Why is steel out of favour?
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It is actually an incredible material but familiarity breeds contempt. Would you rather have a plastic watch or pen or a metal one? Apple even make highly expensive computers and phones out of aluminium completely unnecessarily but because it's more desirable.
Of course CF is a higher performance material. But many people just like metal more.
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I thought the Tonka truck argument was pretty good. We acquire a prejudice against plastic from an early age.
It is actually an incredible material but familiarity breeds contempt. Would you rather have a plastic watch or pen or a metal one? Apple even make highly expensive computers and phones out of aluminium completely unnecessarily but because it's more desirable.
Of course CF is a higher performance material. But many people just like metal more.
It is actually an incredible material but familiarity breeds contempt. Would you rather have a plastic watch or pen or a metal one? Apple even make highly expensive computers and phones out of aluminium completely unnecessarily but because it's more desirable.
Of course CF is a higher performance material. But many people just like metal more.
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Exactly. Personal preferences like aesthetics are completely subjective. Unfortunately, some people allow their preferences to interfere with objective reasoning.
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#231
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Sales will verify that steel frames have never gone out of style or demand. Exotics are nice, but steel seems to work just fine. I miss the lug art.
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I thought the Tonka truck argument was pretty good. We acquire a prejudice against plastic from an early age.
It is actually an incredible material but familiarity breeds contempt. Would you rather have a plastic watch or pen or a metal one? Apple even make highly expensive computers and phones out of aluminium completely unnecessarily but because it's more desirable.
Of course CF is a higher performance material. But many people just like metal more.
It is actually an incredible material but familiarity breeds contempt. Would you rather have a plastic watch or pen or a metal one? Apple even make highly expensive computers and phones out of aluminium completely unnecessarily but because it's more desirable.
Of course CF is a higher performance material. But many people just like metal more.
My steel and Titanium bikes are very nice because they are nice, not because they are made out of shiny rocks. As someone already said... "Of course CF is a higher performance material."
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Tonka toys are TOYS and they are not made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Many modern tractors use plastics or composites for fenders and cowling because they are impact resistant, do not corrode, and can be pressure washed without being damaged. High performance cars often use carbon fiber drive shafts because they can be stronger and lighter than steel.
My steel and Titanium bikes are very nice because they are nice, not because they are made out of shiny rocks. As someone already said... "Of course CF is a higher performance material."
My steel and Titanium bikes are very nice because they are nice, not because they are made out of shiny rocks. As someone already said... "Of course CF is a higher performance material."
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wheels
I dont want to start any trouble but there are many steel bikes that are in the 10 to 15 thousand dollar range too dont ya know.......there is a waiting list to buy some of them
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Steel bikes were effectively gone from bike shops from the early 2000s until recently. Even now, people frequently post on Bike Forums about how the only adult bikes they can find in their local bike shops are either aluminum or carbon fiber. For the most part, it's only in large cities with neo-hipster neighborhoods that you'll find a significant presence of steel bikes. A lot of us on Bike Forums are old and grew up riding very nice steel bikes, but most of us prefer the originals from the 1960s through the 1980s and have little interest in buying new steel bikes.
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Steel bikes were effectively gone from bike shops from the early 2000s until recently. Even now, people frequently post on Bike Forums about how the only adult bikes they can find in their local bike shops are either aluminum or carbon fiber. For the most part, it's only in large cities with neo-hipster neighborhoods that you'll find a significant presence of steel bikes. A lot of us on Bike Forums are old and grew up riding very nice steel bikes, but most of us prefer the originals from the 1960s through the 1980s and have little interest in buying new steel bikes.
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Here is a link to a frame that is going to set you back at least a cool 15,500 GBP, so about $21,500 US.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt-70...-and-counting/
.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt-70...-and-counting/
.
That comment reminds me of a friend who truly believes that old heavy, poor handling, American, unwieldy, gas guzzling, technologically archaic cars that lack any safety oriented design features are superior to the wonderful things - visually and functionally - that are even the most basic modern cars. Remember the days when 100,000 miles on a car was a big deal? Drum brakes and boat-like handling?
