Personally I would go more for a cyclo-cross frame for a versatile on / off road bike. Anything with suspension will be an unhappy compromise on the road unless you live in Mogadishu or Kabul.
Should have said I'm planing to fit carbon rigids and hate drop bars. So think an early xc bike designed for shorter travel forks should be quite tasty. Seen a few on eBay exactly how I want my setup and they look right.
Can see your point on a cyclocross though
Can't necessarily help on the frame, although Giant Carbon's seem to be plentiful on eBay and none too expensive! - but I've built up something similar on an cheap Raleigh Scandium frame (1,600g!) which flies on the road..
Set up with Kore 660mm bars, 90mm stem, Bar Ends, Black Flag wheels, 2x9 drivetrain, Exotic 440mm Carbon rigid forks, Formula Discs and Schwalbe Sammy Slick tyres.
I use it for commuting to/from work but it's also great on dry trails/singletrack (I wouldn't take it out in the mud with the SS tyres on!). It's a very 'retro' bike (despite everything being completely modern).
So if you hate/find drops uncomfortable, or just pointless racing bikes for commutinng (where to start :roll:... ) then it's very easy to build up a massively FUN light road machine out of an MTB - and you'll stop better with discs, feel more comfortable on 2" tyres, and could have a 10.5kg bike for under £500
Cheers for the thought. Your bike sounds fun!!
Really set my heart on a carbon bike with weave now. I noticed the amounts of giants on fleabay, but next to none in raw finish and even fewer in my size or willing to ship. Patience
looks interesting and would certainly be a quick commuter...
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