wrote4luck

I recently bought an old Fuji Roubaix for $75 off CL. I replaced all the cables, installed a new seat post and stem to make it fit, and cleaned the chain, cassette and derailleurs to get it running right. Well, this morning I took it on my team's weekly practice Crit, and it's safe to say I loooove the way the steel frame rides. It's 10X smoother than my aluminum/carbon frame and fork yet I was still able to hold my own in the race even though I gained an extra 3 pounds with the steel. I just wish I had the money to upgrade to more modern components.

Anyone else love their steel bike too?

Scooper

Yes. Unfortunately it gets my bedsheets greasy.

LanceMach

They say you don't find your bike, your bike finds you. Well, that was true in my case: I fell in love with my steel Bianchi from the first ride.

I recently got back into biking (for fitness and enjoyment - no racing in my future!). Tried many different bikes from Carbon (just to try the size of the frame) to aluminum and, finally, steel (saved the steel for last as that is the way I was leaning, based on my research). I'm kind of quirky to begin with, so the thought of such an "outdated" material, combined with that distintive Celeste color was right up my alley!

oilman_15106

Yes steel can be great. Really like my Jamis Eclipse 853. The switch to a threadless fork(Easton EC90 Aero)
was a big improvement. The original Time fork was fine but with the threaded headset and all the weight and handling were lacking.

socalrider

Just bought a Surly Crosscheck and it rides very nice for an all steel rig.. Nice relaxed geometry and feels solid through any of the tough stuff.. Some of the trails I have taken this down would make me cringe a little if it were carbon fiber..

HAMMER MAN

been riding steel since 1978,have gone to other types of frame materials, but always go back to steel

55/Rad

Yes, I love my steel. But they don't love me back. Seems they still make me do the work.

GeraldChan

Given the right design, geometry and proper craftsmenship steel is still a viable and REPAIRABLE frame material and is my frame material of choice. I have ridden only steel frames since 1971. Everthing else is just a fad. Gerry

GuitarWizard

I like steel....but I also like carbon, and I also like aluminum.

Haven't ridden anything titanium yet, so I can't comment on that stuff.

waterrockets 

I love my steel Ritchey frame to death. My old RB-1, Stumpjumper, and MB-3 too. Great rides. I still race steel on and off road.

Patriot

Steel is real?


Metaphysically speaking, aluminum, carbon, and titanium are real as well.

clutchy

yeah a buddy of mine a few months back drove under an awning with his custom steel frame bike on the roof rack. A crumple ensued. I told him that they could fix it, but he didn't believe me. He eventually called up the builder and now it's coming back in a couple of weeks.

we'll see what it's like.

onkey

just got back from a cool 20mile ride on my i.f. steel planet cross and it wuz smooth as buttah.

steel++

waterrockets 

See, I thought you OCP types were artsy enough to come up with better rhymes than "carbon is real." Sheesh.

cuda2k

Yes, yes it most certainly is...

munkyv22

Asbestos Underwear? Check.

Carbon Fiber rocks. Steel is archaic...

Have fun, kids.

lotek 

All my current bikes are steel (5 of them).
however, it isn't the be all end all of bicycle materials
(please don't tell the cranky & vintage crowd I said this, I'll
be banished or exiled or summat).
Different materials have a different ride, not better not worse
just different.
I'd like a Carbon Fiber Ottrott, or Ti Legend, the only
frame material I'll pass on is Aluminium and that's from
riding an early Cannondale, I'm sure newer Alu is better
I just don't care to find out atmo.

marty (donning nomex suit).

VegaVixen

I loves me my steel beater, a sweet '84 Schwinn LeTour. Heavy? You betcha, at 29lbs. Good for my overall training? Yes, though I've been known to say a few choice words while climbing. But there's nothing like suddenly sheddin' 10+ pounds on a day where speed counts.

clausen

I love the smoooth ride of my 20 year old Miele. Unfortunately it's size too big to get a great fit for handling and was neglected for years so needs some work. Still good for slower rides and going to make it into a fixie, when my new steel frame arrives.

FidelCastrovich

I loves my steel Pinarelluh...nice and smooth...and RED!

SpiderMike

Only draw back to my Peugot is the aluminumb fork.
+1billion jillion Still waiting for somebody to offer their 105 groupo for my RSX groupo.

jbhowat

Yeah, Aluminum is such a fad. That maybe made sense to say in the early 80's when aluminum bikes were still glued-together and flimsy as hell (although a lot of fast guys still rode them for the light weight).

Carbon fiber isn't a fad either, its been around forever and is almost always the choice for the lightest, stiffest frame available.

Titanium, same thing.

Magnesium... well Pinarello does well with it, Paketa makes them in Colorado. A lot of people love them. Not a fad, but definitely a niche.

Annodized purple, green, pink parts were a fad. Drilling the **** out of everything was a fad.

...and I think all of this "steel is real" stuff is a fad as well. In 10 years most people will at least recognize that there are pros and cons to steel but that for quite a while it hasn't been a superior choice for a light-weight, stiff, racing bike. Sorry. I own two steel bikes and one aluminum one. Even the best alloys of steel can't stand up in racing machines to any of the materials listed above.

Hobartlemagne 

I like old steel and new titanium

slide13

I like steel, especially my Gunnar Roadie. It has a slightly oversized tubeset which makes it just a little stiffer then the more narrow tubed frames but it still has that silky smooth ride quality that I love. It fits great too which never hurts. Also, at 3.6lbs for the frame it's not too terribly heavy.

3MTA3

steel is real