With the same outer diameter, the different grades of steel make a difference to the weight of a frame, but not the flexibility, and thus not how it handles.

Really? I always thought the grade of steel made a difference and am pretty certain my Soul rode better than my BFe and my Slackline feels better than the Switchback I tried…

When both the BFe and Soul used 3 853 front tubes, they felt quite different because… shock horror… they used different tube profiles, wall thicknesses and butting. Ride bikes to see how they ride… don’t just read the tubing badge.

Anyway… are we at the point where the new “uk” named Stanton hardtails are made in Taiwan, and finished here… or are they made here? I still don’t know where “plans to build hardtails in the UK”, and “hardtails you can buy now with UK in the name” crossover, or don’t.

tube profile makes a difference, but (from what I know) tube thickness and butting makes no difference at all – it affects the overall weight and strength of the tube, but not its resistance to flexing.

Digging out a “tubing rigidity for dummies” type link…

http://konstantin.shemyak.com/wiki/images/b/bb/Crispin_Mount_Miller_Tubing_Rigidity.pdf

£799 for a steel frame is bonkers

It really isn’t, or it may be. Depends.

With the same outer diameter, the different grades of steel make a difference to the weight of a frame, but not the flexibility,

Same tube dimensions = same stiffness, only the strength varies as the alloy changes (assuming by grade you mean alloy eg 853 vs 4130 etc. If by grade you mean butting, that does affect flexibility as well as weight).

Anyway. I’d rather have a well designed 4130 frame than an 853 (etc) frame that uses duff tube dimensions for the use I’d give it. Basic Cr-Mo in the right dimensions is brilliant stuff for a bike frame.

The outer tubing of all different steels maybe the same, but with higher quality steel the thickness can be highly reduced. For example, the top tube on my Sherpa which is Reynolds 853 steel is only half a mm thick, but is 1.5mm thick at the head tube. could not do this with cr-mo 4130 which is more of a basic steel.

Despite being one year off my 30 year MTB anniversary I don’t think I could tell the difference in ride qualities between steel, alu or carbon let alone different types of steel.  However, my Slackline (in red) looks the nuts in a way that only a skinny steel frame can to someone who also saved up his pennies to buy a ’93 Kilauea.  It’s the same feeling that was skirted around in the steel FS bikes thread, they just look cool and no amount of engineering know how or deflection discussion can change the fact that a lot of carbon FS bikes are starting to look like a H R Giger fever dream.

In my humble opinion of course.

I got a lifetime warranty email today.

nice touch to apply it retrospectively to all 2nd gen frames.

Anyway… are we at the point where the new “uk” named Stanton hardtails are made in Taiwan, and finished here… or are they made here? I still don’t know where “plans to build hardtails in the UK”, and “hardtails you can buy now with UK in the name” crossover, or don’t.

I’m waiting for a Stanton Ti frame and have been in touch with them on and off over the last few months. As I understand it, they are transferring all production of the existing range, both steel and Ti, to the UK. This shift is what’s holding up my frame, which is still a couple of months off

I wonder if moving production to UK will allow them to do smaller runs of more niche bikes due to not having minimum orders. I would have one of those 29+ Sherpa they prototyped a few years ago.

This does seem pricey compared to others. But people will probably pay the badge tax.

Really? It’s the same price as a Morf or a Trailstar which are both 4130. It’s not On One pricing but it’s comparable to other frames.

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Geeky fact, that only applies to small changes, so add 20% to wall thickness and stiffness goes up 20%. But if you go so far that the hole begins to be significantly closed up then stiffness drops and it acts more like a bar.

Most grades of steel have comparable stiffness so a thinner 853 tube is less stiff than a thicker walled 4130 tube.

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