Originally Posted by
John E
According to my experience, and according to Sheldon Brown, almost all of the difference in feel between a CrMo (Columbus) and a MnMo (531) frame is attributable to geometry, rather than the steel alloy itself.
The "stiffest" bike I ever owned was a 531-tubed Charles Roberts. I swapped it out for a Gios, Columbus SL-SP, same size. The Gios handled differently--slightly steeper angles with longer fork rake. Lower bottom bracket made it fit me slightly better, but it was definitely heavier and more more compliant. My sprinting suffered but my climbing improved. The longer rake also helped stability over sloppy surfaces.