Why do you ride that old steel road bike?
#52
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I have my new shiny carbon bike, my lightish aly hybrid, and my heavy as hell 1987 Bianchi. Dry it's about 35lb, with rack and panniers, clothes and laptop, I don't want to know!
What I do know is it's fun to ride, and when I do get on my shiny carbon I FLY!
What I do know is it's fun to ride, and when I do get on my shiny carbon I FLY!
#53
Shimano Certified
I had an aluminum bike when my 93 Giant Sedona with double butting was bashed in the rear triangle from a race crash(which pushed the left seatstay into the tire but it still finished the race without an issue). Giant XTC hardtail. Great manuverable and zippy sports car, but I found myself riding less and less because it didn't feel "right" for me. A couple months later I found a donor tube from an old road bike and had my fab welder put it in(not easy on the thin portion of the butting) and been riding since. She also has a disc brake tab welded on that I made, 10 yrs and rolling with no cracking or give. In fact the custom brake mount is stiffer and more secure than the factory one from the XTC.
Since then I managed to find another Sedona for a backup...not an easy proposition since they dumbed them down to aluminum cruisers nowdays.
Since then I managed to find another Sedona for a backup...not an easy proposition since they dumbed them down to aluminum cruisers nowdays.
#54
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https://www.aegisbicycles.com/pdfs/Bu..._booklet07.pdf
#55
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I ride steel ( and one aluminum/steel mix ) because the only time I ever rode a CF frame , I broke it.
#56
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My steel Waterford weights within 2 lbs of my fastest (CF Cervelo). So steel can be light as well as comfortable.
#58
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I own an Italian Legnano Corsa road bike with original components (down to the bolts), a french Mercier Special Tour De France road bike with new components, an Ideal Target mountain bike/tourer with new components and a high end modern full suspension alluminium Ideal Vsr Pro. I've rolled on them for hundreds of thousands of miles all around my country (races, touring, commuting). The 3 of 4 bikes are made of steel as you may already know. The best steel available at the time. So, I may not be a frame builder but I've ridden on good steel ALL my life. So, I'm sorry but I know about good steel bikes.
And I think you've got wrong my intentions. My original post wasn't written in a literal sense, more in a poetic exaggerated way to make us all externalize our adoration for the beauty of great old bikes.
And I think you've got wrong my intentions. My original post wasn't written in a literal sense, more in a poetic exaggerated way to make us all externalize our adoration for the beauty of great old bikes.
So back to your question, the only bike that I own that falls into the old school and heavy category is my 84 specialized stump jumper and I can't stand to ride that bike, but that is because it has straight handlebars and never feels comfortable.
Now why do I ride my old steel road bikes, is that I ride them to make sure that they are is good shape since they rarely get out and sometimes I like the feel of the old campy equipment. Also the older campy stuff looks so nice.
Last edited by cyclist2000; 04-23-12 at 09:43 PM.
#59
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#60
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My bikes are steel frames with lugs. They are not beat up and since I'm never going to be like Lance Armstrong, I don't care that my bikes are heavier than carbon fiber made in China.
#61
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The Viscount frame was straight-gauge chrome-moly, and quite thin walled, which made it more flexy than high-end frames built using double-butted tubing. But it was quite a bargain in its day.
Reynolds 531 first hit the market in 1935 and dominated high end steel frames for half a century. The new alloys are not necessarily stronger than 531, but rather more amenable to modern manufacturing methods -- e.g. TIG welding and automated processes rather than low temperature hand brazing.
Reynolds 531 first hit the market in 1935 and dominated high end steel frames for half a century. The new alloys are not necessarily stronger than 531, but rather more amenable to modern manufacturing methods -- e.g. TIG welding and automated processes rather than low temperature hand brazing.
For this forum I would expect to see more riders on old steel. What I don't see is an equal representation in the real world where I live. At least not with road bikes. There has to be a reason and I don't believe the consumer was fooled into moving away from steel. Yes they make some custom steel bikes that are pretty impressive and I am sure some of them ride very well. But I am not sure they ride any better than any other bike made of Aluminum or Cf or Bamboo. I didn't say anyone should dump their old steel bike I only said it is very unlikely that I would go back to steel now that the other materials have improved as well.
#62
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For this forum I would expect to see more riders on old steel. What I don't see is an equal representation in the real world where I live. At least not with road bikes. There has to be a reason and I don't believe the consumer was fooled into moving away from steel. Yes they make some custom steel bikes that are pretty impressive and I am sure some of them ride very well. But I am not sure they ride any better than any other bike made of Aluminum or Cf or Bamboo. I didn't say anyone should dump their old steel bike I only said it is very unlikely that I would go back to steel now that the other materials have improved as well.
Bt that doesn't mean there is no difference in the characteristics of the materials. There's a reason many high-end aluminium bikes (and some steel ones, too) use carbon forks, and there is no doubt that my old steel frame responds differently, and distinctly, from my carbon bikes when hitting bumps or rough surfaces. Part of that is geometry - the CF has a compact frame - but some of it is the steel tubing.
