility bike or frame please!

[iandg]

Sonder Santiago?

https://alpkit.com/products/sonder-santiago-apex1-flat-bar

£1249 for the complete bike and a crazy £999 for the frame only

 

[iandg]

Spa Cycles also do the D'Tour at just £445 for the frame. Chainstay is 455-465mm depending on frame size but doesn't have through axles.

https://spacycles.co.uk/m11b0s143p4800/SPA-CYCLES-DTour-Frameset#

 

[wafter]

Sonder Santiago?

https://alpkit.com/products/sonder-santiago-apex1-flat-bar

£1249 for the complete bike and a crazy £999 for the frame only

Cheers - had a look at that earlier as it happens but the chainstays are too short and the frame a bit spendy..

Spa Cycles also do the D'Tour at just £445 for the frame. Chainstay is 455-465mm depending on frame size but doesn't have through axles.

https://spacycles.co.uk/m11b0s143p4800/SPA-CYCLES-DTour-Frameset#

Looks like a good value frame on the face of it; struggling to get an idea of fit with no reach / stack values in the geometry data though. Will add it to the list

 

[Jameshow]

Marin nacasio?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Just out of interest, what's the driver behind long chain stays?

I'm not an n+1 bike-a-month person so I've only ridden a few different bikes and never had the opportunity to explore the various geometrical options.

 

[Jameshow]

Just out of interest, what's the driver behind long chain stays?

I'm not an n+1 bike-a-month person so I've only ridden a few different bikes and never had the opportunity to explore the various geometrical options.

More stable and no heel strike with large panniers on rear!

 

[wafter]

Marin nacasio?

Thanks - think I've already discounted that as the chainstays are too short.

Marin do have some really interesting, left-field and often budget friendly stuff but sadly nothing seems really appropriate. The nearest thing I can find is the Larkspur - love the chunky tyres and quirky, laid back pseudo-mixte aesthetic although I'm not keen on the short seatpost tube (and connotations for rack mounting) or low top tube junction (which would likely preclude FD fitment):

Just out of interest, what's the driver behind long chain stays?

I'm not an n+1 bike-a-month person so I've only ridden a few different bikes and never had the opportunity to explore the various geometrical options.

The main driver is seatpost tube to tyre clearance since I apparently have a very limited choice (i.e. one) of front derailleur and it's a bit of a porker.. which is what's apparently hammered the final nail into the coffin of the CdF project.

As can be seen from the link, with the chosen FD there's basically 1-2mm clearance between the FD and tyre - that's with a 40-622 tyre and quoted 430mm stays on the CdF. 450mm stays would give an additional 20mm clearance which should be ample to get some guards in there.

 

[Jameshow]

Thanks - think I've already discounted that as the chainstays are too short.

Marin do have some really interesting, left-field and often budget friendly stuff but sadly nothing seems really appropriate. The nearest thing I can find is the Larkspur - love the chunky tyres and quirky, laid back pseudo-mixte aesthetic although I'm not keen on the short seatpost tube (and connotations for rack mounting) or low top tube junction (which would likely preclude FD fitment):

View attachment 779115

The main driver is seatpost tube to tyre clearance since I apparently have a very limited choice (i.e. one) of front derailleur and it's a bit of a porker.. which is what's apparently hammered the final nail into the coffin of the CdF project.

As can be seen from the link, with the chosen FD there's basically 1-2mm clearance between the FD and tyre - that's with a 40-622 tyre and quoted 430mm stays on the CdF. 450mm stays would give an additional 20mm clearance which should be ample to get some guards in there.

Why that FD??

 

[wafter]

Why that FD??

Because they're pretty specific to application and modern triples are extremely thin on the ground. There is also a "low mount" alternative with the mount positioned below the cage, however the whole mech is a lot deeper so while its position is preferable, it's size defeats an advantage this might bring.

Interestingly Shimano have changed the cable pull routing / toggle mechanism on their newer road double FDs (105 R7000 / GRX RX400/600/800 generation), while the clamps appear significantly slimmed down too.

This makes them a lot more compact as well as being set outboard from the bike's centreline, so they occupy a lot less room behind the seatpost tube and hence maximise space for tyres or guards.

I suspect this was a reaction to the push for ever-growing tyre size (especially with gravel) and was a pretty pragmatic move IMO.

The 105 R7000 item on my CdF which takes up maybe what, 4mm directly behind the seatpost tube..?

... compared to the more conventional Alivio on the Fuji, which including the cable arm directly behind the clamp is maybe 15mm deep or more:

AFAIK there are no MTB triples that run this format (and even if there were they'd likely not play well with the larger chainrings on the touring crankset), although I am still bothering the internets to make sure..