A New Frame, Perhaps?

I had been looking at frames for a while, when I stumbled upon this:
Credit where credit is due: Picture stolen from <www.team-bicycle.webpowered.com>
That, my friends is the new Cx700 frame offered by Origin 8. From what I've heard, it is pretty awesome. Here are some of the highlights:

- Triple Butted steel
- ~5.6 lbs, frame +  fork
- Canti/V-brakes or Disks
- 2.1 in tyres in 700c size - this is what I'd be willing to call a "29er"!
- All the touring braze-ons you'd ever need

Don't get me wrong - this is by no means an endorsement/promotion for Origin 8; I just happen to love the idea of a go-anywhere, do-everything frame. This is one of the first frames I've seen that can be full touring/cyclocross/road or offroad with just a change of tyres, other than the Surly Karate Monkey (can be finiggled into "light touring" mode), the Salsa Fargo (an off-road tourer), or the Rawland Drakkar frameset (like a more off-road version of the cx700).
The difference between the Origin 8 offering and the others is the price; it retails for US $200  at most places, compared with $575 for the Surly frame, ~$650 for the Drakkar and over $1000 for the Fargo. I'm a cheapie, so I'm in love with this cheap frame!

I screwed myself up and bit the bullet - I bought the frame from Amazon, on sale @ $165 US. I really want a new frame, for my current touring set-up limits me to under 44mm tyres (1.6 inches), and the Plain Gauge Cro-Mo frame (though strong as anything!) weighs in like a brick. Shipping to Canada is gonna be a bit of a hassle, however, so ~$250 shipped, frame and fork, sounds appropriate. Still, a good lot better than any frames I've spied at the local LBS's!

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