At times, depending on the bike, I'm equally snobbish about both carbon and steel.

How can you not find great examples of both?

Nowdays I think I'm more of a steel guy. I used to drool carbon and still sometimes do ( especially tri bikes) but I like the idea of making frames myself. I'm also intrigued about the utilitarian side of steel (slap the racy frame full of eylets and you have yourself a nice touring rig)

Of course you can make carbon bikes yourself too but the amount of engineering that goes into carbon (use of different CF types to optimize handling and feel) is so huge that it just would not be the same. But I am planning on making some carbon rims at some point since they are relatively simple to fabricate. Maybe even a disc wheel at some point (not so easy though...)

It's a mystery.

Rims are actually much, much more difficult to manufacture due to tolerances and heat issues that do not apply to frames.

alloy? you might as well just say metal. what kind of alloy?

they ride what the sponsors pay them to ride. That was an easy one coasting try again.

no wait forget what I said before, I wanna change my answer to this!

In the context of the thread we are discussing aluminum alloys.

The overwhelming majority of racers aren't paid anything.

Yeah, but they think if they ride the bike and act just right they might get paid.

Sadly similar to an abused dog being loyal to it's owner.

I thought the Specialized alu bikes were called Smartweld not superweld.

I commute in an F1 car.

(I'm gong to regret joining this party)

The weld does follow the actual joint. The head tube is hydroformed and includes 'stubs' that connect to the top tube and head tube.

The 564 is prettier, but I would take the allez.

Yeah, yeah. I saw that picture when I was looking up the one I posted. You know what I meant.

I wanted to believe you knew, but it is hard to make those assumptions around here. The quote was more to clear up confusion others may have.

I've been tempted by those 564s by the way. any idea how it compares to a cannondale of the era?

Actually, I recently had a chance to compare. Shortly before I sold the Schwinn I did a refurbishment on a friends 1987 SR400. Both were aluminum frames with mangaloy forks (I love the word mangaloy, it sounds like something you shouldn't call mentally challenged kids anymore). And both were fairly stock other than expendables.

Anyway, compared to modern aluminum (or anything else), both were pretty bone jarring. Yeah, you can put bigger tires on them and drop the psi, but with 23mm at 100/110 I could definitely feel why aluminum got it's bad rap. I don't know the geometry of each, but the Schwinn seemed a little sportier, the SR more relaxed.

If you are used a smooth ride you are going to want to make sure bigger tires fit and find a carbon fork with a 1" steerer.

I thought it would be cool to build one with a wound up fork and modern components. I wouldn't bother unless I stumbled on a cheap one.

All that stiffness does give them a 'immediate' feeling so they are a kick to ride, for short distances.

Be aware that those number series Schwinns had a unique seatpost that tightened like a quill stem. If you come across a frame that doesn't have one you would need to drill a hole, cut a slot to it find a collar that fits to use a standard post.

I'm aware of the post. I'm not sure there is room to slot the frame though... You can do it on Mosers, but I'm not sure I would try it here.

I know. The first set I was planning was to be a fatbike rim. If that worked well enough within the tolerances I could go to mtb and then further to road.

I have a solid plan but of course I wont know whether it works before I complete a rim.

My sponsors include a local mortgage broker, audio equipment company, and dentist. None of them are paying me to ride a particular brand of bike, although we get a pretty good deal from our team shop. I think this is pretty typical.

Good luck.

I would be interested to see how you create a hook bead without a steel mold and sliders. One method is to use a dense rubber insert (and EPS foam core ) but that requires high external pressures and subsequent machining. Without the external pressure (a vacuum bag doesn't generate any) the end result is low compaction/flow and results in voids.

Since I'm going tubeless with all the rims the bead hook might not be 100% necessary. Then again it would be nice to have one so I planned on integrating two steel wires in the rim to create hooks.
The mold I planned on using would be a large round disc with machined outer surface to accomodate the rim form. The CF could be directly laid on the form to get the shape and tolerances right. After laying the CF I would add a pressure device into the mold (I was thinking a fatbike inner tube) and pump it full. Of course the mold needs to be shut with the tube inside as to create enough pressure.

Curing could be done in the sauna for a few hours.

Unfortunately this plan will most likely have to wait for till I actually have a job and paid vacation. So a year or two from now most likely.
Also one thing that does bother me with this is the availability of carbon fiber. There seems to be a relatively small market for high modulus CF in europe. Mostly CF is used by DIY'ers to make car parts (which do not require the structural integrity a bicycle component would need)

^^^the welds are pretty chunky. i went to look at the 105 allez a month or two ago and lets just say my black weber grill has better lines then that frame.

A few thoughts:

Tubeless uses hook beads and tolerances are even more critical.

A wire could mess up the heating. How will you keep it in place? I can guarantee it will migrate in the mold.

You need to lay up the rim before it is placed in the mold. Do some research on EPS foam cores. If you go this route how will you get the core inside the bladder?

How will you remove the bladder? You will need to factor this into the lay-up. I am also wondering about any possible reaction between the bladder materials and the resins.

What will the releasing agent be?

The machine steel required for a mold large enough to hold a rim will run into a few thousand dollars. Machining will add even more cost. You will still need sliders.

I assume you mean a dry sauna? Even then how will you control moisture and temps? Rims are baked at more than one specific temp for specific periods of time for specific reasons. Just tossing it in a heated room for a few hours won't work.

How will you finish the rims? They will require putty (or beadblast) and paint to avoid UV damage. You have to make sure that none of these materials react with the rim.

I would suggest you come up with answers to these questions before dropping a dime on prepreg.