[Closed] Why do people like steel bikes?

Old steel frames rust out ? nope I have a 1947 Hobbs in 531 and My mum has her 1953 F C Parkes still going strong

Stadium Platinum for me. Was the first road bike I owned - restored garage find which looked like a pile of rust but is now my commuter of choice and quite often the one I choose when I just fancy a leisurely ride around the local lanes. Never been able to find out anything about them but who cares!!!

Whoops double post - finger trouble tonight

Aesthetics: I just love the look of narrow and (mostly) straight-tubed bikes.

Ride quality: I went from a notoriously stiff Genesis Core to a 456 evo 2 and the difference was noticeable, no matter what the naysayers think. If you get up to a decent speed on chattery stuff especially, the difference between the series of wooden thwacks on the core versus some 'zing' on the 456 is marked.

Look right, ride great. Can be repaired with a large adjustable spanner. What's not to like.

Oh good thread.... and after a long long time away from steel i'm now embracing it again in the form of a singlespeed 🙂 still have my carbon beauty but boy forgot how good steel can be!!

back then...
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and now 🙂
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I like mine. Being 'big boned' I can make it sproing and booooooooiiiiiiiing a bit. It is a nice blue colour. It fits well. It is not as heavy as folk think. It was cheap in a sale, because of a scratched dropout. As said before on this thread, nice stays. 😉
[url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7253/7021531949_16a3b1b965_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7253/7021531949_16a3b1b965_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/bGtbPF ]Where did the singletrack go?[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr

'Steel frames rust out'

Whatever.
Here's 'Trusty Rusty' (which isn't actually rusty) Handbuilt, fillet brazed by Kevin Winter in 1990. Tange Prestige.

[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2812/9102409582_b04295bcc6_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2812/9102409582_b04295bcc6_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/eSmeff ]Mk 8[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmygrainger/ ]jimmyg352[/url], on Flickr

I will never ever part with it. Ever.

I have always said I would put any top end metal frame (Steel, Ali, Ti) against any cheap carbon frame and they beat the cheap carbon frame any day of the week.

And to back that up I got below in the workshop.
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And my young apprentice mumble on the way for test ride "going to ride this bike that's old than me!

5 mins later, "wow, that really nice bike, rides very well and great handling, better than that Spez Roubaix that I road earlier!"

That did make me smile! 😆

My Sanderson Breath got nicked last summer when my garage was done over,I was far more upset about losing it than I was my flashy FS. I replaced it with a Voodoo Bizango which is a great bike but I could instantly feel the difference in the back end, far harsher. The Voodoo has been on a constant upgrade cycle for the past 10 months to the degree I could rebuild it too its former Halfords glory, flog it for £300 and use the cash to get a nice new steel frame to hang the upgraded bits off. The 29" town crier would be the obvious option but I'm also tempted by a Genesis High Latitude or push the boat out on a Stanton Sherpa. My other bike is a Kona Process 153 and I love the long TT which I think probably favors the Stanton.
Hmmm decisions...

I have always said I would put any top end metal frame (Steel, Ali, Ti) against any cheap carbon frame and they beat the cheap carbon frame any day of the week.

Dunno why anybody would have one,they are fugly
[IMG] [/IMG]

Just let me check...Yup; gooping
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Here is another to keep the kids from the fire.
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And they even use the outdated material to make road bikes!
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And gingers!
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After a solid year on the road bike i've started riding my Orange R8 again, with some rufty Pananracer Rampage SC's on... here @ Cringle Plantation, the isle of Man's current must ride place full of Enduro-ness. Unlike me.

My TDF 853 Ribble - very stiff

[url=[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5528/13824457595_898e676ce3_h.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5528/13824457595_898e676ce3_h.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/n4BXBa ]Ribble[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/68424083@N07/ ]adshools[/url], on Flickr][/url]

The XC9

[url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7354/15905475843_df6adae083_h.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7354/15905475843_df6adae083_h.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qevHQ8 ]20150214_090005[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/68424083@N07/ ]adshools[/url], on Flickr

Neither are light, neither are porky, both ride well.

Why do I like steel?

Because I can make whatever I want.
And repair if the need ever arises.
Or replace a tube.
Modify whenever I like.
Reuse or rework bits when they are ready for scrap (dropouts, cable stops etc).
And when finally at end of life they can be fully recycled into some other high grade steel product (not carbon landfill fodder).

Did someone mention skinny stays? These are 1/2" diameter on my son's bike. To demonstrate the recycling point, the matching curved seatstay brace was rescued from an old Diamond Back skip find.

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29er with 410mm chainstays - no problemo
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How would sir like his dropouts today?
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And not sure what or why, but just because I can 🙂
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Nice work Mick_r. 🙂

I broke one once.

It was welded for free by a man with some welding gear, that day.

Pretty compelling reason right there 🙂

Why are there no rat look steel bikes?

There are a few rat look steel bikes. Julie Racing Design did a nice 29er (picture below if someone has time to faff with the link) http://julieracingdesig.canalblog.com/albums/singlespeed_29__disc/photos/28137396-jrd_mix.html

And apologies to the OP that this seems to have digressed in an interesting way but isn't really answering his question about which bike to buy 🙂

Quirrel - Member
Why are there no rat look steel bikes?...

All of them have that feature. You just have to ride them for 10 years or so for it to come out... 🙂

Gone the other way.

