hi just looking to see what the feel is of a steel full suss compared to carbon , ridden loads of carbon full suss but never steel ,
I bet you won't be able to tell the difference.
Never tried a carbon one. Own a steel one and it’s great.
the type of bike will decide how it rides.
in my limited experience steel seems to track the ground more = more grip but less efficient.
You can build the feel you want into carbon so you can get what you want out of it, supple, stiff, bit of both.
Given the limited number of steel FS bikes out there probably best see if there is one that fits what you want before worrying about how it feels
in my limited experience steel seems to track the ground more
Why that's just silly now.
Do all the carbon ones you've ridden feel the same ?
Why that’s just silly now.
It's up there with short people can't ride 29r or
in my limited experience steel seems to track the ground more = more grip but less efficient.
Oh god.
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/steel-full-suspension-bikes/
Not again, please! 😀
I suspect a steel full sus feels like a carbon one except a couple of pounds heavier.
Is this about breathing with the trail?
I've got a steel one. A Cotic Rocket Pacifically. It's 37% better than the equivalent carbon one. Fact.
Is this about breathing with the trail?
It can be if you want. After all, carbon is organic so stands to reason that it would Breathing With the Trail to the max.
Carbon manufacturing in Asia is a mess for the nature and the workers.
Quality control of Carbon stuff is difficult and expensive (means many companies don't invest in that...).
Technically, good carbon design: of course much better than steel. Stiffness, weight, feel ...
Personally: don't have the money for Carbon. All my bikes are good old aluminium bikes...
Is this about breathing with the trail?
Only if the bike is 650B, thus bringing the trail alive, so they can breathe in sync
You'll fit in better round here with a Steel one, as striaght away you'll be more gnar and niche
Carbon manufacturing in Asia is a mess for the nature and the workers.
Personally: don’t have the money for Carbon. All my bikes are good old aluminium bikes…
You're seriously worried about carbon production yet happily ride Aluminium, massive scars on the landscape anyone?
Carbon manufacturing in Asia is a mess for the nature and the workers.
Don't believe the hype. While they're not all the same, you could eat your lunch off the floor or work surfaces of the vital areas of a few carbon producers I've been to. Steel and Al frame factories tend to be hot, grimy, industrial places. I love them, they smell of metal.
All of it fks nature to some extent though. Al and Ti also. If you really do worry about that, just stop buying new stuff every 5 mins. Steel is good for that, durable material.
Oh, on tracking the ground - unless very sturdily built (and weighty) steel frames more likely to or more commonly have higher levels of lateral twist along length of frame than Al or carbon. There are pros and cons of that. One pro can be when the bike is leaned over in a corner, perceptions of the twist or flex allowing a bike to give a bit rather than be knocked off line. Some see the same trait as a lack of accurracy.
One pro can be when the bike is leaned over in a corner, perceptions of the twist or flex allowing a bike to give a bit rather than be knocked off line. Some see the same trait as a lack of accurracy.
Others see it as marketing bollocks invented by bike manufacturers to impress gullible victims.
Others see it as marketing bollocks invented by bike manufacturers to impress gullible victims.
You may see it that way, maybe if you don't ride bikes at either end of the stiffness scale, or don't ride hard enough / are very light, or simply don't spot this (some just ride and don't, fair enough - doesn't mean it's not happening). Or you're misunderstanding what I mean by lateral flex / twist. It's not the same as the 'vertical compliance' thing although many do feel that twist and express it as rear end vertical compliance, that's largely how steel HT bikes have that rep despite having only a tiny amount of give there.
I can show you how different frames flex/twist in this area at a stand-still in a workshop, it's easy. No frame is totally rigid in that plane and many frames are suprisingly flexible yet still ride really well.
you’re misunderstanding what I mean by lateral flex / twist.
The correct term for it is "Breathing With the Trail".
Here come the problem kids.
I've got a full steel dh bike. It weighs about 50lbs. Make of that what you will. It charges down though without flex. I think it will last forever.
Serial bike swapper here. I currently own, or have owned Alu, Steel, Carbon and Titanium framed bikes, and have replaced Alu bikes with the same in carbon. Bottom line is that the engineers can design in such a range of attributes, that one can’t really say “frames of this material ride like....’
For example, my pal owned a very nice carbon Yeti, that I had a couple of shorts rides on, and it had a lovely supple feel to it - more supple than my steel framed full sus with same suspension and travel. I used to have a couple of the first generation of carbon frames from Santa Cruz, and found they had a more light and supple feel to the latest generation SC carbon frames.
Earlier this year I swapped from a 1st generation Cotic FlareMAX to 1st gen RocketMAX; there are some fairly minor differences in geometry between the two frames, but the RMax uses heavier gauge downtube and more ovalised seatstays than the FMax. To me, the difference in feel between the two frames is quite noticeable - the FMax felt almost identical to my pals Yeti, soft and supple when leant over on rough corners, but a little bit sapping feeling on smooth steady climbs. The RMax feels a fair bit stiffer and more efficient, but difficult to tell the difference between it and say, a latest generation Specialized carbon frame for suppleness.
Personally, I prefer steel as I’m not worried so much about rock strikes, scratches and careless baggage handlers/chairlift operators.
I think you need some demos😉
one can’t really say “frames of this material ride like….’
This has nothing to do with riding bikes, it's all about Breathing With the Trails, which apparently requires a steel frame.
"Less Chatter, More Flow"
I prefer steel for the simple and rather shallow reason that, to me, it just looks nicer. Something about the skinny tubes that I love. Also the noise the tubes make when you flick them. Sad but true.
Also the noise the tubes make when you flick them.
This is exactly why I love aluminium bikes, the beautiful sound the tubes make when stones ricochet off them on fast descents. You just don't seem to get that so much with steel bikes, maybe the skinny tubes don't catch as many stones, but I think fat aluminium tubes just sound more musical than skinny steel one. Might be different if you just buy a bike to sit around outside a coffee shop flicking your tubes instead of riding the bike.
Might be different if you just buy a bike to sit around outside a coffee shop flicking your tubes instead of riding the bike.
If you’re posting on here don’t even try and pretend that you actually ride your bike. I use mine for busking, flicking the tubes to play the latest pop hits.
I use mine for busking, flicking the tubes to play the latest pop hits.
Ok, fair cop. I don't actually own a bike, I just don't have any friends and people on this forum seem nice so I just pose as a hard core MTBer so I have someone to talk to instead of watching porn online.