Steel is back.

Do a search on steel bikes in this section of the forum. You will find that, despite what the marketing guys and major magazines have been trying to tell us, steel (and indeed alu) have never left us.

Depending on what your needs and preferences are, you will find that there are plenty of steel bikes that will make you a satisfied customer! 🙂

Powerful Pete said:

Do a search on steel bikes in this section of the forum. You will find that, despite what the marketing guys and major magazines have been trying to tell us, steel (and indeed alu) have never left us.

Depending on what your needs and preferences are, you will find that there are plenty of steel bikes that will make you a satisfied customer! 🙂

+1. Steel never went away. It was common, not an exotic bike like aluminum, CF, and titanium. Now the others are common and steel is the "exotic material". It's just advertising going full circle. Some of us prefer the ride of a steel bicycle compared to aluminum or CF. To me, the ride quality of titanium and steel feel very similar.

Steel is just one choice of several and has been for a while. It's no better, now worse than any other materials. Design of a bike is far more important than material.

What are the brands "re-introducing" steel frames?

velo711 said:

After checking a lot of manafacturer websites on 08 models, I noticed quite a few have reintroduced steel framed bikes back into their lineups. Is it because the metal is lighter now?, or is it there are more consumers requesting it? My next bike is going to be one that has to last long and be upgradeble.

Steel has been 'light', in bike frames in the titanium range, for probably a decade. The steel tubing makers have not sat idly by during the last three 'revolutions' of titanium, aluminum and now with carbon, carbon, everywhere.

Of the things you are looking for in a bike frame, steel has always been the best 'combination'. Light, lively, bright ride, easy to repair, looks great, lasts forever, not expensive, etc. I have always thought any frame maker was making a mistake by putting all his eggs in a single material basket, like ohh so many of the Euro makers.

Steel is a great bike material, in fact, we sell way more steel than any other material. Not surprised that the 'big boys' have seen the draw.

velo711 said:

After checking a lot of manafacturer websites on 08 models, I noticed quite a few have reintroduced steel framed bikes back into their lineups..

yes, which companies? Any of the 'big' ones?

It seems to me that the better known companies who still offer a steel model are the 'traditional' Euro brands who've always had steel, like Basso, Casati, Cinelli, Colnago, Guerciotti, Daccordi, De Rosa, Scapin, Bianchi, Viner, Tommasini, Gios, and Ciocc (and a few others I can't think of at the moment), and I figure these companies only do it coz have a niche amongst the middle-aged, white, honky, English-speaking dudes who think they're getting a 'traditional, hand-crafted, classy steel bike'....like me :p.... And, of these companies, about half of the frames are just token, retro gestures, made from heavier, old, cheaper stuff, not the newer, lighter steels: the De Rosa is relatively 'clunky', as is the Cinelli Supercorsa, the Gios Compact Pro and the Bianchi

Apart from the above manufacturers who've always had steel, the following have dropped their steel models in the last couple of years: Pinarello, Olmo, Cervelo, Carrera, Specialized, Merckx, Fondriest, LeMond, and Cinelli (they dropped their lighter Columbus Spirit model) -- that I can think of at the minute

The smaller, custom US brands have always offered steel, such as Serotta, Rivendell, Gunner, Surly, etc.

I don't think any of the relative young 'big kids on the block' are making steel at the moment, like Time, Look, BMC, Lapierre, Cannondale, Trek, Felt, Scott, BH, Giant, etc, although some of these guys did make steel bikes about 20 years ago.

In other words, don't be offended, but what are you talking about? :p

Case in point, last year I checked a Jamis Quest(big company?), it was half carbon half steel. This year it's all steel. Your wrong, check the Lemond website, you will see steel road bikes(big company?). I was in a bike shop looking at RockyMountain, last year no steel road bikes, this year there is. Soo this is what I'm talking(asking) about.

Let us be clear. You will go faster if you have the engine to do so. Your frame, whatever the material, will be more or less comfortable depending on how it is built and its geometry. And what wheels and tires you use!

Having said that, I think that 531Aussie has listed many of the traditional frame builders who will gladly hand over a steel frame for your hard earned cash.

What is your budget? What are you looking for? Tell us more and we will be able to tell you more... 🙂

velo711 said:

Case in point, last year I checked a Jamis Quest(big company?), it was half carbon half steel. This year it's all steel. Your wrong, check the Lemond website, you will see steel road bikes(big company?). I was in a bike shop looking at RockyMountain, last year no steel road bikes, this year there is. Soo this is what I'm talking(asking) about.

You mean the 2007 Rocky Mountain Solo ST50 I own is a figment of my imagination
:eek:
I wish the hole in my bank account was!

