Originally Posted by
Snow Dog
I'm not very educated on the subject but I've noticed that I rarely, if ever, see Chromoly frames offered on new bikes these days. Is there a specific reason that it isn't used anymore?
I'm asking because I have a 1999 Specialized Crossroads with a Chromoly frame and I'm curious why the material isn't used much anymore.
I'm late to this conversation. High strength steel like 4130, et al, in order to be weight-efficient, needs to be drawn to a thin wall, and thicker near the tube ends (double and triple butted). This is expensive to do. The thinner wall a tube is, the more quality intensive it must be. It's also a lot more difficult to weld without burning through, and few makers use lugs and brazing these days, and those that do are expensive.
A notable exception is Dahon's 4130 steel folding frames, however the tubes are not butted so they are heavier than the equivalent Dahon aluminum frame.