redfooj

i have both

i have not broken either

Phantoj

I think he rides a bronze bike...

stapfam

If you are touring in the remote parts of the World- or even the US- A steel frame is easily repaired by local blacksmiths. To a certain extent- the frames are heavier but they can also take a higher load before failure.

But you have to choose your "Steel" to ensure that it is not thin walled- or made of an alloy that makes it difficult to repair.

But given a choice of frame to ride- It would be light weight Aluminium for me. Rides better than steel or C.F. and all frames do have a finite life. So what do you want the frame for?

And I have worn out steel frames. They eventually flex so much that the frame goes "Off". They lose the springiness to the frame-Start cracking around the bottom bracket and head tube- and just stop being a good ride. Aluminium and C.F.Frames just break.

cyccommute 

Not so easily repaired. Look here for BF123's adventures in getting his steel bike repaired after a crash. The steel tubes...even on a touring bike...are very thin and require some technique to weld without burning through.

Cyclaholic

By your sig's logic the best bike would be chiseled out of rock.

markus aurelius

Worn out in my case is that I've fallen a few times which have resulted in scratches and, excuse me for my knowledge of English language, buts, basically little pieces of paint 'eaten out'. My bike has also fallen when I parked it, which has resulted into more scratches. Basically I've driven this bike a lot, also at times as a commuter, pushing a lot of money in it for replacements (and it's time to do some upgrading again), that it's time to buy a new one.

I would love to buy a reasonable priced older Koga (read steel) world traveler, but they seem impossible to find in NYC or somewhere on the East Coast, then in Amsterdam (where I used to live before) or anywhere else in The Netherlands. Buying in Euro's while I am making Dollars does not make much sense either. Same story for:

IdWorx: https://www.idworx-bikes.de/de/bikes/trekkingbikes.php

Santos: https://santosbikes.com/?ct=bikes&pag...akantiefietsen

Snel: https://www.sneltweewielers.nl/fietsen/toer/26inch.php

So far I've found the Fuji Touring and World which seems to fit some of my needs: https://www.fujibikes.com/Specialty/Touring/Touring.aspx Novara Randonee as well: https://www.rei.com/product/744804 . I've also always been a fan of Gitane bikes too...

Although it's maybe not versatile enough I kind of like the Garry Fisher Presidio as well https://fisherbikes.com/bike/model/511

dpskiff

If you want durability I would go with a lightweight steel alloy. They were strong but light 20 years ago. I have several steel bikes that have held up great. I think aluminum is more prone to metal fatigue as has been shown in aircraft. If you want really strong and light, go with carbon but real expensive. MY 2 cents.

martianone

"I own a few bikes and My iron Koga" sounds like you already have what you need.

"to ride the streets of New York", do you mean New York City or the whole state? I've ridden and commuted on many of the streets in New York City, also in many cities in the region such as Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto - I think the city streets are all pretty much the same -crappy. Plus I've toured on many of the streets and roads in New York State, New England and Eastern Canada - every year it seems like roads get rougher and more degraded condition. Steel/Aluminum or Ti, carbon or how about wood ? [is wood the original carbon fiber ?] - not sure it really makes that much difference. All the materials have inherent strengths and weaknesses, they all can fatigue or break.

However N+1 is a good thing.

If you are looking to get a new bike - just do so. Get what fits well and feels good to you.
My preference for riding in an urban environment is a cyclocross style bike with 1x9 gearing. I had a CrossCheck set up that way [which my son now rides] and currently I ride a lugged steel frame with 1x9 - it is a pragmatic and enduring set up.

Metzinger

As far as I can tell, my bike is made out of paint.

meanwhile

www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

https://www.rivbike.com/article/bicyc...rame_materials

For real detail -
https://www.63xc.com/scotn/metal.htm

Bottom line: a good bike of any material will be fine, although for maximum damage survival for decades steel is probably best. People should worry more about welds and less about what is being welded.

meanwhile

Commonly believed but utter bollocks!

meanwhile

Sorry: wrong. A lot of cross frames are one season throwaways. Keeping weight down is critical when you have to run with a bike on your shoulder.

The Tricross is an ok bike, but I wouldn't rate it as a high as, say, a Surly Crosscheck for toughness. Nor would Specialized if you read the carefully hedged warranty...

njkayaker

Ask yourself how many aluminum bicycles you see flying around. (One really has to work a bit harder to establish any relevance of airplane technology to bicycles.)

Probably not. That is, it's not because of the relative cost of the raw materials.

So, thin steel tubing is more expensive. Do they typically make airplanes out of tubing (they certainly use to)?

Yes, but the aluminum oxide is a much better barrier to further corrosion.

Scratches in the paint aren't a problem for aluminum. They would be (much more so) for a steel bike.

You are worried about the life of the material but you can easily dent any metal bike. What you really want is something "good enough" that is not overly expensive to replace. As long as you can keep the bike in dry storage, steel will be fine.