Why steel?
07-20-16, 09:31 AM
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Why steel?
I ask this not to troll. I have a carbon road bike and aluminum mtbs. I have had aluminum road bikes in the past and liked it. I need a 2nd road bike as I travel a lot for work and want to take a bike with me. I want something different so I have decided to build it out with a steel frame.
I see a lot of people on here that swear by steel. My question is simply what makes you so happy with steel? My next question is how much of a difference do you feel between the materials?
I am excited about the project for a few reasons. First it is fun to try to find all the parts on budget. Two it is fun to build the bike out and with the specific products that I want. Lastly, it will be great to compare this steel bike to my current bike.
For the record, at this point, I am probably going to build out a Kona ***** Tonk with Campy Veloce as the groupset. The rest will be stuff that is in my garage. I am still not completely decided on the frame but that is where my mind is trending.
I see a lot of people on here that swear by steel. My question is simply what makes you so happy with steel? My next question is how much of a difference do you feel between the materials?
I am excited about the project for a few reasons. First it is fun to try to find all the parts on budget. Two it is fun to build the bike out and with the specific products that I want. Lastly, it will be great to compare this steel bike to my current bike.
For the record, at this point, I am probably going to build out a Kona ***** Tonk with Campy Veloce as the groupset. The rest will be stuff that is in my garage. I am still not completely decided on the frame but that is where my mind is trending.
07-20-16, 09:34 AM
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Nostalgia.
07-20-16, 09:37 AM
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07-20-16, 09:48 AM
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"Feel" and "ride" are a result of many factors beyond frame material, so I'll set that aside.
This all comes down to personal preferences, of course. To me the advantages of steel are:
1. It's tough as hell. Good steel is tougher even than Ti and much, much tougher (resistant to impacts and clamping forces) and more resilient than Al or carbon. Steel (or Ti) is basically the only game in town for loaded touring. Also, steel makes a lot of sense for MTB, gravel etc, any time a bike is going to be bashed around a bit.
2. Rust isn't nearly as big a deal as some people believe. Use frame saver or Boeshield inside the frame and it will last basically forever.
3. Good steel might weigh 1.5 pounds more than a good carbon frame. To me, that's insignificant.
4. Cool thin tube looks, to some. Builders like English Cycles or Bishop Bikes show the aesthetic possibilities of steel.
5. Commonly, steel frames feature threaded BBs, standard seat posts, external cabling, braze on FD mounts, standard steerer tubes etc. I prefer all of these features as I personally find them all much more practical.
6. Endless custom possibilities. You can get a full custom steel frame for a reasonable price. For the same money, I'd personally much prefer something unique and custom to a factory-produced frame purchased at a bike shop.
This all comes down to personal preferences, of course. To me the advantages of steel are:
1. It's tough as hell. Good steel is tougher even than Ti and much, much tougher (resistant to impacts and clamping forces) and more resilient than Al or carbon. Steel (or Ti) is basically the only game in town for loaded touring. Also, steel makes a lot of sense for MTB, gravel etc, any time a bike is going to be bashed around a bit.
2. Rust isn't nearly as big a deal as some people believe. Use frame saver or Boeshield inside the frame and it will last basically forever.
3. Good steel might weigh 1.5 pounds more than a good carbon frame. To me, that's insignificant.
4. Cool thin tube looks, to some. Builders like English Cycles or Bishop Bikes show the aesthetic possibilities of steel.
5. Commonly, steel frames feature threaded BBs, standard seat posts, external cabling, braze on FD mounts, standard steerer tubes etc. I prefer all of these features as I personally find them all much more practical.
6. Endless custom possibilities. You can get a full custom steel frame for a reasonable price. For the same money, I'd personally much prefer something unique and custom to a factory-produced frame purchased at a bike shop.
Last edited by Hiro11; 07-20-16 at 09:51 AM.
07-20-16, 09:57 AM
#7
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"Feel" and "ride" are a result of many factors beyond frame material, so I'll set that aside.
