If Steel is so Great...
10-18-13, 06:10 PM
#26
we be rollin'
My hesitation in buying steel is I remember in the 1970's bicycles would rust underneath the paint. Then you'd have to repaint and repaint... And it's heavier than aluminium.
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol
(I'm kidding obviously.)
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol
(I'm kidding obviously.)
10-18-13, 06:15 PM
#27
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I am having second thoughts about OP trolling. Could just be inexperience and a clumsy thread starter. He may really be trying to decide what to buy.
10-18-13, 06:27 PM
#29
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My hesitation in buying steel is I remember in the 1970's bicycles would rust underneath the paint. Then you'd have to repaint and repaint... And it's heavier than aluminium.
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol (I'm kidding obviously.)
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol
(I'm kidding obviously.)
10-18-13, 06:28 PM
#30
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10-18-13, 07:06 PM
#32
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The big advantage of steel, and Ti for that matter, is that one can have a custom frame in these materials. Many of the folks I ride with have custom steel or Ti frames. The thing about that, though, is that it takes a lot, a very lot of experience to know what you want in a custom frame . . . because if you don't, there's no way it's going to be any better than a stock bike. All that said, most of my riding buddies with custom frames don't ride them any more. I think that might have a lot to do with advancing technology in componentry as much as in frame materials. But they didn't have a new bike built for them, they bought stock. So maybe that has something to do with the frame materials on offer.
Oh . . . speaking to the OP's question, the custom steel bikes all have steel forks, the Ti bikes have carbon forks. None of them have carbon seat posts.
Oh . . . speaking to the OP's question, the custom steel bikes all have steel forks, the Ti bikes have carbon forks. None of them have carbon seat posts.
10-18-13, 07:21 PM
#33
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10-18-13, 07:28 PM
#34
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If you value the ride properties of steel but wish to lighten it as much as possible, the steel frame/carbon fork combination is very effective. Seat posts haven't been steel for a very long time. They are either Al or CF. No matter what your frame material, you need to make a choice between those two post materials.
10-18-13, 07:31 PM
#35
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10-18-13, 07:34 PM
#36
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My hesitation in buying steel is I remember in the 1970's bicycles would rust underneath the paint. Then you'd have to repaint and repaint... And it's heavier than aluminium.
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol (I'm kidding obviously.)
I prefer aluminium. And I'll say it with a British accent to make people in North America feel really weird. lol
(I'm kidding obviously.)
Last edited by surgeonstone; 10-18-13 at 07:37 PM.
10-18-13, 07:36 PM
#37
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10-18-13, 07:41 PM
#38
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I got a steel bicycle many years ago. It came with carbon forks, carbon seatpost, and carbon crankarms. After the first year, I replaced the carbon forks with steel, a few months later, the seatpost cracked and so I replaced it with an aluminium post, and a few years later I replaced the carbon crankarms with non carbon. No more carbon on my steel bicycle.
10-18-13, 07:49 PM
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It came with several ... carbon is so notorious for breaking that bicycles with carbon bits are sold with several backups. Didn't you know?
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10-18-13, 07:53 PM
#40
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10-18-13, 08:00 PM
#41
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10-18-13, 08:08 PM
#42
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Actually Machka and I were both joking starting with my needle about the term "forks". At least I hope we were both joking. I mean, I never get but one fork when I buy a bike. I would hate to think I have been cheated all these years.
10-18-13, 08:42 PM
#43
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If you can only name steel builders on one hand without Googling it, then your ignorance on steel frames shows. Rob English quite easily and consistently makes steel road bikes - as in race geometry - under 15 lbs. He is one of many steel builders making great bikes.
I don't know why you have to make this another steel vs carbon or whathaveyou thread, so I'll say troll.
I don't know why you have to make this another steel vs carbon or whathaveyou thread, so I'll say troll.
10-18-13, 09:00 PM
#44
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I am surely a weight weenie, but weight is only one aspect. If you value the other properties of the steel bicycle frame, you will regard its higher weight as reasonable in light of what characteristics come along with it. A generic Chinese CF frame and a modern, light steel frame have to be compared according to all their properties, not just weight.
10-18-13, 09:00 PM
#45
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10-18-13, 10:11 PM
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I got a steel bicycle many years ago. It came with carbon forks, carbon seatpost, and carbon crankarms. After the first year, I replaced the carbon forks with steel, a few months later, the seatpost cracked and so I replaced it with an aluminium post, and a few years later I replaced the carbon crankarms with non carbon. No more carbon on my steel bicycle.
10-18-13, 11:57 PM
#47
Recusant Iconoclast
Chill. Point being, having a UCI-legal bike at 14.99lbs is not the exclusive realm of carbon. The beauty of road cycling as a sport is anyone with deep enough pockets can buy the exact bike that the pros use. The beauty of some of us old farts with some cash stashed away but who'll never race competitively can dabble in traditional materials other than carbon and still be at around 15lbs.
10-19-13, 12:21 AM
#48
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And later series steel tubing producing sub 3 lbs frames is pretty cool. Its steel man. Something about when one thinks of a steel object, it must be heavy.
OK - back on topic and someone mentioning Colnago and steel fork production issues. I don't know if that's true but in the early 90's I swapped out my Colnago steel fork (Colnago frame) and tried a Kestrel EMS fork with the same rake. Significant diet loss but immediately noted a more dampened ride.
OK - back on topic and someone mentioning Colnago and steel fork production issues. I don't know if that's true but in the early 90's I swapped out my Colnago steel fork (Colnago frame) and tried a Kestrel EMS fork with the same rake. Significant diet loss but immediately noted a more dampened ride.
10-19-13, 01:18 AM
#49
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10-19-13, 01:56 AM
#50
Still can't climb
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technological advancement. it is good.
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