I don't say steel is a superior material to CF for bike-building, despite the (to my eyes) wonderful elegance of a classic steel frame. But if I was spending the sort of money that a top-end road bike now costs, I'd consider going custom steel, because a really good frame builder can make you a bike that meets your specifications and preferences with regard to riding style and "feel". You might find that by shopping around between the carbon alternatives available, but you might not.
And did I mention that a great steel frame is a thing of beauty? Oh, so I did.
#63
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I ride my mid-grade chrome and blue Canadian / Japanese Sekine because my parents bought it for me in '75. I had the best bike around. It's not old and beat up, just old, and in great shape. I don't think I realized until the last few years how much mom and dad sacrificed to get that bike for me.
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I love them, grew up learning to ride the fogline on them. Now that I'm older these gems are still available and for the first time in my life I can have more than one of them. The ride on my Trek 460 racer is like none other, very responsive, light, quick and it fits me like an old baseball glove.....new ones just dont feel right.
I just picked up the Raleigh Technium for 100.00 in absolute gorgeous condition two days ago so I'll get to see how aluminum feels.
Having a new bike just is not necessary for me at this point in life. Each of my 3 bikes serve an important and distinctive style of riding.....and they have class.
I just picked up the Raleigh Technium for 100.00 in absolute gorgeous condition two days ago so I'll get to see how aluminum feels.
Having a new bike just is not necessary for me at this point in life. Each of my 3 bikes serve an important and distinctive style of riding.....and they have class.
#66
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For the same reason I have owned numerous classic air cooled Porsche 911's instead of a newer Porsche Boxster or 996. Some things are just classic and even though they don't necessarily perform as well as their modern counterparts in every way there is a certain satisfaction in driving/riding them. My current stable of bikes that I ride consists of five steel frames, zero aluminum (although I've owned quite a few), and zero carbon fiber.
#67
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Fast forward to the 70's and you have my hand built Ron Cooper... steel bikes just don't get any better than this and it curbs out at < 21 pounds with some Zeus titanium brakes and no carbon fibre. It is a 10 in every way save for the fact the frame is a little scruffy from years of use.
My steel XC bike was built here and weighs 23 pounds... it is one of my favourite bikes.
This week I picked up another hand built, a Proctor that was built here in the mid nineties and the shop scale says it weighs 21 pounds and when I source some proper racing wheels it should come in at 19 - 19.5. It is a gorgeous, fast, and extremely agile bike.
#70
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
The Lenton was purchased and ridden by it's original owner for 50 years and he was a serious racer... when I got the bike I became it's second owner and had to restore the mudguards as the originals had been removed many decades earlier and mounted the rack so I could carry a little on my commute on what have been many metric centuries and a number of full centuries.
It hits the curb at 30 pounds with the rack and it is an "All Steel" bicycle... albeit with stainless Dunlop wheels.
I have quite a few bicycles but few are as smooth and comfortable as the Lenton... it is not as agile as the Cooper or Proctor but riding it is effortless as everything is so incredibly smooth.
You are going to have to wait until I die to get this one.
Anyone who has checked out "My Bicycles"" will know I am a huge fan of these vintage steel machines and that is not limited to the lightweights.
It hits the curb at 30 pounds with the rack and it is an "All Steel" bicycle... albeit with stainless Dunlop wheels.
I have quite a few bicycles but few are as smooth and comfortable as the Lenton... it is not as agile as the Cooper or Proctor but riding it is effortless as everything is so incredibly smooth.
You are going to have to wait until I die to get this one.
Anyone who has checked out "My Bicycles"" will know I am a huge fan of these vintage steel machines and that is not limited to the lightweights.
#72
Senior Member
Last week I bought an '87 schwinn le tour for $20.00. New tires and tubes cost me about $36.00. New chain about: $18.00. New cables and housing: $8.00. Lube and grease used: about $5.00. White nail polish for touch up: $1.00 Time spend overhauling the bike: about a day and half of pure fun. Grand total $88.00!!!! WOW! What a good deal. I love that bike now, just came back from about a twenty mile ride and the thing fly's with all new grease and cables etc. That is why I love old steel bikes! I'm in college and don't have a lot of money, but honestly even if I had a lot of money I think I might have a hard time spending thousands of dollars on a bike when I can get such an awesome one for 88.00 dollars.
Last edited by turky lurkey; 01-21-13 at 02:18 PM.
#74
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
#75
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The Viscount frame was straight-gauge chrome-moly, and quite thin walled, which made it more flexy than high-end frames built using double-butted tubing. But it was quite a bargain in its day.
Reynolds 531 first hit the market in 1935 and dominated high end steel frames for half a century. The new alloys are not necessarily stronger than 531, but rather more amenable to modern manufacturing methods -- e.g. TIG welding and automated processes rather than low temperature hand brazing.
Reynolds 531 first hit the market in 1935 and dominated high end steel frames for half a century. The new alloys are not necessarily stronger than 531, but rather more amenable to modern manufacturing methods -- e.g. TIG welding and automated processes rather than low temperature hand brazing.