I have an Inbred 29er and a Gary fisher 29er in alu the GF is a far nicer ride imo than the Inbred although both are almost identical angles and built from the same parts. Steel needs to be skinny and often the weight just kills the feel for me.

Had a Thorn Sherpa amazing bike felt like the magic carpet ride steel is meant to be but it was a £500 frame so you would expect it to be special I think good steel costs, in my experience any way.

To be fair though, the Inbred is a cheap frame and is heavy. Better steel frames have more 'feel' to them.

I currently have a Salsa El Mariachi and a Stooge - both are comfortable for miles and miles, and I've just gone for a Ti Stooge as well which has a weight benefit over the steel but a very similar feel.

So can you feel the steel apeal through 2.5 inches of soft low inflated tire ?

On a road bike i think its appreciable but on a mtb with fat tires I have my doubts.

I like the feel of steel hardtails and have owned quite a few over the years, they're not all great though, much is down to design and geometry to make the most of the benefits of skinny steel tubes.

wicki - Member

So can you feel the steel apeal through 2.5 inches of soft low inflated tire ?

On a road bike i think its appreciable but on a mtb with fat tires I have my doubts.

doubt away.

Why do people like steel bikes?

IGMC.

For mick_r

[img] [/img]

almost a Brit Chopper bike, if you're the same mick_r...

853 inbred frame here and it is both lighter and nicer to ride than the 520 ioID it replaced. I am still looking for a 20" tinbred, or another 853 inbred.

The right material for the right job.

A chain is still steel.

A cassette is still steel.

A pedal axle is still steel.

There’s still steel in the most carbonized bicycle.

There’s new steels that are being developed and [they’re] playing with

Steel is what nails are made out of,

what barbed wire fences are made out of,

it’s train tracks.

It’s the industry,

it’s the most honest material.

Steel is a material that has got a personality.

Steel is the only material you can have with it’s inner core soft and the outer layer case hardened.

Tough.

There’s no other material like it.

The things you can do and the alloying, the joining, the forming, the refabricating, the changing of it.

There’s nothing like it.

There’s nothing that’s going to replace it.

That’s why I’m commited to steel.

Tom Ritchey.

Because the tubing choice for a small builder is excellent, whereas for titanium, or alluminium alloy it's pretty poor.

it's easy to modify, repair, and lasts.

material strength means you can (but don't have to) use small dia tubes.
This means that you can fit people really well, because tubing diameter is part of bike fitting.

This is the one that first made me take notice:

[img] [/img]

I was new to riding at the time and it was all big hydroformed tubes. This just looked so clean.

You couldn't have picked an uglier picture of a Soul to demonstrate your point though.

You couldn't have picked an uglier picture of a Soul to demonstrate your point though.

Au contraire.

I know that it isn't a great pic. It illustrates my point better if anything. This was the era when gopping bikes like this were in vogue.

[img] [/img]

Proof that steel is easily adaptable for small frame builders.

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Why steel?

Because an independent frame builder can build a bike to suit your 'larger than average' proportions 🙂

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To add some balance to the 80s tech love-in.....

I can't stand steel frames, they're pretty much pointless, given the On One 456C frames are £400. All this stuff about flex and absorbing trail buzz is rubbish, the ultra stiff 456C is far more comfortable and suffers far less from buzz than the best steel frames. And all these frames have far better damping in the tyres.

The 456C is stronger and lighter too.

I can't see a single good reason to buy a steel frame, other than the proper cheap ones if that's all the cash you've got.

To add some balance to the 80s tech love-in.....

I can't stand steel frames, they're pretty much pointless, given the On One 456C frames are £400. All this stuff about flex and absorbing trail buzz is rubbish, the ultra stiff 456C is far more comfortable and suffers far less from buzz than the best steel frames. And all these frames have far better damping in the tyres.

The 456C is stronger and lighter too.

I can't see a single good reason to buy a steel frame, other than the proper cheap ones if that's all the cash you've got.

Ah, a challenge. You will see the light some day. You just will. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

I can't stand steel frames

Pah.... I bet you don't even have a beard 😉

nedrapier, whats the green bike? bloody lovely.

And all these frames have far better damping in the tyres.

Oh dear! FAIL!

the ultra stiff 456C is far more comfortable and suffers far less from buzz than the best steel frames.

Over rough stuff they felt the same and the 456 had greater travel.

cynic-al - Member

And all these frames have far better damping in the tyres.

Oh dear! FAIL!

I've a bike.

It's brilliant 😛

It has a steel frame

The second and third paragraphs may or may not be in the correct order.

I've got nothing but steel bikes too.

My third bike ever was a GT Zaskar Team, I rode it a lot and liked it very much, but it took 5 or 6 builds and about 8 years for me to realise that it's just a crappy ride.

I'll maybe get an aluminium framed full suspension bike next year, but for now I'll stick with steel hardtails and rigid bikes.

Put simply.

Steel frame equivalent:

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Carbon frame equivalent:

[img] [/img]

The latter is technically more advanced, faster, stiffer and optimized to within an inch of its life.

The former is better.

Dissect this argument until the cows come home if you like. I am right.

Yay! Good analogy dannyh 😀

I'm with you on that one and that the Funk La Ruta is a wonderful bike. Which is Ti 8)

Thread winning post. ?

Dissect this argument until the cows come home if you like. I am right.

He is too, you know!