It's a big world out there and modern stuff is really great for the most part. It's a shame not to have an open mind about all the variety of beauty and high functioning that is out there.
Last edited by Camilo; 02-13-21 at 08:45 PM.
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I'm trying to resist what I want to say about recumbent tricycles (and I happily owned and rode one for a while), since this, as is usual for bike material discussions, has turned into an exhibition of close-mindedness, and veiled and personal opinions being projected on others. When I see a (fairly typical) recumbent trike rider, or even when I was riding my own, I felt like or think of a person lounging on the couch watching tv with a beer perched on the big belly. But they're kind of fun to ride in an inefficient way, but talk about getting very little in performance or technology for the exorbitant prices!
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Tonka toys are TOYS and they are not made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Many modern tractors use plastics or composites for fenders and cowling because they are impact resistant, do not corrode, and can be pressure washed without being damaged. High performance cars often use carbon fiber drive shafts because they can be stronger and lighter than steel.
My steel and Titanium bikes are very nice because they are nice, not because they are made out of shiny rocks. As someone already said... "Of course CF is a higher performance material."
My steel and Titanium bikes are very nice because they are nice, not because they are made out of shiny rocks. As someone already said... "Of course CF is a higher performance material."
Plastic fenders on cars are a case in point actually. They're enormous, usually colour coded but don't match properly with the body, even from the factory, and are kind of ugly and plasticky. Classic cars that were metal all the way down plus a shiny chrome fender were definitely better looking. I'd rather be knocked off my bike by the new sort mind but I'm talking about the aesthetics here.
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Steel bikes were effectively gone from bike shops from the early 2000s until recently. Even now, people frequently post on Bike Forums about how the only adult bikes they can find in their local bike shops are either aluminum or carbon fiber. For the most part, it's only in large cities with neo-hipster neighborhoods that you'll find a significant presence of steel bikes. A lot of us on Bike Forums are old and grew up riding very nice steel bikes, but most of us prefer the originals from the 1960s through the 1980s and have little interest in buying new steel bikes.
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#243
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Steel bikes were effectively gone from bike shops from the early 2000s until recently. Even now, people frequently post on Bike Forums about how the only adult bikes they can find in their local bike shops are either aluminum or carbon fiber. For the most part, it's only in large cities with neo-hipster neighborhoods that you'll find a significant presence of steel bikes. A lot of us on Bike Forums are old and grew up riding very nice steel bikes, but most of us prefer the originals from the 1960s through the 1980s and have little interest in buying new steel bikes.
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I'm not sure how anyone would know if there is a "significant presence" of steel bikes in large cities that's any larger than at my club for instance. And, if any of that has anything to do with "neo-hipsters" (whatever that means). I am one of those old guys (soon to be 75) who grew up with steel bikes like a Bianchi Squadra and MAZA Prestige. I wish I had them back. But, my current GURU Sidero is a much better bike and weighs about 17 1/2 lbs. If I didn't have my GURU and was going to buy a steel bike it wouldn't be an old one. But, that's just me. I have no idea what "most of us" would do.
I'm soon to be 70, and I, too, grew up with steel bikes, but much earlier than you. First road bike was a Raleigh Blue Streak with Cyclo Benelux gears (with twin blue Coloral bottles in handlebar bottle holders), followed by a Reynolds 531 Helyett track bike when I started racing at age 13 and then, when I started working in bike stores in the early '70s, a string of American, Italian, and English pro-level road bikes, including a Bianchi Specialissima Super Corsa.
I'm surprised at all the resistance to what seemed to me to be a trivial observation: that the major bike companies had by the 2000s mostly switched from steel to aluminum and carbon fiber for their road and mountain bikes. I'm starting to think that I must have gotten that completely wrong. But I just now picked at random a 2005 Trek catalog to look at on line, and it looks as if everything in the catalog other than maybe one or two cruisers was either aluminum or carbon fiber. If there's a steel road or mountain bike in there, I missed it.
Trek might have been an outlier, and they did reintroduce some steel touring bikes at some point, but the only brands I remember having a definite steel presence in their lineups of road and mountain bikes in the 2000s were a couple of second-tier brands, GT and Jamis. If Giant and Specialized et al. had a bunch of steel bikes, I guess I wasn't going in stores that carried those brands and was unaware of them. Maybe I was brainwashed by the early Rivendell catalogs, which gave the impression that Grant was a lonely holdout against the onslaught of nonferrous bikes in the market.
