Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Weigh more than separate brakes and shifters, don't shift as well, chew cables. That sort of performance?
What's a "light steel frame" ?
- Thread starter woodbutcher
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Weigh more than separate brakes and shifters, don't shift as well, chew cables. That sort of performance?
OP
OP
woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
Note the down tube Campagnolo shifters operating a ten speed cassette via a Shimano Tiagra medium cage derailleur . Despite initial fears of will they won't they cope l can assure any doubters that they are a pleasure to use and take only very small movements to change gear in a most satisfying way .
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Fantastic. I have bar end shifters on my bikes. Was out last night, 1C and freezing fog. Had thick gloves on for the cold, but shifting gear or braking no problem with bar ends. Also instantly know where I am in my gear ranges from the position of the levers .
Stompier
Senior Member
I already said that the performance advantages outweighed the weight penalty. But as an early adopter of sti back in the early 90s, I don't recognise any of those other issues. The real benefits were being able to shift without taking your hands off the bars/hoods. Priceless in a sprint finish. I don't remember anyone ever moaning about the 'weight penalty' back in the day, because we all knew it was irrelevant.
OP
OP
woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
If l owned a bike as beautiful as yours l dont think l would care what it weighed.....that is fab.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
Damn, that must be why I was so slow... mine weighed 21lbs (5 gears only). The fixed wheel track bike was only 19 though.
Don't actually know what my bikes used to weigh in at. The 20lb figure came from my dad, who used to race fixed, so for a geared bike your 21 lb is probably a good racing weight.Damn, that must be why I was so slow... mine weighed 21lbs (5 gears only). The fixed wheel track bike was only 19 though.
Kempstonian
Has the memory of a goldfish
- Location
- Bedford
Well that was the H.E. Green, so I expect it was about as light as they could be in the mid 60s. One chainring and only a five speed cassette probably helped too. Everything that could be was alloy. Sprints & tubs too.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Looks like you've tried to "stretch" a small frame with the long stem and layback seatpost. If the frame was bigger and a normal seatpost and shorter stem was fitted, I wonder if it would turn out any heavier?
Stompier
Senior Member
Obviously a bigger frame will weigh more than a smaller frame of the same type. But that setup doesn't look particularly unusual to me - certainly doesn't look 'stretched'. Also, I don't know why you would regard a layback seatpost as 'not normal' and the stem is not disproportionately long for that frame either.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
But most riders don't race and aren't in bunch sprints needing to change gears. Not shifting your hands becomes a performance disadvantage at long distances. It's a good thing to move your hands around the bars. So if you're not racing you mostly get the disadvantages and not a lot from the advantages.
Stompier
Senior Member
Well, firstly, I never said that most riders 'did' race. But Sti was originally released via Dura-Ace and then Ultegra group sets and advertised as a performance upgrade aimed squarely at racing cyclists, so early adopters were never likely to be tourers.
You can still shift your hands around your bars regardless of whether you use sti or not.
bigjim
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester. UK
My lightest steel framed bike. Reynolds 853 SBDU Pro frame. Short tight geometry and a joy to ride. Deserves lighter, more expensive wheels and components but I'm too tight.
Last edited:
