Show me your steel disk road bikes.

30th in June and I’ve convinced myself I want a new road bike. I don’t want to get another name brand bike, I want that keep forever bike. Arthur Caygill cycles isn’t far from me so I’ve convinced myself I want a steel road bike.

Currently running a 2016 giant defy that I picked up frame only and spec’d up based on recommendations on a forum thread.

Probably get a frame and then pick up parts as an when I see bargains or things get back to normal.

Show me yours and convince me it’s a good idea.

Cheers.

Can’t post pics here but I had a wonderful 18 months with a Condor Fratello Disc, in their custom Ferrari Red. Admittedly it’s the practical, mile munching end of the spectrum, but it was lovely.

Didn’t react well to a pedestrian stepping out in front of it at 20mph, sadly.

I’ve ordered a Fairlight Secan gravel bike. The road looks lovely too.

https://fairlightcycles.com/product/deposit/?v=79cba1185463

Technically a gravel bike, but I’m getting some areo road wheels built for it at the moment, and it does my road duties soooo…..

There is a similar road version (although sold out).Link

Have a look on English Cycles website

2015 Genesis Croix de Fer

2014(?) Genesis DayOne with Surly fork.

For a steel framed bike running 35mm tyres and a 44/17 ratio its a hoot!

Find a frame builder you like.
Ask about build time.
Tell them what you really want to use the bike for.
Talk through what tubes and Geo that THEY think will work for you.
Talk about the equipment you want to use.
Talk about any extra fixing points you might want and any cable routing.
Talk about paint.
Get measured up.
Don’t worry about the weight, you don’t notice it on a bike that fits.
Then enjoy thinking about it every day till it’s ready.
Still one of thee best things I have ever done and 4 years on is still my go to bike.

A riding buddy of mine had Brian Rourke’s build him a custom 953 frame. It is a thing of beauty, rides very well and gets oohs and aahs at the mid ride cafes.

Find a frame builder you like.
Ask about build time.
Tell them what you really want to use the bike for.
Talk through what tubes and Geo that THEY think will work for you.
Talk about the equipment you want to use.
Talk about any extra fixing points you might want and any cable routing.
Talk about paint.
Get measured up.
Don’t worry about the weight, you don’t notice it on a bike that fits.
Then enjoy thinking about it every day till it’s ready.
Still one of thee best things I have ever done and 4 years on is still my go to bike.

This is what I did. Pretty much to the letter. Mine is a light gravel bike really I suppose, but being custom, it’s more just “my drop bar bike” and it gets ridden a lot on the road. It replaced a Genesis Day One. I didn’t get what I wanted from a steel bike from the Genesis, although I can’t say how much of that is frame vs wheels, fork etc. because the Day One is a much cheaper build. Anyway the custom bike is night and day different. Mine is singlespeed, 42mm tyres. Thinking about a more roadie wheelset but I think the difference will be fairly small from the nice enough lighter gravel capable ones I’ve already got.

I’ve fallen head over heels in lust with these since my gaze fell upon them

https://www.quirkcycles.com/mamtor

That Quirk Mamtor looks very nice but £3.5K for a steel frame with a off the shelf carbon fork??

Especially when Quirk was selling the predecessor for c£1700 a couple of years back! The extras soon piled on more cash though.

I have a real soft spot for the stuff coming out of Field Cycles, and having seen a couple up close and personal, I think I’ll be treating myself to something from them just as soon as I can, but it’ll probably be a rim brake frame for high days and holidays!

I must admit that I’m very much taken by the Mason Revolution Ekar as a 50th birthday present to myself next year…
https://masoncycles.cc/products/resolution-ekar

I must admit that I’m very much taken by the Mason Revolution Ekar as a 50th birthday present to myself next year…
https://masoncycles.cc/products/resolution-ekar

I just came here to mention the Mason Resolution. No off the shelf carbon forks there! Not custom of course, but the team at Mason are great to deal with.

Finished

Ah balls, mostly worked. Shand Rizello Disc with custom geo and some bits and pieces

That Quirk Mamtor looks very nice but £3.5K for a steel frame with a off the shelf carbon fork??

You could get a very nice complete build from Rourke with that budget.

Reynolds 631.
Nice but hefty.

I ride with two people with Field bikes, and they are works of art.

Personally I don’t think I could deal with the extra weight of a steel frame though. I would always wish I was on something lighter. If I was spending that much money on a bike, I would want it to be a rocket.

Can’t post a picture because it never works for me and also I don’t own either but The Light Blue Darwin is a nice looked. Also the Spa Elan in a classic skinny steel tube kind of way. Rumour has it they will have a copper colour and a pearlescent violet.

Personally I don’t think I could deal with the extra weight of a steel frame though. I would always wish I was on something lighter. If I was spending that much money on a bike, I would want it to be a rocket.

Depends how its designed and built. There are fast steel bikes out there. A pound or two of weight is a few less treats at the cafe stop over a year.

