In search of a bike that I actually keep

[jkbrwn]

Hi Paceline.

Long time lurker, first time poster looking for some advice...

I have been cycling since maybe 2011 and have gone through more bikes than I can count in that time - maybe 25? Cross, touring, road, track, mountain... all of them. I always come back to road cycling as being the only one that has any real staying power.

I hail from the UK and back in early 2017 I had this built:



At the time, I was doing a lot of audaxing, hence the permanent fenders, lighting, discs and 30c tyres. I thought it would be the bike I keep forever...

Since it was built, I have moved to Los Angeles, via New York and this bike just makes no sense here. It's perfect for audax/foul weather riding, but not much else, for example climbing up the many foothills and mountains in and around Los Angeles.

I want something that is not affected by new standards or passing trends, so I am looking at a simple and timeless titanium rim braked road bike with fairly normal half-way-between-race-and-endurance geometry.

So far, the options I'm looking at are Seven and Honey. A couple of reasons for this: quicker than most turnaround time, decades of frame building experience with Ti and good reputations. I am almost 100% sure that Honey off the peg sizes will fit me - if that is the case, is there really any reason to order a Seven over a Honey? I care not for fancy decals or paintjobs, I just want the bike to do a job = be the best pure road bicycle that I can afford. I have an R7000 105 group and R7000/DT R460 wheels already so I only need a frameset.

Is there anyone else that I'm missing in that price range who can turn around a frame relatively quickly? Does anyone have any experience with Honey? I can't find that many real world examples of Honey frames. The Velocipede Salon thread has been dead for years.... Budget is up to $4000 for a frameset but ideally closer to $3k - diminishing returns and all that. Also more than happy to buy used, but there's not much on the market at the moment it would seem.

Thanks
Jake

[dan_hudson]

Any reason why not a new Talbot (aka Isen Workshop)? They're doing Ti now but clearly have a good bit of experience under their belt with other materials - not like someone starting out after a class. Definitely different + you have experience with this one to better share likes/dislikes. Probably at the top of your price range though.

[jkbrwn]

Good question. When I got the frame built, I was in the UK and to be totally honest, wanted a U.S. built frame. I'd had conversations with Eric at Winter but it was right around the time of Brexit. The exchange rate dropped overnight and it ruined that dream. Buying something in the UK just made sense.

Now I'm in the U.S., I'd like to A) buy something that is made domestically and B) actually fulfill that desire.

Likewise, now that I'm in the U.S., buying something from the U.S. just makes sense. A steel Isen is the same price as a Ti Honey, give or take a couple of hundred dollars.

[Llewellyn]

I can't help with a reply to your question but the OP's situation and question seems like Paceline's reason for existing. I'm sure you'll get plenty of good responses and advice.

[charliedid]

Welcome

It sounds like you have a plan, I'd go for it.

[Hilltopperny]

Buy a No22 Great Divide. I owned one and it was awesome and sounds like exactly what you are looking for. I have been through more bikes than you have over the past few years and that bike should tic all your boxes. It is at the very least worth a look!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KarlC]

Calling Ryan the Ti king ......

Jake, welcome aboard, have a look here ......

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=206166

.

[David in Maine]

I think the biggest difference between Honey and Seven is customization. A Seven will have tube selection and butting chosen for your weight and desired ride characteristics while Honey is straight gauge Ti. I think a Honey is a great choice, but I love my Seven Redsky which fits the type of bike you are looking for I think. Give the Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington a call since they sell a bunch of both.

David

[Blue Jays]

Hi and welcome to the forum, @jkbrwn. Glad you found this place.
Are you seeking to overall reduce the number of bicycles simultaneously owned?
Many you list are so different it seems very reasonable to own them in parallel.

[KarlC]

This Seven is cool and in LA, your size ??

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sf...118479698.html

.

[polyhistoric]

I can speak a little to Seven and Honey, those being local to me and knowing many people on them. I have a ti Seven Evergreen.

Honey is basically a stock-sized, straight gauge Seven without the fancy dropouts and headbadge. If you've ever seen pics of Seven's Ti stockpile, they have a lot to play with in terms of gauge and diameter, so the ride is definitely tuned. Welded by the same people, workmanship is top notch. Good value for the $.

The bike they seem to sell most of is the Allroads. Please study the Honey geo carefully. Check trail and BBdrop figures to make sure it matches your ride desire. It is not going to be CX-ey, it will be longer with more trail. Seven seems to really like longer chainstays and 50 rake forks on these bikes. They are very capable, especially if your vision of "gravel" is more mtn-bikey (that's what we tend to ride here in Boston).

[uber]

I have no experience with Honey. If I were looking for a no nonsense titanium race frame, it would be a used Moots. If you have a need for custom geometry, Seven is a great choice as is No 22, Firefly, DeSalvo, Strong, Merlin, Spectrum, Eriksen, Alchemy, and about 40 others (hah).
To me, Moots are a timeless staple. I think they are universally praised and would be easy to sell if you chose to in the future.
If you are planning to buy a new frame, I would choose one of the above that was closest to me geographically, visit the shop and get measured in person.

[jkbrwn]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

@Hilltopperny - I'm familiar with No22 but only from a distance. I'll check it out!

@KarlC - thanks, I'll check it the thread. Re the Seven, I've been seeing that for the last month or so on CL. I've messaged him a couple of times but haven't heard back. I queried the description of steel/Ti. As far as I'm aware Seven have never made steel lugs. I'm not accusing the seller of any tomfoolery, but I asked some pretty rudimentary questions like: Do you have the full geo spec, has it ever been crashed, does it all work, is it really steel?
But yes, never heard back.

@David_in_Maine - good idea, I hadn't even considered calling them given I wouldn't be able to visit the store.

@Blue_Jays - simultaneously, yes. I guess my point was - I've never been able to keep a bike for very long due to following trends or thinking I want to try something new, but I always just come back to pure road riding.


@polyhistoric - yeah, one of the things that appealed to me the most about Honey was the geo to be honest. Just seems very no nonsense road bike.

@uber - another good shout. I've actually reached out to a guy on Craigslist in Boulder already who is selling one in my size with S&S couplers.

[PacNW2Ford]

If it were me, I would check lead times for 333fab and Hampsten...

[doomridesout]

Buy a used Moots with a 1 1/8” head tube for $1800 and get nice wheels. Trust me, you can almost do no better (I ride a disc Seven now as my main ride and the Moots was better)