now i've frames made of both materials; a Sanderson Breath (cro-mo) and a DB Alpine (853). i know that they are essentially very different bikes.

But. is 853 such an improvememtn upon cheapo cro-mo? the Sanderson has a much livelier feel to it. more spring. the seatstays are more oval shaped and have more of a pronouncedcurvature to them.

the Alpine is obviously a burlier bike so not a brilliant comparison, but its ride is harsher and although it is a brilliant frame i tend to feel more beat up than i do on the Sanderson.

is the Sanderson Life worth the extra mulaah over the Breath (shit name)? do the 853 tubes really make that much difference over the Cro-Mo, or is it just hype?

I've currently got a cheap steel frame (Inbred) and a more expensive one (Soul) that's 853. In use I do prefer the Soul and it's also a fair bit lighter, however whether it's worth the £300 difference in new cost is a much more difficult question.

At £125 the Inbreds are stupidly cheap at the moment though. Other decent non-853 frames will be more expensive so easier to justify the difference.

this interests me as well.how do you find your sanderson.i was interested in the life frame.

I think it's more to do with strength post weld and weight saving, than ride. Although a thinner walled tube should exhibit more spring.

BTW I feel more beat up after riding my Alpine than my Cotic Soul and they are both 853.

Neither are 853 on the stays BTW, only the main tubes

@ Vortex. re. the stays, that is what i thought too….

the Sanderson Breath rides great. geometry i believe is similar to a Soul. a very capable bike for not a lot of ££'s (think mine was around £210). i used mine for a year in the Alps and it didn't flinch. only shied away from the really silly stuff. TT (23") is relatively long compared to the Alpine (21") making it a comfier all-day option. that isn't to say that i don't ride the Alpine for big days; i do.

as i said earlier, i don't know if the extra ££ for the Life is worth it over the cost of the Breath as it is already a great bike. according to the Sanderson website the 18" Life (4.6lb) is 0.2lb lighter than the Breath (4.8lb). i shit that in a morning.

whether the ride quality justifies it i don't know and is what i'd like to find out….

thanks alpin.i have only recently heard of sanderson,whilst i was looking at red planet bikes website,and they were advertising a sanderson life frame on their home page for £399.i thought that was quite reasonable for an 853 frame.the breath sounds great too.

you can't go wrong with the sanderson
i've had my 'life' for nearly two years now. it's by far the best bike i've ever had