Inexpensive aluminium road frame that uses mid-reach rim brakes?

[NYCfixie]

My younger brother called me because the flat bar road bike I built for him 14 years ago - for his college graduation - is not working for him in his "older" age. It can barely squeeze 700x26 tires so I was hoping to find an inexpensive aluminum road frame that uses mid-reach brakes (BSA bottom bracket preferred). The bike has Sora level 9 speed era flat bar triple components that should swap over easily and then we will only need to purchase some Tektro brakes and get bigger tires. He does not want to spend money on Ti or deal with the maintenance of a steel frame.

Do you know of a frame that might work? I guess we could also do Canti brakes as another option but not V-s because I want to limit the parts we need to purchase/swap.

Is this a fools errand? Would he end up spending more on parts (new brakes, bigger tires, bigger tubes) and labor to move parts (he is in CO so I cannot help him with the swap) than just buying something new for $500 or less?

And no, he does not want a used frame. Either new frame and a parts swap or he just buys a whole new bike.

Thoughts?

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by NYCfixie

My younger brother called me because the flat bar road bike I built for him 14 years ago - for his college graduation - is not working for him in his "older" age. It can barely squeeze 700x26 tires so I was hoping to find an inexpensive aluminum road frame that uses mid-reach brakes (BSA bottom bracket preferred). The bike has Sora level 9 speed era flat bar triple components that should swap over easily and then we will only need to purchase some Tektro brakes and get bigger tires. He does not want to spend money on Ti or deal with the maintenance of a steel frame.

Do you know of a frame that might work? I guess we could also do Canti brakes as another option but not V-s because I want to limit the parts we need to purchase/swap.

Is this a fools errand? Would he end up spending more on parts (new brakes, bigger tires, bigger tubes) and labor to move parts (he is in CO so I cannot help him with the swap) than just buying something new for $500 or less?

And no, he does not want a used frame. Either new frame and a parts swap or he just buys a whole new bike.

Thoughts?

Fool's errand to quote you. Not even Walmart bikes are that cheap. Enjoy searching.

[tsarpepe]

You can get a Kona Rove DL for under $900.
https://www.cambriabike.com/products...RoConwQAvD_BwE

This is a great deal; and looking for something much cheaper is just unrealistic.

[NYCfixie]

He mentioned his LBS in CO had something Trek and hybrid for about $500 which I cannot imagine is that good but what people on this board think qualifies as a "decent" bike and what the rest of the world does is often not the same.

[BobbyJones]

Anything from the big three (or four) like a Cannondale Quick 8, Specialized Sirrus, etc can be had for around $500- flat bar, 35c's, Alu frame

I'm sure REI has a similar house brand at the same price point with all the REI perks that go along with it.

And yes, they are "decent" bikes.