BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Another option would be the Salsa Fargo, which strikes me as a pretty sweet bike.

If you could deal with an aluminum frame and steel fork, Kona has several models in their line to fit the bill, too.

Most old road frames aren't going to be able to handle a retrofit disc mount. Just too much stress on those dainty steel tubes unless you pick just right and potentially have a reinforcement put in as well. And even then, I'd think that's a bad idea. When disc brakes were first being figured out a number of otherwise overbuilt mountain bikes were having disc mount cracking issues, either at the mount itself or the seat or chainstay. Still not all that uncommon.

I'd stick with a 'cross bike with disc mounts. I think that's your only real option besides maybe one of the flat-bar road bike models out there.

I would prefer steel to aluminum, but I wont rule out aluminum. I have looked at the kona sutra, the salsa fargo, the soma doublecross. I have also looked at getting a 29er hardtail or the nashbar aluminum cyclocross frame..

Maybe one day when I get my own jigs and stuff and try to build my own frame I will try some oddball stuff then.

Don;t forget the Steelwool Tweed. Disc and canti mounts, EBB too. Lugs also if that is your cup of tea.

If you don't mind waiting a few months I have a feeling there will be quite a few more choices after Interbike this fall.

The Fargo with tires smaller than 40mm or so will have a looooooow BB.

Another thought on this, if I do get a cross frame with disc tabs, they usually come with 130mm spacing. There dont seem to be many inexpensive 130mm disc hubs out there just yet. Is it a big deal to stretch the rear spacing to 135?

my lemond poprad is 130 stretched to 135, no issues.

Don't worry about stretching it to 135mm. As long as it's not a carbon rear end, it should be fine. Swap some washers and get it down to 133mm and I'd jam it in an aluminum frame too.

My Crosscheck has been squeezed to 120mm and stretched to 135mm. No worries.