Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Even on a loaded touring bike, the limit of braking power is still pitcher of the rider. You can't skid the front wheel of a touring bike since the rider will pitch over the bars before that happens. The dynamics of the bicycle haven't changed even with the added weight. The vehicle is still a short wheelbase vehicle with a high center of gravity. The CG is a bit lower but the bulk of the mass is still being carried very high.
You can get better braking out of the bicycle by doing what you can also do on any bike, i.e. move the rider back and down but there is still a limit to how effective that is and the rider will still be pitched over the bars before the front tire skids.
I like how you phrased this. I know your idea of how it works is incorrect, but your have written this explanation in such a way that it is not incorrect
I've read a whole lot of threads on touring and I've been involved in or listened to a whole lot of discussions about touring. The repairability of steel is at the top of the list when it comes to why people choose steel. When you tell someone that you touring on an aluminum bike, the very first thing they say is "But you can't repair it out on the road!". When you ask someone about steel bikes the very first thing they say is "You can easily repair it anywhere."
For an example, look at the beginning of this thread. The first response (well the first serious response) was "Are you serious? Steel is cheap, strong and MUCH easier to repair as compared to Al and carbon fiber. On a long tour steel can be repaired anywhere. " It isn't until post 31 on the second page that anyone mentions ride quality. Granted there are a lot of posts making fun of the OP but still ride quality lower on the list when the question of "why steel?" is asked. Aesthetics is even further down the list.
Here's an experiment: Got to a dealer who carries touring bikes that you don't know and start asking questions about touring bikes. I'd bet that the very first point that they bring up is how easy steel is to repair.
What you are missing is that most people with some knowledge of steel repair or past experience with steel bicycle repair would not say that the repair is trivial. I haven't seen too many threads that have stated the opposite. Most people have been lead to believe that steel can be repaired anywhere by anyone with simple tools. They just don't know how thin the steel is and how difficult the repair is to do. They really have no idea and have been lead to believe that it is a trivial repair. In fact, you are quite correct in your statement that
Most people don't realize this and have been lead to believe something else. That's why I call the repairability of steel to be a myth. I know it can be done but I don't expect it to be perfect...or even good...job.
There was a thread on this site (I think) of a chap touring in Asia who crashed and damaged his frame, then went to a local mechanic or welder who used his mig welder to first burn holes through the frame, then crudely attach a thick steel plate to the side of the failed joint. IIRC the `repair` lasted about two days. I and others thought he should have taken the bike apart and mail the components home then buy a Flying Pigeon or something to finish his tour, but he went forward with the repair attempt.
The other side of that coin is that bicycle touring frames of any flavor...steel, aluminum, titanium or (mythical) carbon...aren't nearly as delicate as some think they are. My aluminum touring bike has 10,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. My aluminum commuter bike which sees far more use and abuse than my touring bike has 16,000 miles on it, as does the carbon fork. I'm not expecting to replace either in the near future due to frame breakage.
This has also been my experience. I have only had one aluminum frame fail and it was in less mileage than you have on yours, but it was a road oriented bike that I thrashed riding rough trails and gravel roads for several years. I have broken multiple steel frames, and BITD, when lightweight steel bikes were common, so were broken steel frames... probably more commonly than you see broken carpet fibre in modern times.