Grambo

First off I would like to say up front that I have a couple of steel frames (1 road and 1 MTB) and I am a big fan of steel. Secondly, to say steel won't rust is ridiculous .... it will if not properly maintained and can cause a frame to fail. The reason I say this is I had a high end Mt. bike frame fail due to rust. It was quad butted CrMo and rusted out at the bottom of the seat tube where it meets the BB (the most common place for s steel frame to fail due to corrosion). Finally, the effort / maintenance required to prevent a rust failure is minimal. Check to make sure there is a vent hole at the bottom of the seat tube into the BB and another hole on the bottom side of the BB which will allow water / condensation to drain out of the frame (virtually all new steel frames have a vent hole ... make sure it does not become plugged with debris). If you have a older frame and it does not have a vent hole I would recommed that either you or your LBS drill a small hole on the bottom of your BB. Secondly, periodically (once or twice a year) spray frame saver into the seat tube (10 minute job). That's about it ... touch up any knicks you might get from time to time and you should be all set. Also, if you for some reason ride in the rain after your ride you should remove your seat post and turn the bike over an let it sit overnight to ensure any water which is s trapped in the frame can drain out. Finally, many of the recently available high end steel tubes (Columbus Niobium for example) are as light and strong as Ti and very resistant to corrosion.

RobbieTunes

I have an '85 steel, Columbus SL. No rust. Light, fast, agile, balanced.
I have an '86 aluminum. Tange. Uh, no rust. Lighter, faster, agile, balanced. Needs a CF fork to have manners, though.
I have an '88 carbon fiber. Tange. Uh, no rust. Noodly, mainly due to an alloy fork.
I have multiple Tange frames from about '84 to '92 (OS). No rust. Light, fast, agile, balanced, and smooth.
I had a Ti frame (Douglas) and traded it for a "new" 1997 carbon. Very light, very fast, twitchy agile. Smooth not.

I only have one bike over 22 lbs and one over 21. Weight is not really an issue.

Nothing rides like Ti, but I'd have to have one of my steel bikes replicated in Ti to get the fit I want.

Steel is still my preference. I tried CF forks on 2 or 3 of them and went back to the steel forks.

When I'm riding, I want the bike to "disappear" and just focus on riding and shifting and braking.
That includes when I look down and see plastic. It's great stuff, just kind of unnerving to an old guy.

CyciumX

So you have two bikes over 21 pounds?

Unagidon

I have 2 steel road bikes, and 1 steel cross bike. Love'em. The Ritchey rides the smoothest. However, they are definitely not as fast as the carbon bike. Might be psychological, but the carbon bike just feels more efficient. The Ti cross bike is difficult for me to compare - bigger tires, less pressure. But I do love the sound a Ti frame makes. Guess I love all my bikes. Yes, steel is real, but so are all the other materials as long as they're built well. Have to say I'm not a big fan of aluminum though...

StanSeven

The "typical" 56 or 57 size (they measure C-T) has 73.5 and 74 angles for the "race/crit" geometry. That goes as steep as 75 degrees for the very small (50 and 52) frames. If you want to compare Waterford with most road frames, go to the road sport RS-22 where the angles are 73 and 73.

bostongarden

I love my steel bike. But, I also love my carbon/aiu bike.

slowandsteady

That is why my really nice road bike sits inside the house, and the ancient MTB sits in the barn. The road bike looks brand new as if it was never ridden. The MTB looks as old as it is. If I treated the MTB the way I treat the road bike, it would be immaculate also. It is just hard to not beat up a MTB if ridden rough. It is easy to keep a road bike looking new since it never hits or bumps into anything.

GeraldChan

[QUOTE=FlashBazbo;11510913]Same thoughts here. Can steel be real with a carbon fork????

I think a carbon fork with a steel frame is the best of both worlds. The ride quality of a lively Waterford built chassis with the shock absorbtion of the CF fork will be a sweet ride indeed.
I have been thinking lately about putting a CF fork on my Nivachrome Columbus steel Serotta but don't know of one that comes in white. (Black fork on a white frame does not look as good as blk on red.)

cs1

That's why you get it painted. Best of both worlds, it looks like steel but it's light.

HAMMER MAN

great looking ride......enjoy many miles.
I have 3 rides a CDA serotta, a new felt carbon and my waterford, which is a 2200 bought in 2000 still one of my favorite bikes to ride.

riversiderider

Sweet bike. You'll love it. Steel is great.

canam73

Originally Posted by Fat Boy
Are you sure about that?

https://https://waterfordbikes.com/now/geos.php?Model=666


Those are sample geometries. Waterfords are custom frames built to a riders specs. Within certain limits, you can have any SA and HA you want regardless of frame size or type (R, SR, RS, whatever).

cs1

The custom program is relatively new to Waterford. There's still lots of used ones on ebay with standard geometry.

StanSeven

They didn't publicize custom frames but they always had that as an option. Mine is 1992 and I had that choice for an extra $200 I think. But almost all sold were standard like you said.

littlewing6283

i went to vegas this weekend so ive had limited time to ride it.

heres some thoughts after 20o miles of riding it

-strangely enough the easton ea70s skewers seem like they have to be EXTRA tight of they will creak on hard efforts

- the bike is more comfy than my caad9. it's not like riding in a cadillac but it does soak up ALOT more road buzz that my caad9.

- this is a bit more of an aggressive bike than the gunnar sport so I was pleased w/ the handling of the bike. I was able to descend w/ confidence as well as make quick turns without any issues

- it's definitely not as stiff as the caad9. it's not a wet noodle either. it's just not as stiff as the caad9

- i'm getting used to the Sram shifting. coming from ultegra 6700 I find the hoods very similar so they feel good. I'm actually quite happy with the part mix I used. I now understand why everybody send sram is more "mechanical" feeling. Part of it is due to the fact that you actually feel the clicks more and you have to be more cognizant of it when shifting. It shifts great and I am quite pleased. Ultegra 6700 might be a tad smoother. I wouldnt hesitate riding either. They both function and function well. I was so happy w/ the Ultegra 6700 frt shifting I had an extra frt derailleur laying around so I used it. (had to get a braze on frt for the caad9 b/c the frt derailleur I had was a 31.8. I had to use a shim on this bike to make it work w/ the 28.6mm tubing) Frt shifting is great and instant. I do not understand the comments I have read that it takes a lot of force to shift on Sram.

- I havnt had a chance to weight it yet so I hope im at about 18 - 19lbs. its a 52cm frame.

- im more comfortable climbing with the CAAD9 right now, that is likely due to the lighter wheels I have on it.

Overall I am pleased so far. I know there is still a long way to go and I dont want to draw any conclusions too early but im very happy I went this route so far. It's exactly what I was looking for. A fastish training bike that is racy yet comfortable. I'll use it for general traning as well as longer rides. I'll use the CAAD for faster group rides and heavy climbing days.

if I was to compare it cars the CAAD would be a lancer evolution and the Gunnar would be like a lexus is300. Comfy but can still get up and go.

Sorry for the winded post. I'm still working on my fit for this bike so i'll be changing the stack height of spacers likely very soon.

littlewing6283

also its good to note that im using and ultegra 6700 cassette and chain. This is probably why I am not getting very much noise from the drive train. Sounds like my ultegra 6700 drivetrain. i've heard sram was louder, thats the only reason i threw in this blurb

kevindominguez

That bike is freakishly cool man!! I'm totally envious..(Forum five)!!

needawheel

why change?

mikeoverly

Incorrect.