The brand or model of tubing is not at all as important as frame geometry and the butting of that tubing. example- Reynolds 853 comes in many different butting profiles and can be just as 'heavy' as generic taiwan 4130. 853 DZB is marketed for use in gravel/MTB/ATB bikes and is not a lightweight, because it isnt designed to be.
I mention this because it is mostly meaningless to look for frames based on just the tubing sticker.

I built a frame using Columbus Zona tubing, which is mid-upper level tubing and it came in at about 200g more than a higher level of tubing. Even then, Zona comes in multiple butting profiles and had I used the more aggressive butting, it would have been lighter(and flex a bit more, but who knows if i could tell or not).

Columbus Zona, Columbus Life, Columbus Life, Reynolds 853, Reynolds 725, Tange Prestige Japan, Kaisei, Variwall Thermlx - all these are quality and one isnt 'better' than the other. They are great for different applications and needs. They also come in a variety of diameters and butting, which greatly affects the fell depending on the rider.

Look at Breadwinner https://breadwinnercycles.com/product-category/bikes/ and Rodriqgez https://www.rodbikes.com/profiles/profiles.php to get general ideas on qualty frames that are well designed and well built. There are honestly dozens of great builders in the US and these are just 5% of whats out there and quality. Handmade obviously costs more than generic off the shelf. Look into Gunnar too- as they make quality custom frames for good prices.
Also check out Black Mountain Cycles https://blackmtncycles.com/frames/road-frames/ and Ritchey for some quality generic tube frames. The tubing isnt listed(Black Mountain is generic and Ritchey is in house/proprietary), but it is very much quality. Both frames use heat treated tubing and the Black Mountain is 8/5/8 butting while the Ritchey is not listed, but is similar and possibly thinner(guess based on weight). Something to note on both of these- the head tubes are for 1 1/8 steerers. This is significantly different from current trends of 44mm head tubes for massive front end stiffness. A steel road frame with a 1 1/8 steerer will be plenty stiff and track well when riding for any amateur/enthusiast. Somehow, pros excelled on even thinner head tubes too, so they clearly can be fine on them too. A smaller diameter head tube will allow for a bit more compliance(less harsh) on the front end. Also note- the Ritchey comes with a carbon fork, but the Black Mountain has a steel fork. You could use a Ritchey WCS fork https://us.ritcheylogic.com/us_en/wcs-carbon-road-fork or a Whiskey No7+ fprk https://whiskyparts.co/forks/no7_rd_...mid_reach_fork as both have similar/same rake and length as the stock steel fork, but will be over 1 pound lighter. Its a great way to get a really good frameset for under $1000.

There are production bikes with 853 like the Motobecane mentioned already Save Up To 60% Off Pro Level Steel Road Bikes FREE SHIP 48 STATES ON ALL BICYCLES FREE SHIP* Motobecane Gran Premio Elite New Shimano 22 Speed 5800 / 105 + Shimano Wheelsets Reynolds High Grade Steel Road Bikes as well as many British brands. But many/most will be disc brake since thats trendy.


Having the lightest steel frame is like having being the lightest heavyweight boxer. Its nearly meaningless. All my drop bar bikes are steel(853 gravel, Black Mountain MC for touring/commute, Columbus Zona road bike, Columbus Tenax road bike) and weigh different amounts, but the moving weight for all is within 1% of each other since that is bike weight + rider weight + gear(water, wedge bag, etc). If a bike is 20.5# or 19.5#, it rides the exact same on flat and down hills, and the 1# isnt noticed when climbing since its barely measurable. More important is frame geometry and comfort- does the geometry match what you want in a road bike?- then itll feel great. Does the bike have compliance where you want it?- then itll feel great.

More weight can be dropped due to components than can be dropped due to frame tubing choice. Keep that in mind. Zona tubing that is 7/5/7 and Spirit tubing that is 6/4/6 is just not much different in weight.
Also worth noting- as a tube increases in diameter, it becomes exponentially stiffer. So that tube can also become thinner which then offsets the stiffness and makes it lightweight and 'springy'.


tldr- dont chase grams. All those tube models/sets I mention are quality and what should be focused on is geometry. Are the chainstays the length range you want? Is the frame's trail the style you want? Can it fit the tire size you want? That stuff is what I think should be focused on.