Originally Posted by Trakhak

Great information. Thanks. I don't believe there's been an earlier post by anyone on Bike Forums that discussed the characteristics of low-carbon versus high-carbon steel in bike fabrication. Certainly not in anything like this depth. There's a lot to digest here.

On this topic, I've always wondered whether the first steel bikes were literally built with gas pipe, i.e., with pipe that was conveniently available for use in bike fabrication because it was already being manufactured in great quantities for use in the distribution of gas throughout towns and cities for use in commercial and residential properties, in street lighting, etc. (A standard dimension for the outer diameter of both gas pipes and bike tubing in the 19th century was one inch, I believe.) So I just did a search and found this:

"By the early 1800's, Paris and London had installed gas lamps along their streets. The added light increased accessibility and demand for nighttime activities, changing the nighttime culture from one of shutting oneself in to going out and socializing with others."

Coincidentally, I learned only yesterday that the first patent for a more or less modern bicycle (crank drive, rotating pedals rather than stationary pegs, etc.) was issued in 1866, in my home town of New Haven.

I guess that explains why bike manufacturers are said to use gas pipe. If bikes had come first, would my gas stove use bike pipes?