Anyone still have a steel bike?

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schlafen
Posts: 165
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:51 pm

by schlafen


eurostar wrote:I have an 853 randonneur frame which I built on Dave Yates' course. Also got a Parlee Zero which I prefer because it's so much lighter. The 853 is weighed down by S&S couplers and a 1.2 kg crankset, a Rotor RSX4 triple. It's got huge tyre clearances, so it has expedition bike potential. Maybe one day.

I don't buy the special, unique feel of steel which people go on about. It's romantic baloney. I've learned enough about framebuilding to know that ride quality has very little to do with steel vs carbon. Geometry, tyre width and suspension gadgets (e.g. zertz, isospeed) are many times more significant. You can build a stiff or a bendy frame with steel, aluminium, ti or carbon. People form prejudices about certain materials being inferior because of bikes which have suffered from cost-cutting, for example a steel frame with a high quality main triangle but cut price stays and forks. But weight doesn't lie. A carbon frame, assuming the wheels and components are comparable, inevitably has much livelier acceleration because the steel one has a weight penalty of 1 kg or something. Ever noticed how the modern steel bikes with the best reviews always seem to have the shallowest rims?
People romanticize carbon same as steel, instead of ride feel they use race credentials. While carbon surely has it's place, 'lively acceleration' is not what I'd use to describe it. 'Direct acceleration' would be a better choice of words.

The best looking steel bikes, in my opinion allthough subjective, are standard gauge tubing, horizontal top tubes, high spoke count and ultra shallow tubulars.

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eurostar
Posts: 465
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:19 pm
Location: London

by eurostar

schlafen wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:51 pm
'lively acceleration' is not what I'd use to describe it. 'Direct acceleration' would be a better choice of words.
This is a great example of the nonsense talked about bikes, trying to differentiate between 'direct' and 'lively'. What does it mean? Nothing. It's a question of inertia, it's physics, we can express it precisely just with a number! But if you let marketing people or journalists into the debate, they make it all woolly and vague with their words! (I have been a marketing person and a journalist, and written some of the bullshit myself.)

by Weenie


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Rippin
Posts: 618
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 9:58 am

by Rippin

eurostar wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 11:06 pm
schlafen wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:51 pm
'lively acceleration' is not what I'd use to describe it. 'Direct acceleration' would be a better choice of words.
This is a great example of the nonsense talked about bikes, trying to differentiate between 'direct' and 'lively'. What does it mean? Nothing. It's a question of inertia, it's physics, we can express it precisely just with a number! But if you let marketing people or journalists into the debate, they make it all woolly and vague with their words! (I have been a marketing person and a journalist, and written some of the bullshit myself.)
Agreed. :)
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(*)/ (*)

schlafen
Posts: 165
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:51 pm

by schlafen


eurostar wrote:
schlafen wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:51 pm
'lively acceleration' is not what I'd use to describe it. 'Direct acceleration' would be a better choice of words.
This is a great example of the nonsense talked about bikes, trying to differentiate between 'direct' and 'lively'. What does it mean? Nothing. It's a question of inertia, it's physics, we can express it precisely just with a number! But if you let marketing people or journalists into the debate, they make it all woolly and vague with their words! (I have been a marketing person and a journalist, and written some of the bullshit myself.)
Heres's a totally subjective comparison: 80's Peugeot Puymorens 531 is lively, Cinelli Vigorelli cromor is stiff as heck, Giant Propel (sold, no regrets) direct acceleration and stiff as heck and kinda ugly.

I'm sure your finger painting is next level but we, mere mortals, need to use language to explain what happens 'when physics attacks'.
I've been cycling for almost 2 decades and ridden a lot of bikes, however, never ridden self built scaffolding though, I'll give you that.


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eurostar
Posts: 465
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:19 pm
Location: London

by eurostar

(((scaffolding)))

2phat2slow
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:38 am

by 2phat2slow

My Yamaguchi road bike!

Re-sprayed it myself. I love the ride quality of steel.
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Yamaguchi.jpg

markyboy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 10:22 pm
Location: Bristol uk

by markyboy

Steel rides better than anything.
Colnago arabesque campagnolo super record 12
Colnago c64
Cinelli zydeco grx di2

ducman
Posts: 187
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:49 pm

by ducman

I have a carbon Niner BSB, with a bottom bracket frame failure, so looking for a new frame. Was wondering if anybody has experiance with the ritchey frame.
I'm a bit worried about the weight difference.



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robin3mj
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:40 pm

by robin3mj

I have a couple- here's the latest.

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NickB
Posts: 66
Joined: Sun May 23, 2021 11:13 am

by NickB

Got three at moment. Bob Jackson Olyimpus, Bob Jackson Vulcan (curly) from just before they closed and a Koga Miyata Flyer. All on Campag Potenza and Cero AR24. Olyimpus is 853 with Columbus Minimal and just breaks under 9kg bare. Will probably do a Caad next year with the parts from the Koga. No carbon, been there and it broke.

3phase
Posts: 124
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:26 am

by 3phase

Finally built my Ritchey Swiss Cross last August.

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schlafen
Posts: 165
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:51 pm

by schlafen

Recently refurbed Peugeot PX10 PuymorensImage

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Hoven
Posts: 146
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:30 am
Location: Sweden

by Hoven

My stealth english 8)

-Red/Force Axs with Quarq and "new" praxis 50/34 12-speed chainrings and ceramicspeed bb
-Enve aero bar (Enve aero stem incomming)
-Farsports kaze wheelset on carbon-ti hubs
-Berk seatpost and Dila saddle

Around 7.6kg as it stands right now!


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robertbb
Posts: 2179
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

schlafen wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:59 am
Recently refurbed Peugeot PX10 PuymorensImage

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That's a SRAM drivetrain with GRX crank. How does the wider chainline of that crankset play with the (presumably) 43.5mm chainline on the SRAM gruppo?

basilic
Posts: 1028
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:05 am
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

by basilic

Hoven wrote:
Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:44 am
My stealth english 8)

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Kudos on the bike, and on the photo!

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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