SteelyMan

Any tall fellas out there around 220 with experience on Columbus Cromor, Zona or Life Os? I’m interested in feedback and suggestions. I like riding fixed and enjoy mashing up hills. Don’t want a tank or something that is flexy or prone to dents.

thx

the builder I’m entertaining works with Columbus tubing and I’m pretty sure I don’t want Max. Not a fan of oval tubing I think it’s ugly in the main triangle.

stevel610 

Don't know the finer points of different steels though I am big & tall. 6'1" 250.

I have 2 Wabi's Classic and Thunder, both 753 steel. Both ride fine. No flex uphills.

You might have more luck in the fixed gear forum.

squirtdad

if your builder is good, go with what is recommended

more than a few really well know builders don't really a say much about what tubing they use, some to keep it so they can pic and choose to deliver the best ride of and individual, some so as to keep a little of the secret sauce hidden.

in general OS tubes give greater stiffness.

here are couple of writeups that may be helpful

Frame Flex | Kirk Frameworks

Chainstay Stiffness | Kirk Frameworks

Old vs. New ? Serotta vs. Kirk Onesto | Kirk Frameworks

base2 

I second the go with the builder suggestion. They have the skill & experience to mix-match to select what's best for each customer.

I like Therm-LX from Variwall in part because it's US made in a foundry in Ohio and is on par with 853.
Two examples:
I have a size 57 disc brake frame made with an ovalized downtube & a teardrop formed toptube, 1946 grams. Which isn't the lightest but is respectable. The bike rides lively & light. It inspires me to hammer & go. To charge hard & carve corners. It is a thoroughbred race horse.

I have another bike made from Therm-LX but everything oversized & heavier tubing, thicker butting profiles. It rides completely different. It's stiff, stable, and borderline wooden until you get about 50 pounds on it. It was intended to be a truck.

In both cases the builder used the "same" tubing, built it to the same size (me) and arrived at completely different results. He achieved exactly what I wanted in both cases.

There is much more than simply the brand & grade of tubing printed on the sticker.
How long is the thin butted section?
Where is the it placed?
Which way is the tube oriented? Heavy end up at the head tube or at the bottom bracket.
What is the subsequent tube forming? Round, oval, teardrop, which end, which way? Curved like a step-through?
How is it joined to the other tubes? Some joints can be complicated.
These are worthy considerations your builder is taking into account beyond "853", "753" "571", etc...

Your builder obviously won't want to divulge the secret sauce, but will make these various decisions based on what he learns about you & what your goals are. This is why you pay the builder.

RH Clark

I'm 6'2 and have ridden my 18 lb 753 bike when I weighed 200 and it's definitely my favorite steel bike. I have 7 steel bikes ranging from unknown lugged Swhinn steel to double butted Renolds 531 and the 753 bike. I would just talk extensively with the builder about how you intend to use the bike and see what he says about it and go from there. Personally, I usually want the lightest I can get for the use and if working with a builder I would want a very close estimate on weight. If the builder was more concerned about strength and seemed to think weight was unimportant, then I might look elsewhere but intended use is pretty much everything. For example, I do like light, but I expect heavier on a bike intended to carry stuff or be ridden rougher. That's why I own a dozen or so.