I’ve had steel bikes designed for comfort rather than speed though, as I prefer distance over performance.

Ref weight; I replaced a very light Storck Scenario CD0.9 (the 0.9 being the frame weight in kg), with a heavier Rourke 953 frame. I set sporting course TT pbs on the Rourke and it is definitely easier to ride faster for longer than the stiffer, lighter Storck. Neither bike was/is disc brake equipped. Groupset, wheels all the same.

Fairlight Strael 2.0 in white here. Easily the best bike I’ve owned. Yes there’s a slight weight penalty against a carbon frame but you get so much more to make up for that.

In my experience, I found two things with disc-equipped steel road bikes: first, always get a carbon fork with thru-axle as it’s very disconcerting watching a QR steel fork twist under braking from 40+mph going down big mountains. Secondly, my titanium Enigma frame was lighter, more responsive, more comfortable and just more enjoyable than an 853 frame.
That said, the Fairlight range looks great.

As fantombiker says the Fairlight strael would be my pick. I have a Faran which is much more utilitarian and o bloody love it. Do genesis do that lovely 953 steel thing they had?

No love for Ritchey Logic disc?

Bike for life?

Bike for life?

I’m not advocating a Fargo as a road bike, but taking my time getting it all just how I want it is very satisfying. Have fun with whatever you choose. Must sort that mudguard bolt tomorrow, or since it’s lasted months, maybe I should swap more bolts for zip ties and save some weight.

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No love for Ritchey Logic disc?

Yes, lots! It’s probably the best drop bar bike I’ve ridden.

I’ve had an old rim brake Logic for about 6 years now, wanted something similar but with discs that could take bigger tyres. Fairlight Secan looked to be exactly what I was after, while it was very good I found the front end a little stiff compared to my Ritchey (even with 38mm tyres @ 40psi vs 25s on the Ritchey!) that front end stiffness just bugged me too much so at end of last year decided to swap it for a Logic disc.

It rides how I wanted the Fairlight to, incredibly smooth, like my old rim brake one but better due to the extra comfort & grip from bigger tyres.

Yes, lots! It’s probably the best drop bar bike I’ve ridden.

I’ve had an old rim brake Logic for about 6 years now, wanted something similar but with discs that could take bigger tyres. Fairlight Secan looked to be exactly what I was after, while it was very good I found the front end a little stiff compared to my Ritchey (even with 38mm tyres @ 40psi vs 25s on the Ritchey!) that front end stiffness just bugged me too much so at end of last year decided to swap it for a Logic disc.

It rides how I wanted the Fairlight to, incredibly smooth, like my old rim brake one but better due to the extra comfort & grip from bigger tyres.

I had been looking at the Logic Disk before I put this thread up. Can’t find too many reviews on it apart from a few cycling tips articles that don’t really go into much detail.

What size did you go for and how tall are you?

What spec did you go with and most of all any pictures?

A mate of mine has an All City Cosmic Stallion, which is a very nice bike – but a gravel bike.

All City do the Zig Zag which also looks pretty nice.

Another Fairlight Secan owner here. Arrived a couple of weeks ago and am smitten. Only used it with burly tires thus far but going to give it a run out on 32mm GP5000s at the weekend to see how it goes.

The biggest bonus for me was the availability of a taller frame size. It looks a tad gawky as it’s a big bike anyway in a 58, but the comfort is unbelievable. I broke my spine a few years back in a cyclist v car and honestly never thought I’d feel comfortable sat on a bike again.

I’m about 5’10 with 32″ inside leg, went for a 53 but I prefer not too much reach, I had a bikefit on my old Ritchey (55) and they said I might have been better going down a size.

Mostly Ultegra build with purple Hope calipers on black frame, sorry not got any pics at the moment I’ll try to sort something.

Yeah the fit of Fairlight is better, Ritcheys are a bit long and low. Paint is wafer thin and chips easily, tempted to Invisiframe it.

Main issue might be getting one, I got mine from bike-components.de pre-brexit, asked the LBS about getting it but Upgrade weren’t importing them.

Picture for you…

Still dreaming up a Rourke build, sort of a fast gravel build or road all-rounder.

Have seen someone advertising this on FB though…

Suspect is over-priced even at second hand price but I keep coming back to it, is the right size for me and everything…

I’ve always hankered after a Speedvagen

If you get into some of their custom options, there’s some really nice individual touches

Is Condor too big a name?

I nabbed a bargain (very lightly) used Condor Super Acciaio and it’s a wonder to ride. A little pointier than I am used to but smooth without being muted like a carbon bike.

If I was going full custom I would have gone slightly slacker on head angle to retain wheelbase and allow for a 110mm stem – that’s what you pay for I guess.

That said some of their endurance bikes are so close to the custom spec I’d like I probably could go off the shelf and be really happy.

Fairlight Faran in full-on Jan Heine mode!