The Frame!

I have only been riding for a couple years, and in that time have owned two road bikes (a 1990 Peugeot Triathlon and 1986 Bianchi Brava). A few months ago I decided to abandoned my headache of a commute on the DC metro system for a much more pleasant ride into the District on local paved trails. After a couple months of making the seven mile journey on the Bianchi--I felt I could justify the purchase of a bike more suited for the job. To make a long story short, after a ton of research and drooling over bikes and this is what I chose:






2006 Surly Pacer. There are a lot of reasons I chose this frameset. The biggest being that I wanted a steel frame with a classic geometry. Cycling technology has come a long way in the past 20 or so years with new materials and ergonomics. There are a lot of sweet frames out there that are much lighter and fancier than the Pacer--but I couldn't deny its purist call. I love how UNflashy it is. It has the appeal of a classic frame and Surly has a reputation for making some of the most affordable and well-built frames out there. I also figured it would be easier to find new parts for this bike as opposed to buying a vintage European frame with outdated measurements. Plus it was available in black... I found a nearly mint condition frame on ebay for 300 bucks including a EUROASIA stainless steel headset.



The headset looks amazing. The seller compared its price and quality to a Chris King. I cannot vouch for that though--only riding can tell...