dan_bo
How much does it cost to Oldham?
Steel is real, As is rust and a shorter fatigue life.
Is steel real
- Thread starter Solecyclist
- Start date
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My interest is audax, so long distance riding, with limited recovery time. I have a tarmac carbon bike and moved from 23mm to 25mm tyres, which was the best I could do. On a multi-day ride in 2017 I got nerve damage to my fingers and toes which took 4-5 months to resolve.
I've now bought a Genesis Equilibrium disc with 28mm tyres. They are very different. The Genesis feels as though it has less vibration, not just because of the wider tyres. It is well-planted, less twitchy, possibly because of less aggressive geometry. It feels good on the flat, with a flat portion on the bars, which helps hand position and comfort. It descends well and feels very stable. I've fitted guards as a permanent fixture.
The tarmac definitely climbs better though, and feels more exciting to ride.
It helps to remember that major purchases are always a compromise. For cars for instance you need to weigh up performance, room, cost, number of seats etc. You weigh them all up and get the best fit. Bikes are no different. Most of us wont get everything we want, and need to choose our compromises to suit our pocket and intended usage.
So you pay your money and make your choice as the saying goes.
I've now bought a Genesis Equilibrium disc with 28mm tyres. They are very different. The Genesis feels as though it has less vibration, not just because of the wider tyres. It is well-planted, less twitchy, possibly because of less aggressive geometry. It feels good on the flat, with a flat portion on the bars, which helps hand position and comfort. It descends well and feels very stable. I've fitted guards as a permanent fixture.
The tarmac definitely climbs better though, and feels more exciting to ride.
It helps to remember that major purchases are always a compromise. For cars for instance you need to weigh up performance, room, cost, number of seats etc. You weigh them all up and get the best fit. Bikes are no different. Most of us wont get everything we want, and need to choose our compromises to suit our pocket and intended usage.
So you pay your money and make your choice as the saying goes.
Solecyclist
Well-Known Member
Solecyclist
Well-Known Member
Thanks cyclops if im ever down your way i will look ypu up
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
My aluminium Kinesis and Triban feel a lot more comfortable than my old steel frame viking but that probably has more to do with the quality/ geometry of the bikes rather than the materials.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Patina, please.
I like to think of it as evidence that I'm rock hard and can ride in all weathers.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
My steel bike is the most comfortable bike I have. I think it's a combination of slightly wider tyres (28mm at 100psi compared to 25mm at 100psi), the brand and model of tyres (both my bikes have the same), the geo is more relaxed than my cf model, and the frame is more compliant. I think the tyres and geo has most impact but the way the frame is built and the materials used has some impact on ride quality also.
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Anecdotal tale!
When i was looking at buying my steel Kona as a replacement for the previous cracked Ali bike a colleague at work warned me that there is no such thing as the last forever frame I was in search of. His last steel commuter bike had died when the bottom bracket rotted out! His opinion is that you just have to accept that a bike used for all weather commuting will have a limited life expectency.
My Kona has been injected with old car engine oil to help prevent this and will be redone every year or two.
When i was looking at buying my steel Kona as a replacement for the previous cracked Ali bike a colleague at work warned me that there is no such thing as the last forever frame I was in search of. His last steel commuter bike had died when the bottom bracket rotted out! His opinion is that you just have to accept that a bike used for all weather commuting will have a limited life expectency.
My Kona has been injected with old car engine oil to help prevent this and will be redone every year or two.
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Longevity? Still riding the steel frame that I raced on between 1978 and 1981.
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Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
That was a long race.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
Steel bikes will rust if they are neglected. Look after them and they will outlive you. There are steel bikes made in the 1940s which are still on the road.
Racing roadkill
Guru
I buy bikes to ride them, come hell or high water, not to look at, put on a ‘Turbo’ or bring out on the one day a year the weather isn’t gash, in the U.K. I seriously doubt a steel bike would last as long as my Carbon bikes have, especially given that time constraints often mean that I’ve ridden for so many hours, in such gritty conditions, that I often don’t have much choice but to just shove a grit covered / road treatment soaked bike, straight in the shed, and not even think about being able to clean it properly for a couple of days.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
Even a cursory glance at the number of steel framed bikes for sale on Ebay should show you how well steel frames bikes last. Bikes that have been ridden on a daily basis, through all kinds of weather. But they have been looked after. Its the ones that haven't been looked after that rust.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Looks old and tired to me! Bike looks ok though