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Trek might have been an outlier, and they did reintroduce some steel touring bikes at some point, but the only brands I remember having a definite steel presence in their lineups of road and mountain bikes in the 2000s were a couple of second-tier brands, GT and Jamis. If Giant and Specialized et al. had a bunch of steel bikes, I guess I wasn't going in stores that carried those brands and was unaware of them. Maybe I was brainwashed by the early Rivendell catalogs, which gave the impression that Grant was a lonely holdout against the onslaught of nonferrous bikes in the market.
#246
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If I was in the market right now, I would concentrate on high end component road bikes from the 80s into the 90s. There are some beautiful bargins out there. I rather fancy a high end Raleigh with Campagnolo componants.
#247
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and I say that because it was probably two-and-a-half 3 years ago I took a neighbor's bike in to have some mangled component looked at...
I have my tools but I haven't set foot in a big box bike shop since the mid-90's. I have a mobile mechanic friend, if I want some real serious work done that is cost-effective for me and can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time he usually shows up in the driveway & takes care of business right off his van.
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I dont want to divulge to much of what happens on the farm or all the city slickers from NYC and Los Angles would flock out here and mess things up.
A friend is over and saw me post this, and suggested it might end the virgin wool industry as we know it.
A friend is over and saw me post this, and suggested it might end the virgin wool industry as we know it.
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Here is a link to a frame that is going to set you back at least a cool 15,500 GBP, so about $21,500 US.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt-70...-and-counting/
The picture above is from that web site, and there are plenty more, Here is the link to actually buy one, or maybe just get in the queue, or maybe be told that since you are not a world class track racer you can sod off.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt/
Mind you that 15,500 pounds is for the frame only. Those wheels are another 4,500 GBP
Marketing hype? I don't think so. This is what very low production niche products cost. But I'll wager that if the BB is not aligned they crush the frame and start over.
Also, can anyone find me a bike like that in steel? Yeah, maybe not. Mind you I own several steel bicycles, and they are a hoot to ride. My favorite bike is my Ritchey Tandem, and it is certainly steel. But when I bought a fat tire bike I went with carbon because it gave me the best bike for the money.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt-70...-and-counting/
The picture above is from that web site, and there are plenty more, Here is the link to actually buy one, or maybe just get in the queue, or maybe be told that since you are not a world class track racer you can sod off.
https://www.hopetech.com/news/hbt/
Mind you that 15,500 pounds is for the frame only. Those wheels are another 4,500 GBP
Marketing hype? I don't think so. This is what very low production niche products cost. But I'll wager that if the BB is not aligned they crush the frame and start over.
Also, can anyone find me a bike like that in steel? Yeah, maybe not. Mind you I own several steel bicycles, and they are a hoot to ride. My favorite bike is my Ritchey Tandem, and it is certainly steel. But when I bought a fat tire bike I went with carbon because it gave me the best bike for the money.
#250
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I must have missed that. But I imagine the exoctics filter to markets with money to purchase them.
and I say that because it was probably two-and-a-half 3 years ago I took a neighbor's bike in to have some mangled component looked at...
I have my tools but I haven't set foot in a big box bike shop since the mid-90's. I have a mobile mechanic friend, if I want some real serious work done that is cost-effective for me and can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time he usually shows up in the driveway & takes care of business right off his van.
and I say that because it was probably two-and-a-half 3 years ago I took a neighbor's bike in to have some mangled component looked at...
I have my tools but I haven't set foot in a big box bike shop since the mid-90's. I have a mobile mechanic friend, if I want some real serious work done that is cost-effective for me and can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time he usually shows up in the driveway & takes care of business right off his van.
LeMond is another brand that was widely distributed until around 2008, until his beef with Trek led them to drop the line. But until then, they were very widely distributed, and had several models available at the entry level -- under $1000 in some cases.
Just two examples from my recollection.
Last edited by Koyote; 02-14-21 at 12:55 PM.