This all comes down to personal preferences, of course. To me the advantages of steel are:
1. It's tough as hell. Good steel is tougher even than Ti and much, much tougher (resistant to impacts and clamping forces) and more resilient than Al or carbon. Steel (or Ti) is basically the only game in town for loaded touring. Also, steel makes a lot of sense for MTB, gravel etc, any time a bike is going to be bashed around a bit.
2. Rust isn't nearly as big a deal as some people believe. Use frame saver or Boeshield inside the frame and it will last basically forever.
3. Good steel might weigh 1.5 pounds more than a good carbon frame. To me, that's insignificant.
4. Cool thin tube looks, to some. Builders like English Cycles or Bishop Bikes show the aesthetic possibilities of steel.
5. Commonly, steel frames feature threaded BBs, standard seat posts, external cabling, braze on FD mounts, standard steerer tubes etc. I prefer all of these features as I personally find them all much more practical.
6. Endless custom possibilities. You can get a full custom steel frame for a reasonable price. For the same money, I'd personally much prefer something unique and custom to a factory-produced frame purchased at a bike shop.
This all comes down to personal preferences, of course. To me the advantages of steel are:
1. It's tough as hell. Good steel is tougher even than Ti and much, much tougher (resistant to impacts and clamping forces) and more resilient than Al or carbon. Steel (or Ti) is basically the only game in town for loaded touring. Also, steel makes a lot of sense for MTB, gravel etc, any time a bike is going to be bashed around a bit.
2. Rust isn't nearly as big a deal as some people believe. Use frame saver or Boeshield inside the frame and it will last basically forever.
3. Good steel might weigh 1.5 pounds more than a good carbon frame. To me, that's insignificant.
4. Cool thin tube looks, to some. Builders like English Cycles or Bishop Bikes show the aesthetic possibilities of steel.
5. Commonly, steel frames feature threaded BBs, standard seat posts, external cabling, braze on FD mounts, standard steerer tubes etc. I prefer all of these features as I personally find them all much more practical.
6. Endless custom possibilities. You can get a full custom steel frame for a reasonable price. For the same money, I'd personally much prefer something unique and custom to a factory-produced frame purchased at a bike shop.
07-20-16, 10:01 AM
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07-20-16, 10:06 AM
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07-20-16, 10:06 AM
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Nice steel bikes ride extremely well. Aluminum is generally harsh. Carbon splits the two but has impact resistance equal to a Twinkie in your brown paper bag lunch.
So for me, steel = nice riding, forever frame.
Carbon = light, nice riding (if laid correctly), temporary frame. Or cheap carbon is a light, ****ting riding, temporary frame. Yes yes you can argue the longevity of carbon all you want, but in the end, steel will be here MUCH longer than any carbon frame.
Aluminum = cheap, generally harsh.
I'm not a racer, I don't need to save every kg and build a 7 kg road bike to get my kicks. (Nor do I need to write a 20 page long build thread on my own blog about it.) I'm happy with my relatively light steel steed.
Exceptions to every rule of course. I'm speaking in generalities.
I'm sure someone is going to post the carbon driveshaft vs. steel pipe destruction video simply to disagree with me.
It's funny because the people who ACTUALLY know bikes know that steel is a great frame material. They may or may not ride it, but they know it's badass. The person I know who knows the most about bikes (and he's not even an old guy) thinks steel is badass. He mostly rides a $10,000 carbon mountain bike, but for his second bike he got a custom steel framed belt drive single speed mountain bike built up. (Yes, he's that guy, passing you on a single speed up the ridiculously steep hills. That bike is NOT a commuter. It's a single track mountain bike, and that's all he uses it for.)
It's the people who are relatively new to biking or have just bought their first carbon bike who think that steel is antiquated and useless.
LAST EDIT (I promise.): On the last few mountain bike group rides, 4 out of the 5 people to the top of the hill first were riding steel bikes. (I was the one who wasn't...) There were two surlys, that custom frame I was talking about earlier, and a modern steel bike that I don't remember. (Perhaps a tokul 4130?)
