Originally Posted by
ronocnikral
Not sure exactly what you mean, but if you're asking about durability, very little is sacrificed using modern tube sets. Steel is steel - some properties aren't changed. Namely density & modulus of elasticity. Overall yield point, the max stress the material can undergo before deformation, does vary based on how the steel is made. Geometry can be more aggressive, removing material. Also, the higher the yield point of steel, the "harder" the material becomes.
I got my first "nice" bike around 89/90. I followed the industry pretty closely, very closely actually, for about 5 years after that. Around that time, a 6.25 lb frame + fork for mtb's was considered light: generally tange prestige. Lugged road frames were a bit lighter, perhaps by half a pound, with heat treated steel.
If steel frames are weighing in 2 lbs lighter now than they were before, isn't there a greater risk of damage from dents, shorter life from fatigue, or higher risk of frame failure in crashes? What are steel manufacturers doing now that they weren't back then to allow them to halve the weight of their frames I assume without compromising frame strength?