FRAME DESIGN FOR ALL-ROUNDER BIKES ---------------------------------- I think frame design has more to do with a bikes purpose and comfort than its material, so let's start with that. a) I hate low profile brakes and frames & forks with no tire clearance. My current AL frame limits me to 25c slicks, which means that it almost never goes to VT with me on vacation since dirt roads are a fact of life where we go. It also means that the bike can only be used for the lightest of touring duty, which is a real shame. I prefer bikes set up for long reach brakes and with enough room at the fork, rear brake boss and chainstays for 32c tires and fenders. b) I really want at least 43 or 44 cm of chainstay length. Even my current errand/cross/neighborhood bike (an '82 Trek 311) doesn't give me enough heel clearance with panniers despite it's long (by today's standards) 43cm stays. In the past, longer chainstays were common on Sport Touring bikes. Today, they are mostly only found on cyclocross bikes and boutique bikes like the Heron and Rivendell. c) I like side pull (or center pull) brakes. While I'm glad in the current interest in cross bikes which are pretty useful designs, I don't care for cantilever brakes. This is entirely aesthetic on my part, with the minor nit of heel clearance in the rear. But it bears mentioning since the vast majority of non-canti bikes made today are set up for low profile brakes and almost always have no tire clearance at the bottom bracket, fork crown and brake bridge (sigh). d) I dislike bottom bracket sway. I think this may be much less of an issue in the past 10 years now that oversized tubing is used in the seat tube and down tubes of pretty much every tube set. The one place I continue to hear wimpers of bb sway is from tall riders who have big, whippy Ti frames. But I can't this is a real issue or not. e) I also prefer a more relaxed geometry for the extra stability. I don't care for stuff on the extremes. I find loaded touring bikes to be too stable for fun unloaded riding and I find road racing frames to be too twitchy for my taste (or riding ability). You can lump having the bars at saddle height into this category. If I can't get my bars to saddle height, I'm not buying the bike. f) Rack and fender mounts. I insist in a minimum of 1 eyelet front and rear and strongly prefer having rack mount fittings on the seat stay. Racks that mount to brake bolts aren't worth a darn and rubber covered clamps that wrap around the stays are ugly, difficult to work with and slip. g) A bike must be beautiful. I tend to keep bikes for decades. And, imo, for cycling to move from dabbling to a life style, it is helpful that the bike inspire you in some way. The range of beauty is pretty varied from the clean look of modern frames to the retro look of ornate lugs. Some folks like unpainted Ti. Others get dopey about Celesete (tm) green. Some folks like sparkle. Others take pride in a battered 531 sticker and paint chipped by bare security chains. Whatever. Know your own taste and pay attention to it. This is the difference between riding a bike for life and selling it at a loss in 3 years. h) Closely related to the concept of beauty is the issue of peer pressure or group-think. Buy a bike you will be proud of. I know this sounds silly to even mention as a serious concern but I think it is very, very real. The most obvious thing is bike weight. Cyclists love to fixate on weight and will almost automatically lift up another person's bike to see how much it weighs in their hands. Other issues where peer pressure will have an impact are component brand (Campy vs Shimano, primarily), component quality (there is almost zero difference in performance these days), frame material, sloping top tub or not, saddle style (did he really say Brooks!), brifters vs barcons, fenders, handlebar and seat bags, lacing patterns in wheels and so on and so on. My point here is to know yourself well. Will it bother you being the only guy at the bar who has a triple crank, or who shows up to a club ride with barcon shifters hanging off the end of your bars? Please note, I'm not being dismissive about this at all. 90% of the stuff of bikes is fashion oriented. Fitting in (or not) may be an important part of what inspires you to ride tomorrow, which after all, is the real point.