So for me, steel = nice riding, forever frame.
Carbon = light, nice riding (if laid correctly), temporary frame. Or cheap carbon is a light, ****ting riding, temporary frame. Yes yes you can argue the longevity of carbon all you want, but in the end, steel will be here MUCH longer than any carbon frame.
Aluminum = cheap, generally harsh.
I'm not a racer, I don't need to save every kg and build a 7 kg road bike to get my kicks. (Nor do I need to write a 20 page long build thread on my own blog about it.) I'm happy with my relatively light steel steed.
Exceptions to every rule of course. I'm speaking in generalities.
I'm sure someone is going to post the carbon driveshaft vs. steel pipe destruction video simply to disagree with me.
It's funny because the people who ACTUALLY know bikes know that steel is a great frame material. They may or may not ride it, but they know it's badass. The person I know who knows the most about bikes (and he's not even an old guy) thinks steel is badass. He mostly rides a $10,000 carbon mountain bike, but for his second bike he got a custom steel framed belt drive single speed mountain bike built up. (Yes, he's that guy, passing you on a single speed up the ridiculously steep hills. That bike is NOT a commuter. It's a single track mountain bike, and that's all he uses it for.)
It's the people who are relatively new to biking or have just bought their first carbon bike who think that steel is antiquated and useless.
LAST EDIT (I promise.): On the last few mountain bike group rides, 4 out of the 5 people to the top of the hill first were riding steel bikes. (I was the one who wasn't...) There were two surlys, that custom frame I was talking about earlier, and a modern steel bike that I don't remember. (Perhaps a tokul 4130?)
Last edited by corrado33; 07-20-16 at 10:22 AM.
07-20-16, 10:07 AM
#12
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Nice steel bikes ride extremely well. Aluminum is generally harsh. Carbon splits the two but has impact resistance equal to a Twinkie in your brown paper bag lunch.
So for me, steel = nice riding, forever frame.
Carbon = nice riding (if laid correctly), temporary frame.
Aluminum = cheap, generally harsh.
I'm not a racer, I don't need to save every kg and build a 7 kg road bike to get my kicks. I'm happy with my relatively light steel steed.
Exceptions to every rule of course. I'm speaking in generalities.
I'm sure someone is going to post the carbon driveshaft vs. steel pipe destruction video simply to disagree with me.
So for me, steel = nice riding, forever frame.
Carbon = nice riding (if laid correctly), temporary frame.
Aluminum = cheap, generally harsh.
I'm not a racer, I don't need to save every kg and build a 7 kg road bike to get my kicks. I'm happy with my relatively light steel steed.
Exceptions to every rule of course. I'm speaking in generalities.
I'm sure someone is going to post the carbon driveshaft vs. steel pipe destruction video simply to disagree with me.
Try telling CAAD12 or Emonda ALR riders their bikes are harsh and cheap.
07-20-16, 10:08 AM
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Steel rides better than aluminum - period. As for carbon fiber, it is a personal thing. Some riders simply do not prefer the ride and feel of carbon fiber. For some, it feels "dead". I'm not trying to take sides, but to simply say steel has no advantages is BS. It depends on the individual.
07-20-16, 10:09 AM
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07-20-16, 10:09 AM
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07-20-16, 10:10 AM
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07-20-16, 10:10 AM
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Nothing of the sort . . . in case you weren't joking. 
OP, in general, steel has a smooth, buttery ride unlike any other material. Some steels are better than others, and that's where the conflicts and viewpoints become even more subjective and personal.
OP, in general, steel has a smooth, buttery ride unlike any other material. Some steels are better than others, and that's where the conflicts and viewpoints become even more subjective and personal.
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07-20-16, 10:12 AM
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07-20-16, 10:13 AM
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Whoa, dude, take it easy. 
It's a difference of personal opinions, that's all. Trust me, That. Is. All.
It's a difference of personal opinions, that's all. Trust me, That. Is. All.
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07-20-16, 10:16 AM
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