Steel
da1esman
Posts: 31
3rd Carbon bike damaged through no fault of my own, first one reversed in my car in a car park, second learner driver drove into me at traffic lights while red wrecking the bike and righting the car off.
This weekend while having a cake and tea stop in the Dales I was notified that some OAP rode over Trek while driving his mobility scooter on the pavement and said person was no where to be seen a dew mins afterwards, and people complain about children on bikes on the footpath. Grrrrrrrrrrr :evil:
So I going back to good old steel, who is building frames in the UK. Possibly up north so I can visit easily.
Thanks in advance.
This weekend while having a cake and tea stop in the Dales I was notified that some OAP rode over Trek while driving his mobility scooter on the pavement and said person was no where to be seen a dew mins afterwards, and people complain about children on bikes on the footpath. Grrrrrrrrrrr :evil:
So I going back to good old steel, who is building frames in the UK. Possibly up north so I can visit easily.
Thanks in advance.
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Comments
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Bloody hell that's unlucky!0
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You know, all of that stuff can also happen to a steel frame..?0
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Monocoques are not designed to take that kind of impact. You can wreck a frame by clamping it too tight (and it's not that tight) on the roof of the car or on the workshop rig. Then of course there are stabbing pedals to contend with at the cafe and indeed reversing mobility scooters. Lugged carbon tubes are much stronger in that respect, but also very expensive and probably 50% heavier.left the forum March 20230
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I would say never get off your bike as the accidents seem to happen when you're not on it.
A friend of mine had a frame built by Brian Rourke a few years ago and is really pleased with it.0 -
da1esman wrote:So I going back to good old steel, who is building frames in the UK. Possibly up north so I can visit easily.
Mercian: http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/
Vernon Barker: http://www.vernonbarkercycles.co.uk/frame_building.html"It must be true, it's on the internet" - Winston Churchill0 -
Imposter wrote:You know, all of that stuff can also happen to a steel frame..?
If you are not too fussy you can live for years with a dent in the seat tube, but you can't live long with a crack in the seat tube...
In fact I have a FD band on induced dent in my Columbus SL frame, it's been there for over 30 years
and that's the difference between the two materials, I would sayleft the forum March 20230 -
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You know, all of that stuff can also happen to a steel frame..?
Bah...I say he is looking for an excuse to drop off the next fast group ride..."I would have been there but my bike weighs so much more than yours" :twisted: ...besides, that is why we have Titanium (I would go to Tennessee in the US for that)0 -
Imposter wrote:You know, all of that stuff can also happen to a steel frame..?
Yes I know but you then send it to frame builder for repairs.
Thankfully, carbon isn't nearly as disposable as it once was. Most damage these days is fixable....0 -
Yea but a nice steel frame is so.... ummmm. Does it have to be new?
Nothing to prove. http://adenough1.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
I had a Mercian for a while with the aim of rebuilding it but to be honest for the value of a restored or new bike i just didnt ride it enough but i do have a handmade 531 from the 80s and its a dream to ride, by far those most comfortable bike i own or have ridden especially with wider tyres.Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
Very very happy with my Enigma Extensor (TIG welded Columbus XCR). If you are going for steel for your only/best bike forget the retro, lugged, narrow-tubed stuff and get a modern steel frame that can compete with carbon. I have a Scott Foil with tubs for sunny weather but the Extensor doesn't lose much to it, a few hundred grams extra weight and that's about it.0
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Mercian
Bob Jackson
Brick lane bikes
but to be fair i dont think a steel bike is really what your looking for.0 -
I had a Mercian for a while with the aim of rebuilding it but to be honest for the value of a restored or new bike i just didnt ride it enough but i do have a handmade 531 from the 80s and its a dream to ride, by far those most comfortable bike i own or have ridden especially with wider tyres.
Just remember, you CAN go to a newer groupset on it (but we all know it deserves classic Campagnolo C-Record). However, you will need to get the rear end re-gapped to 130mm (simple to cold set for someone with a tad of ability a FAG-2 and a DAG or equivalent tools). You can "spread" the splay and get a wheel in but it is often not square. Makes me want an old school Basso GAP or Eddy Merkcz SLX...0 -
What sort of riding do you do? There are massive differences between different types of steel frames that aren't necessarily obvious in the way that they are for carbon bikes that tend to be marketed very clearly for different purposes (race, "endurance", etc). Geometry comes into it of course but tubing type (especially tubing diameter) will make a big difference to the way the bike feels and rides.
An old 531 frame or a modern retro copy might have a lovely springy feel and be well suited to long steady rides, but it will flex noticeably climbing out of the saddle and the handling will feel a lot less direct than a modern carbon bike. A modern steel frame made of oversized exotic alloy tubes (XCR. 953, 853 etc) will feel much stiffer and more like a high-end carbon race bike.
