RiPHRaPH

I feel that all bikes fatigue because of maintenance blunders...like people riding a bike 2-4 cm's too small and having to extend the seatpost higher than 'recommended' ....that is too much stress for any material.

steel is repairable. Al is not. that's all.

ClevelandGuy

Hey just buy titanium, I did and cant stand my X-aluminum road road bike (poor baby) she just sits there now. oh well........

Flaneur

I have read all 9 pages of this thread and am struck by the narrow focus of the debate. Let's get beyond the metallurgy and the manufacturer's misinformation....

Can you afford Titanium? Or can you justify the expense? Or would you be too scared to lock it in the street?

Do you weigh too much for Carbon Fibre?

Is you idea of Big Miles a hundred a day or a hundred a month? On what kind of road surfaces?

What do you want a bike to do?

-Do you hang it on a wall? Do your friends admire your choice? Does it resemble one of Tyler Hamilton's Team bikes?

-Is the bike expected to perform a host of functions, or just one? Will it be a Crit Special or a Paris-Brest-Paris mile-eater?

-do you carry extra weight on the bike? Not counting your spare tyre

-is your bike stored in ideal conditions? do you ride it only in ideal conditions?

-ever transport your bike, say in or on a car?

About you; are you a skilled regular maintenance person, an occasional maintenance person, a bike shop devotee?

Do you mash big gears or spin lower ones? In flat, hilly or mixed country? Do you wear out bikes, damage bikes, crash bikes (all three)?


I'm talking about real people with real cycling habits, preferences, budgets and problems. People with long backs and short legs, who drop bikes off workstands, ding tubes against lamp-posts, forget their bidons on sunny saturdays, mislay tire levers (only when needed)and generally inhabit a world of misadventures and mistakes! Like me, you have a lot more considerations to tally than the shop guy would like you to think. Your life is complicated and your choice will reflect that. I don't know you- or presume to tell you what is best for you. I have owned and ridden a lot of bikes for a lot of miles over 35 years and I prefer....

something versatile, repairable, customised, rugged, simple- not fetishistic, disposable, fashionable or uncomfortable.

I ride, I like, I recommend steel frames, fitted to my purpose by someone I can drink coffee with. I choose the components and build the wheels, re-touch the paint, adjust the bearings and pay the bills. For the price of a "top of the range" Trek or Bianchi, I get to choose what works for me, not for Lance or Jan or Marco. I usually get to save some money into the bargain.

Don't take my word for anything but please ask yourself some questions before parting with the cash. Especially lots of cash. You are the variable that cannot be accounted for- except by you.

ninjaRoller

if you aren't planning to race, stick with the steel road bike over the aluminum. maybe be the lightest bike but it sure makes up for it

Phantoj

This is a crusty old thread.

ParamountScapin 

But, my new steel Scapin is definitely not..........

EURO

Worthless romanticism.

najaracing

Reynolds 853 is the "best" Reynolds product, but not necessarily the best steel. Any good framebuilder will tell you different type of steel have different qualities. Some are best for TIG welding, some are best for fillet brazing. There reallys isn't a "best" type of steel, it depends on what you are looking for. Rely on the framebuilders knowledge.

My last 4 mtn bikes have been steel, and the last three have been handbuilt by people who know what they are doing (Joe Murray, Tom Ritchey, Rick Hunter). The problem with steel is that it's not trendy, so you may have to pay more to get a decent steel frame...bianchi and others do make readily available bikes in steel. I heard somebody say that if somebody just discovered steel today, it would revolutionize the biking world and everything would be made from it.

And I don't know if you are looking for road v. mtn advice, but a lot of these posts deal with road. In the mtn bike world, there is a quote "friends don't let friends ride carbon fiber". Beware of mtn CF bikes, they have a tendency to snap with some abuse.

the beef

Who bumped this old thread? ugh.

Don Cook

Frame builders can certainly build an aluminum frame that is lighter than a similarily priced steel frame. However, the aluminum frame may or may not be a better frame. When I purchased one of my steel framed bikes, it was because of an article in Bicycling Magazine. It was the summer of 1999 and the article headline was something like, "The Five best road bikes for under $1500". As I recall there were four aluminum and one steel bike.The steel was an Reynolds 853 and it actually weighed less than 2 of the aluminums, weighed the same as another, and was heavier than one. I have another steel framed bike that is an older lugged Italian frame. It weighs a little more than 22lbs without water bottles and seat pack. I was looking at some of the new Cannondales, and they are probably near the top end of the aluminum frame builders art. I had thought of taking one home, but alas, I really don't need another bike. My guess is that if you buy an aluminum framed bike that is in the upper echelon of quality and brand, you'll probably get your moneys worth. If I had my choice between a run-of-the-mill aluminum framed bike or a decent Reynolds 853 (or similar), I do believe I'd go with the steel (all other issues being equal).