Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
Steel bikes can last several lifetimes, yes. They can also break sooner than aluminum or carbon frames. It depends on the design and fabrication, in all instances. Again, CF frames are not inherently disposable. They can, and do, last a long time.
Before you respond, keep in mind...
- of the 7 drop bar bikes I currently have, 6 are steel and 1 is aluminum...so no carbon.
- I have frames from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 10s. Only 1 is disc brake.
- one of my drop bar bikes is 3x9 with drivetrain components from the 90s and 00s, and 5 other bikes in my family are 2x9 from the 00s and 10s.
Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
Steel bikes can last several lifetimes, yes. They can also break sooner than aluminum or carbon frames. It depends on the design and fabrication, in all instances. Again, CF frames are not inherently disposable. They can, and do, last a long time
Before you respond, keep in mind...
- of the 7 drop bar bikes I currently have, 6 are steel and 1 is aluminum...so no carbon.
- I have frames from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 10s. Only 1 is disc brake.
- one of my drop bar bikes is 3x9 with drivetrain components from the 90s and 00s, and 5 other bikes in my family are 2x9 from the 00s and 10s.
Woah. Quite the pedigree! /s
I've broken 27 bones, turned an 80's lycra-covered Giro helmet into styrofoam balls, snapped one Felt carbon fiber frame (without crashing?) and bent the hell out of one steel frame (crashed into a guardrail on a tight corner while turning a helmet into styrofoam snow). Yet I was still able to ride that steel frame home.
The cf frame snapped while I was sprinting. The steel frame took a guardrail to bend. And it only cost a few hundred to repair and repaint. Felt sent me a replacement, but they made it awkward and it took a few months.
I'm not clumsy and I've always prided myself on my pedaling form. I've just ridden hundreds of thousands of miles very speedily.