Originally Posted by
sstorkel
I think that's only true if you believe the manufacturer's lies.
I was basing that off a website where they had weighed the groups. Whatever.
If you want to argue that steel is competitive, weight-wise, against carbon then you should compare the weight of a steel fork on a steel bike against the weight of a carbon fork on a carbon bike. Saying that you have to add a carbon fork to your steel frame to make its weight competitive is admitting defeat.
No more so than adding a carbon fork to an aluminum bike is "admitting defeat" over the idea that aluminum is a harsh and unforgiving riding frame. Also I never said that steel is competitive with CF, just that the "4-5 lbs heaver with the same components" isn't true, except maybe if you have a steel fork also. Most high end road bikes (remember this argument kicked off because of comparisons with a $4500 Specialized) won't have a steel fork.
I doubt the OP is going to find a BikesDirect bike at his local bike shop.
He's not going to find a Rivendell either, but he brought it up.
Which steel drop-bar road bikes available at an LBS include a carbon fork? Specialized, Felt and Cannondale don't seem to sell any steel road bikes. Trek and Felt sell steel touring bikes, which come with steel forks. REI's Novara line-up include three steel bikes (Safari, Mazama, Randonee) all of which include steel forks. Jamis is about the only option for a steel frame that comes standard with a carbon fork. The Quest Elite and Quest Comp are possibilities, though it looks like the closest Jamis dealer is over an hour from the OP.
Yes, if you read a my post in earlier in the thread, I made this exact point, the problem with steel bikes is their scarcity, especially for the OP.
I'm lucky in that I have 3 LBSs in my town, one is a Gunnar and Jamis dealer, another is a Waterford dealer, another sells All-City, Surly, Salsa so I'm surrounded by choices for steel bikes locally (which must be why I bought two frame online!!)
But this thread has devolved into the usual frame material argument, far from what the OP originally was asking hasn't it?