Just checked out the Jamis website....they have been a long term supporter of mass produced steel. Thier support of steel for MTBs has been better in than on the road side though.
Why no 853 in the orad range? They use it in a MTB. If they used the Quest's geometry with a decently specced 853 frame I may have been more interested. 653 aint too bad, but I want the good stuff!

Who else is doing mass produced steel? The "classic" Euro brands are over priced

velo711 said:

Case in point, last year I checked a Jamis Quest(big company?), it was half carbon half steel. This year it's all steel. Your wrong, check the Lemond website, you will see steel road bikes(big company?). I was in a bike shop looking at RockyMountain, last year no steel road bikes, this year there is. Soo this is what I'm talking(asking) about.

Ok, I slipped up on the LeMond Sarthe. [img]musicianforums.comthumb.gifOpen ↗[/img]...but the rest......

As I suggested, the trend is for the bigger companies to be dropping steel.
Although, for what it's worth, anecdotally, it seems that steel has made a bit of mini-comeback in the last couple of years in the sense that more people 'out and about' are curious about it, which I suspect may be a crossover from the current fixie craze, or....eh, I dunno, maybe some other reason.

It looks to me like carbon is taking over everywhere. The marketing BS is winning, and every peanut out there thinks he has to have a sub-1100g frame to be fast. Even some of the well known, former 'non-carbon' companies have crossed the floor to make carbon bikes, such as Cannondale and Scapin. They were kinda like: "rah, rah, our materials and frames are so well engineered, and so stiff and light that we don't have to make carbon bikes." I was actually bit shocked when Scapin brought their first carbon bike, becasue they were all steel for so long, until about 2 or 3 years ago.

I was a bit disappointed and surprised when Cervelo dropped their steel Superprodigy at the start of 2005, just after I bought one. :p. They had some pretty snazzy spiel about how good the frame was, and made big news in 'bike world' when CSC rode it on the cobbles for the 2004 Spring Classics, which was the first steel bike in the Pro Tour peleton for about 5 years (apart form the odd one-off for big guys like Backstedt). Cervelo bragged that their Superprodigy was so good, stiff, light and strong that it could even be raced by the pros! Then, a few months later, they scrapped it.

Yip, I wouldn't be too fussed with the material. Each material has its charactistics and the frame designers differ the designs to capatilise on those characteristics.

Most important part of a bike is the nut behind the handlebars.

It seems the ideal is not the material as such, but the frame be comprised of the whole material ie: all carbon, all steel, etc. But for me, as I approach "older fart status", I perceive I want something more comfortable(less fatigue) on the long rides. As far as the Rocky 07 50st goes it could be imagination, if the seat tube, seatstays, and chainstays are all carbon. cheers.

The only thing steel that I'd like is a 4130 cromoly bmx bike! I don't want a road bike that'll rust or be heavy!

I saw a beautiful classic olive green Legnano chained up outside an auto parts store today. When I came out the owner was there, and I stopped to tell him that I admired it. Being in his mid 70s he was all smiles, and very gratified that I recognized the great marque. He was slim and fit and said that he was the original owner, and had been riding it for 50 years! So much for the durability of steel.

I have one of the last steel Pinarello models (2004 Opera, they discontinued it after 2005). And it is nothing like the lugged frames of old by any stretch. Light, stiff responsive. I do think steel is making a comeback, especially with Reynolds 953 becoming so popular. My favorite frame material however (aluminum), seems like it is being phased out on the higher end road bikes.

PeterF, you have nothing to worry about. Marketing is cyclical, in a few years we will all 'discover' alu again. And it remains an excellent material to make relatively light and relatively inexpensive frames, so I do not think it will be a problem to find a nice alu frame in the future!

PeterF said:

I have one of the last steel Pinarello models (2004 Opera, they discontinued it after 2005). And it is nothing like the lugged frames of old by any stretch. Light, stiff responsive. I do think steel is making a comeback, especially with Reynolds 953 becoming so popular. My favorite frame material however (aluminum), seems like it is being phased out on the higher end road bikes.

953 IS popular but expensive, well into the titanium price ranges. ALSO, after talking to one of the Reynolds guys at NAHMBS, it still needs to be heat treated after tig welding, something many frame makers are not equipped to do(like Waterford) and others tig the frames w/o heat treatment, perhaps sacrificing strength.

I have a lugged 953 Waterford on order but retail is $3200, well past many titaniums. If yer gonna ask, how come? Cuz there has to be some reason to own a bike shop.. I have a Moots, gonna have a stainless H20-ford.