pgoat

I'm specifically interested in how it fares with bad roads, pot holes, etc. and also having a heavy chain and lock smashed into it daily...considering an 853 frame for commuter use and street lockup and was curious if anyone had horror stories or a good report.

bmthom.gis

I would like to own an 853 frame...someday. I imagine if you are careful when you lock it up and don't smash a lock around, it will be fine. Does the chain have a protective sleeve? If not, I wouldn't want to muck up such a nice frame

pgoat

The one I normally use does not but I have a spare with the sleeve - I'd absolutely use that one on a nicer frame. Just wasn't sure whether 853 is too thin walled to deal with it. I'm wary of using a chain on a thin walled AL frame, like Columbus Starship.

InTheRain

My touring bike (Rocky Mountain Sherpa 30) is an 853 steel frame. It's held up great. It sees a lot of rain and road grime. However, when it's parked, it is parked inside my office or parked in the garage at home. I've been commuting on it for 8+ years. As far as road conditions, not a lot of pot holes or bad roads... and I won't complain about that.

pgoat

Thanks,

after seeing the type of bikes made with this stuff. I'm starting to think it'd be better to not lock them up outside at all.

But good to hear they are robust frames with general use. I just started reading up on them and saw that even from a reputable maker, there are cases of cracks and failures. I know that happens with any bike & material, but never hurts to just get user feedback.

tarwheel 

I have a Waterford RST-22 built with Reynolds 853 in the main triangle, and it is the nicest riding bike I have ever owned -- and I've had a lot of bikes over the years. I also previously owned a Gunnar Crosshairs built with 853 and it rode very nicely as well. I have experienced no problems with denting or fragility, although I do take care of my bikes. My Waterford is nearly 15 years old with more than 10,000 miles of riding since I bought it used about 5 years ago. No telling how many miles of use it had with the previous owner. My Gunnar was also about 15 years old and I put about 3,000 miles on it in one year of use. I sold it because the fit was not right for me, but it rode very nicely. The previously owner apparently put a lot of miles on it, but I don't know how much.

My Waterford is a classic all-arounder, and I have used it for commuting, touring, recreational rides and unpaved roads and trails. The only reason that I don't commute on it daily is because I would hate to have it stolen. I could never afford a new Waterford comparable to this frame.

Bandera

Smashing any thin walled tubing with a heavy chain and lock makes as much sense as using a crystal champagne flute as a toddler's juice glass.

As always, suit yourself.

-Bandera

mstateglfr 

If you let a heavy chain and lock smash into it on a daily basis while riding on potholed bad roads, you will get paint chips, rust, and eventually you will most likely get some small dents. Nothing that affects the frame's integrity, but dents nonetheless.
A bike ridden twice a day with a lock and chain smashing into it on bad roads will eventually get chips and small dents just because that isn't how the bike was meant to be treated. It may not be the first month, the first year, or the first 3 years- but it will happen.


Perhaps a cheap frame bag could be attached to hold the cable and lock?

pgoat

touche

I realize this, of course - I guess my question was - just how thin were these tubes, typically? I've not much experience at all with 853. But from this thread and others I am getting that these sorts of bikes wouldn't be ideal for lockup anyhow, in terms of general theft risk.

Darth Lefty 

I have not, but I'd like to try it, so I have done research.

Lemond/Trek, around 2000, made several 853 bikes, further down their lineup, that look suitable as fair weather backpack commuters. The lower half of the lineup (Zurich/Buenos Aires/Tourmalet/Nevada City, which you can read as Ultegra/105/Tiagra/Sora) was available with triples. I don't know anything about fender clearance or rack mounts on any of these. The BA and Zurich had the cool Rolf wheels and carbon forks, but the lower two bikes had conventional wheels and steel forks, and seem likelier to have eyelets and clearance, if any of them do. The cross bike was called Poprad, and it had cantis and definitely fender clearance.

HardyWeinberg

There is a guy commuting year-round in the opposite direction as my commute on one of those 853 Lemonds. He's been on it the 10+ yrs I've been going the opposite direction. No audible clanging of lock/chain on the frame as he passes though.

no motor?

Load bearing decals should help increase frame stiffness and durability.

pgoat

whew!

pgoat

Thanks - I just looked at a Zurich, which I believe was all 853 (stays too) & carbon fork blades. It was definitely racer like, no eyelets iirc. I use a medium sized messenger bag or backpack, no rack or fenders, so that's not an issue for me.

Having said that, you'd think a company would make the tubing walls on their lower priced, steel fork models thicker, which would help with the lock up abuse.

pgoat

Just to be clear , a huge problem in my area is lack of bike parking...more bikes than parking, to be specific. So, not only will every rack and sign be occupied, they get occupied on both sides...sometimes people will lock up alongside you. (I mean, people you don't know...you come out of where ever you are, ready to leave, and find a bike locked up to yours , so you're trapped...). This happens mostly at bars and nightclubs, but still.

Because of this, I can carry the well-sleeved chain carefully on my person while riding and ever so gingerly work it into the frame and through the spokes, making sure to avoid any scratching. Then five minutes after I've left the bike, someone else comes along, slams their bike against mine on the other side of the rack or street sign, and whips their chain around like a ninja, banging it repeatedly and vigorously into both bikes. With no regard, of course, to how pretty/new/expensive/nice/high-end/vintage, etc the adjacent bike is/was. The object, it would seem is less about securing their bike and more about removing as much paint from as many objects as possible.

Yes, I see this happen all the time...cringe-worthy...

Darth Lefty 

You are talking about 15yo used bikes already. Put fingernail polish in the dings, bumper stickers, whatever. The steel is thin but very hard. It's less likely to dent than a Cannondale for instance.

HardyWeinberg

I am sure the frame would be more resistant to that than your brake/shifter/derailer setup. My kids' bikes are always getting dangly bits yanked astray from handlebar/pedal/whatever clashes at bike racks.

mstateglfr 

Just blew my mind.
Rhetorical- what is wrong with people? In what world would anyone think this is acceptable to do to others?

pgoat

Did you mean the old fat -tubed 1980s Cannondales? They seem pretty tough - I see lots of them chained up around , with most of the paint scratched off by heavy duty locks, but no apparent damage to the tubes beneath.

My problem is I also get sentimental over older bikes if they're in well-kept condition...the first bad dings hurt as much if not more than a brand new bike....

pgoat

Interestingly I have not seen that - could it be from other kids just being careless?

pgoat

Thank you. I guess it's no worse than lot of other sad behaviors people amaze me with on a daily basis.

HardyWeinberg

Absolutely. Middle schoolers are just klutzy as all get out (not used to their hands being farther from their shoulders from week to week or day to day, that kind of thing), but possibly comparable to late night clubbing crowd or marginally caffeinated late for work commuting crowd.

pgoat

Makes sense

Kids' bikes lead a hard life in any case; I know mine did...

johnlp37

My Jamis Eclipse is all 853. Lots of miles on it. No issues. Rides great. Seems tough. No lock though.

pgoat

Jamis bikes are nice. The eclipse is probably another one too nice to be subjected to that!