Maybe I'm biased because the two steel frames I've had in recent years absolutely epitomise those extremes and are/were completely different to ride - my Extensor feels very similar to my Scott Foil with just a smidgeon of extra weight and a very subtle steel liveliness, whereas a 1990s(?) Mercian Superlight I had a while back was very much old-school steel springy - nice in a way, but climbing out of the saddle felt like wrestling a recalcitrant giraffe and cornering at speed was bordering on scary (maybe partially down to the tendency they had in those days to combine quite large offset forks with steep head tube angles, giving very little trail).
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I've now replaced the Eurus wheels on the Extensor with wider diameter H+Son Archetypes which are much better suited - the XCR is pretty stiff in all directions and on rougher roads rides best with a bit more air volume at lower pressures. With that setup it's a gorgeous ride.0 -
Condor
Feather
Talbot
Zullo
Pegoretti
Enigma
Genesis (Volare)
Mercian
...and lots of others
I have a Condor Super Acciaio and a Zullo Vintage. Both have their place, but I do plan a proper balls-out steel race build shortly, probably using a Volare 953, although Condor said they could build me something like a Super Acciaio in stainless.0 -
Paul Hewitt in leyland?0
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Get a C40. Traditional geometry with all the benefits of carbon. Mine is 15 years +. In fact, it might be older than that. I have no idea.
I do not understand this steel fetish. The only thing I can ascertain is that riders over 80 kg's moan about cf frames, there might be a link. I have a friend who is 6'4" and for years rode Geoff Roberts steel frames. The only cf frame he gets on with is a Giant.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
It really depends on what sort of bike you want - if you are after something fairly retro minded with springy ride feel and relaxed geometry, I'd be inclined to look around for a good 531 (etc) frame and do it up a bit, rather than pay a lot more to have one made. On the other hand, modern tubesets build up into something much stiffer and (usually) lighter - some of the latest steels can give you a sub-kilo frame, even.0
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If you are going for steel for your only/best bike forget the retro, lugged, narrow-tubed stuff and get a modern steel frame that can compete with carbon.
But will probably cost you 3 times as much as "eqivalent" carbon , whereas the retro style steel frames are cheaper? :roll:0 -
If you are going for steel for your only/best bike forget the retro, lugged, narrow-tubed stuff and get a modern steel frame that can compete with carbon.
Utter nonsense.0 -
Bought this a few weeks ago from a jumble sale for 25 euros. Rode it up my local hill, which is 1100 vertical meters at 9% in 1h13. I can only go 11 minutes better on my carbon bike, on a good day.
BASI Nordic Ski Instructor
Instagramme0 -
Try riding some. I have 5 carbon and 2 steel bikes, and they all have different riding characteristics. The Zullo in particular, which is pretty floppy, makes a fantastically relaxed distance bike and commuter; it's still adequately quick, but combined with 25c tubs and fairly low pressures just soaks up everything London's dreadful roads throw at it. My carbon R5Ca is also very comfortable, but has quite a different subjective feel, being much stiffer laterally while remaining vertically compliant. It's a thing of beauty and obviously the choice for fast distance riding, but if I'm trolling about in no particular hurry, I'll take steel.Get a C40. Traditional geometry with all the benefits of carbon. Mine is 15 years +. In fact, it might be older than that. I have no idea.
I do not understand this steel fetish. The only thing I can ascertain is that riders over 80 kg's moan about cf frames, there might be a link. I have a friend who is 6'4" and for years rode Geoff Roberts steel frames. The only cf frame he gets on with is a Giant.0 -
I'm in the process of converting this lovely 80s frame, Columbus SLX, which was top of the range steel at the time, with a modern Campagnolo veloce silver groupset and hand built wheels. The frame is probably a kg heavier than a modern carbon one, and it may not be quite so stiff around the bottom bracket, but it will be a joy to ride. I took my vintage Colnago out for a spin this afternoon, it is a little slower than my "modern" bike (which is 9 years old), but the number smiles and waves I got from other riders more than makes up for that. It's a great feeling overtaking someone who is on an über expensive carbon machine when you are riding some vintage Italian steel.
If you go the retro route, don't get one that has the most authentic groupset, or best paint job, but get one that fits you. You can upgrade and repaint, but you can't change the geometry.
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Bought this a few weeks ago from a jumble sale for 25 euros. Rode it up my local hill, which is 1100 vertical meters at 9% in 1h13. I can only go 11 minutes better on my carbon bike, on a good day.
Just 11 minutes!? That's a heck of a difference.
@964cup. Don't worry, I rode steel for 20 years plus.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Utterly pointless comment.If you are going for steel for your only/best bike forget the retro, lugged, narrow-tubed stuff and get a modern steel frame that can compete with carbon.
Utter nonsense.0 -
Utterly pointless comment.
Pointless and un-educated.0 -
Bought this a few weeks ago from a jumble sale for 25 euros. Rode it up my local hill, which is 1100 vertical meters at 9% in 1h13. I can only go 11 minutes better on my carbon bike, on a good day.
Just 11 minutes!? That's a heck of a difference.
@964cup. Don't worry, I rode steel for 20 years plus.
Dont forget a few things beyond material. Down tube shifters. Less gears. Desire to break time records...0 -
Downtube shifters, less gears and desire to break time records? I didn't know this thread was about Stuart Dangerfield...
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