ddeand 

As mentioned earlier, it’s merely a catch-phrase that carries a tinge of snobbish weight. Basically an iteration of “Look at me, I’m retro and therefore I’m cool.” Mind you, I’m only referring to the phrase itself in its present form. In reality, steel bikes are still as viable and practical as any other bike built today. They are also collectible which cannot be said of aluminum or carbon bikes, for the most part. I’m not calling people who own steel bikes snobs - I’m just saying the phrase itself carries weight. At present, I own four old steel-framed bikes and one newer aluminum frame/carbon fork bike - all are ridden often. Because of modern construction techniques, I can barely tell the difference in ride and performance between my 1980 Pro Miyata and my 2015 Cannondale CAADX - they feel very similar. It kind of boils down to personal preference. But the phrase “Steel is Real” pretty much means nothing.

Kapusta

CF made sense to me when I was running rock hard 23-25mm tires. I liked how it damped the vibrations. But once I started running 32-38mm tires at low pressure, the vibrations are not really an issue, and CF bikes I’ve tried feel “dead” to me. I like steel bikes that have some give and spring.

However, not all steel bike have give and a nice spring. Some are too stiff.

burnthesheep

Steel is real.............heavy.

Steel is real.............flexy.

I love how so many people tout the properties of different frames (of any material) ...........then ride 23mm Gatorskins on their classic steel bike while they weight like 200 lbs.

Also, none of the hipsters bother to run tubs either. Being that a tub would be more traditional for the bike AND be more comfortable.

Put 23mm Gators on a Ti frame and 28mm Vittoria G+ on a cheapo Chinese carbon frame and I bet the cheapo Chinese carbon "rides nicer".

JohnDThompson 

And indeed it has, e.g. modern, weldable, air-hardening alloys like Reynolds 853 and martensitic-aging stainless steel alloy Reynolds 953.

TimothyH

Lots of ignorance in this thread.

Modern steel tubing can be made into frames with any ride characteristics desired, as stiff and responsive as you want, and surprisingly light.

Crappy carbon layup can produce a heavy frame that rides like ****.

It's more about the skill of the builder and how much money you bring to the table than the material. Take your pick.


-Tim-

Kovkov

Heavy is reliable. 39lbs as shown, 66 years olds and still faster than many carbon mamils. Uphill. Normal clothes. Bag on the rack.

fietsbob

A steel frame can be made without a major expenditure on machinery,

and so is within reach of the individual builder..

On my Bike tour in England , 1991, , I happened across a fellow had a rack of hand files,

a bench vice, and the brazing torch .. in the bottom floor of a maybe 400 year old house..

in Nottingham..

and he made race frames for the pros and some even got badged by Raleigh for their riders..



Mid 70s I built 1 frame with borrowed shop space and tools... still have it,,,






...

Lemond1985

That's a pretty shocking statement, and I find it difficult to believe, but it does make me want to try out the new Cannondales.

Juggy_Gales

These responses are amazing, I would have quoted many of you and so many of the replies had me laughing.
I wasn't expecting that big of a response so quickly.

As I had said all of my bikes before the one I own were steel.. But that was 20 years before I bought my Giant Toughroad..
Going into buying a bike.. When I was asking people what to buy. Everyone pointed me to aluminum bikes..
I wanted a decent bike that could handle the road and some dirt trails while being pretty quick With a budget of under $1000 and sure there are plenty of options and I am sure many of them could have out performed my Toughroad SLR2 but I didn't know much of what I was looking at.. The levels of groupsets and Where the value came in. When I first lifted my Toughroad I thought it to be quite light.. but I was only comparing it to the bikes where I was..
I forget the weights of my steel framed Peugeot Limestone from 1991 which was Black with Grey coloring. I just remembered loving that bike so much.
The derailleurs were **** though haha and I kept getting flats and didn't know why (Tube pinching). So I wanted something of that feel.. The toughroad did bring me closer to that feeling after test riding a bunch of bikes..


Saying that.. The Toughroad SLR2 won't be the last bike I own, I have regained my love for riding.. And Would like a few dif types of builds and yes also materials as well..
I would enjoy a nice Quality Steel frame bike. I would be willing to invest nicely into one.. Before I picked one up.. I would look at various different makes and models. I'll look into Chromoly frames more now.


Thank You Everyone.

Rajflyboy

https://www.pezcyclingnews.com/inter...-logic-review/

this guy is the king of Steel

Lemond1985

Good read.

Juggy_Gales

Nice, I like it

jlaw

And...

Ti is Fly!

....better get back to work before this degenerates further!

86az135i

Why not just have all? Appreciate all the materials. I don't bother with people who think that one material is someone so superior then others. Anyone who thinks carbon fiber is "plastic" imo is an idiot or should I say ignorant to be nicer. Anyone who thinks carbon fiber is the end all be all, same.

Frame design, wheels, tires, imo have a larger impact then material when it comes to comfort. Too many variables then just frame material.

livedarklions

You're kidding, right? You called it "the keepsake of the nostalgia crowd" and compared it to "horse and buggy". If you weren't trying to imply it was a dead line of technology, you need some writing lessons.

Admittedly, I know nothing about the technology, but hard for me to believe that technological advances in welding, milling, shaping, and design have come to end.

HTupolev

Carbon frames are literally made of a fiber-reinforced plastic.

livedarklions

Hey have fun! You may end up with a small stable of different kinds of bikes by the sounds of things.

86az135i

Yes a carbon thread and generally polyepoxide forming a matrix. Calling it plastic is a gross simplification. Likewise concrete is not a rock. But to those who coin the term that carbon fiber is plastic to them is a derogatory word used to emphasize that their opinion; is that carbon fiber is somehow inferior, and weak.

goldensprocket

That guy's head would explode if he saw my former bike (RIP) that had aluminum spokes, a Ti spring, and aluminum axles.


Or all of the bikes, including my current ones, that use aluminum axles (Chris King, Industry Nine,, DT Swiss, Shimano, etc.).


Or all of the wheels being sold that use aluminum spokes.

jadocs

I think it's a nod towards the history and an appreciation of the origins of steel frames, whether it's perceived craftsmanship or ride quality. Personally, I have found that my tastes have evolved from a desire for the latest CF aero bikes to the simplicity and craftsmanship of classic steel frames...more of a Neo Retro Velo. Personal taste really, some like modern cars, some like classic cars.

livedarklions

Is plywood wood? It's really a wood/glue composite.

Is reinforced concrete concrete?

I understand the point you're making, but its plasticity is actually a selling point for the material and plastic is a major component of the matrix.

86az135i

Plywood, I would not consider to be merely wood. But composed of it yes. But we can argue semantics all day and have fun.

I agree with what you're saying. But people calling CFFP plastic, is a clear attempt to mislead people and derogate the product.

Slick Madone

It "is" the keepsake of the nostalgia crowd, and horse and buggy refers to people who can't or won't look at modern technology. Exactly what I said.

Juggy_Gales

HAHAHA That is a plan of Mine!

86az135i

I wonder why the author, a proponent of steel, is rolling around on an aluminum wheelset.