worth £200 extra for a steel frame?

john_ wrote:

...I am considering an orange p7 but it seems that you are paying a premium for the steel frame (and slightly longer travel forks)
but a similarly speced specialised rockhopper dick can be picked up for around £600, £200 less than the p7.

I would say it's worth it if you've got the cash - it's actually welded in Halifax for one thing. It has good mud clearance so you can fit a bigger choice of tyres - I reckon tyres are probably the most important bit. Also, steel feels ace to ride if the bike's a hardtail. I've got a Switchback and its still nice to ride even after serious abuse. It's dented but keeps going. Alluminium bikes or really lightweight steel ones tend to die from dents much more easily. The P7 has a good chance of lasting alot of years.

Alluminium is used in hardtails mostly because it's cheaper to produce - that's not saying they're bad bikes, but that's the main reason. But ...it's good for full sus

You might not get a G3, orange have run out - if you want one snap it up quick if a shop has any left - really good for the money, we went for them as rental bikes - couldn't stretch to P7's, shame.

Note on exotic steel bikes - I had a posh hand built reynolds frame from Dave Yates once - a mixture of 531 & 753. It snapped one day when I grabbed the front brake hard. They fixed it for cost price but wouldn't admit it was their fault - interestingly he said the shop shouldn't have sold it to me coz I wasn't light enough! I weighed about 13.5 stone.
So some steel should not be used for mountain bikes I think.

www.chasingtrails.com

P7 is made in the far east! Not that it makes any difference where they are made nowadays, as the far east has some of the worlds leading facilities and equipment.

"Note on exotic steel bikes - I had a posh hand built reynolds frame from Dave Yates once - a mixture of 531 & 753. It snapped one day when I grabbed the front brake hard. They fixed it for cost price but wouldn't admit it was their fault - interestingly he said the shop shouldn't have sold it to me coz I wasn't light enough! I weighed about 13.5 stone.
So some steel should not be used for mountain bikes I think."

Some guages of steel maybe - a lot depends how it is built. Remember 853 steel has 80% higher tensile strength than standard cromo which is why it builds into lighter or stronger frames when done right. 531 is standard cold drawn chromoly, 725 heat treated which adds more strength, while 753 cannot be welded, only suitable for brazing and is rarely seen (requires certified builders to use).


Upshot is that if you have two identically built bikes (dimensions), the 853 or 725 will be stronger than standard cromo

Nope, but it's a bargain here

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/14926/Charge_Duster_Mid_Bike_2008

You could ask them to price match too, and avoid Whinstanley's.

Should, there is a thread somewhere on here with pages of people criticising awful service from them.

Personally i would go for the Rockhopper Disc, mainly for the frame, my wife has one and it's faultless, i'm actually trying to find one so i can switch as many of my Boardman components as can onto it, i was told it was once used on the Stumpjumper range at one point, dunno if it's true though, either way i want one.

10 years+

i bought a p7 - dont think i'll ever regret it - plus it'll be going up and down hills alot longer than most ally frames