What steel frames do you ride or are thinking of?

With all the talk of carbon this and carbon that there has been talk of people going back to steel frames so  i was wondering what people are rolling on. Old, new, reclaimed, road, mtb ......

I have 

'86(?) Colnago Super Sprint

late 90s Fausto Coppi as the work horse

Surly 1x1 SS race mtb

Shogun Trail Breaker SS - Wet weather special

Projects/lying around

Raleigh Super Course MK2

Malvern Star 5 Star from way back in the day, plucked out of someones garden - insanely light for its age

Tags: building, retro, steel

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Permalink Reply by Ian Mawbey on July 3, 2012 at 19:43

@ Richard...I had a Europa too...had a couple of paint jobs...tange frame...first real 'fast' bike, before clipless

Now have a Reynolds 853 Gipiemme Sonic...re-painted this late last year and updated a couple of crusty bits, new wheels, new pedals...fab...I love it

Also have a Columbus tubed Aluminium Kennedy, by the masters games champ and bike-fit expert, though it wasn't custom built for me. Has Ritchey bits and Ultegra 9s.

Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on July 3, 2012 at 19:47

Dawes Super Galaxy,  Reynolds 531 double-butted.  Bought in Oxford around 1983.

Hillman racing bike, Reynolds 531 double-butted. Custom ordered from Hillman in Melbourne around 1986.

First one is a touring bike which I use as a commuter every day.  Haven't ridden the second for quite awhile it got replaced with carbon ...

Michael

Permalink Reply by Mark H on July 3, 2012 at 20:32

'91 Southcott ProTour, Manganese Alloy - Locally built frame. Had since new, it's now my wet weather commuter. Nice relaxed geometry. 

'93(?) Repco Superlight with Cromoly main tubes - built up as my main bike. 

 - Both rebuilt with a mix of modern Ultegra/105 components

Permalink Reply by Clyde.S.Dale on July 3, 2012 at 21:00

2000 (ish) Pinnarello Sestriere with Campag (obviously!!) - absolutely love it and performs just as well as my carbon bike. You know what they say - "steel is real!"

Permalink Reply by Richard on July 3, 2012 at 21:28

You bugga's are really doing damage here. Once again, I feel myself forced to own a Reynolds 531 frame, even if it's only to say "I've owned one", though those that have will know that the experience is sooooo much more than simple ownership.

For what it's worth, I owned a Jamis Ventura with a Reynolds 520 frame for something the northern side of 5,000 kms. Reynolds 520 is a badge used for steel specified by the client, so it can mean different things to different companies. Whatever, that frame was light and smoothed out bumps like you wouldn't believe. It was a pure delight to ride. In the end, I had to move on because she was genuinely too big for me (and I'm someone who rides bikes that most would regard as 'too big').

Jamis currently provide a frame made out of Reynolds 850 - it's a stunning frame, even if it is butt welded rather than lugged, light and apparently a dream to ride. I had a chance to buy one, the sticking point being my (lack of) fiscal flexibility.

Ahhhhhh, it doesn't matter. At some point, I will find myself in a position to fool myself into believing I can afford a custom frame and I'll order another wonder frame, just like my Hillbrick ... which turned and bit me because I, probably typically, grossly underestimated my ability to pay for said bike. Having said that, it'd be nice to have a Reynolds stable mate for my Columbus Hillbrick ... except that the Europa not only refuses to die, she refuses to move away from the central part of my cycling heart.

You can keep your throw away bikes. It saddens me everytime I meet a cyclist with an apparently 'special' carbon bike, only to have him tell me it's just another generic Chinese frame. Sure, my Europa was a generic Japanese frame rebadged by the Europa company here in Oz - she's earned her affection by many years of faithful service. I'd love to hear more stories of carbon bikes managing the same trick and as evidence of such, I'll submit one of coaches in my son's soccer club, who has owned his carbon Orbea for six years, averaging 150 km per week, as one such bike that has earned an honourable retirement when it finally reaches the end of its useful life.

I may slag off at plastic bikes and the marketing that drives their production, but within that, there ARE carbon fibre bikes that earn the same love and reverance that the steel bikes in this thread have earned - it was the same when the only company silly enough to use anything but steel was Specialized with their weird, ovesized tubing, aluminium frames (who'd guess that THAT would become popular)..

The material in the frame is as irrelevant as the components that shift the gears (or don't shift them if you ride fixed/SS). The important thing is the relationship you have with that frame, or the whole package. But that is an anathema to the 'must have the latest and greatest' mindset. Pooh I say. Keep your status symbol. Show or even hint to me your love for that bike and you'll have my support, regardless of the material in the frame, the brand on the bits or the completely unnecessary collection of gears (oh dear, did I just let a bias show?)

Permalink Reply by Gary Mills on July 3, 2012 at 21:38

I have a few steel bikes but don't ride any often or at all.  Complete bikes that I have are

XDS single speed

late 60's Wolhauser road bike

1976 Gitane team replica

late 1940's Progress Cycles road bike (Melbourne shop owned by Bill Long OAM). I need of restoration

1990 531 Vortex Built by myself with Campagnolo Xenon groupset

1980's Carlton road bike

1950's Super Elliott track bike with cane rims

My mum's 1949 ladies Super Elliott

My Mum in law's 1960's Malvern Star with cane baby seat

Also frames to be built into bikes when time permits

1968 Holdsworth road frame

1940's Tom Wallace track frame

Late 1980's Ricardo time trail funny bike road frame


Just love the look and feel of old bikes!

Permalink Reply by Richard on July 3, 2012 at 21:40

Gary, your daffinition of 'few' is rather different to mine. I'm going to keep this post for when I'm accused of having too many bikes :)

Permalink Reply by shane makins on July 3, 2012 at 21:40

 1988 Viner with a mix of stuff on it ; my commuter . 

 Mid 80's Gitane hanging up in the shed .

Permalink Reply by David Southern on July 3, 2012 at 21:48

BSA, 1968 frame, converted to 18-speed 1991.

Mongoose Hybrid, 1991, now with "road" wheels.

Gitane mixte (1970's)

various others hanging around (literally) in the hills.

Permalink Reply by heather on July 3, 2012 at 22:22

There are different types of chromoly, i.e. Reynolds. Which is the best? Pros and cons?

Permalink Reply by Dstone on July 3, 2012 at 22:51

You dont get mad gleam from carbon

A killer ride no doubt about it. Amazing handling

Permalink Reply by Lucas Pittaway on July 3, 2012 at 22:57

Here's my list. No one has ever told me what they're made out of but I'm pretty sure every bike (26) I own is steel.

1979 Raleigh Super Course fixed gear conversion.

1980's Repco Vantage with Shimano SIS components.

1980's Repco mixte, pink and white fixed conversion.

1970's Super Elliotts Corvette, 3 speed Sturmey Archer, dyno lights, cleaning it up for the tweed ride.

An old Mongoose something erarther with the original Skyway Tuffs.

Five or so Ricardo and Standish road bikes, most still original and kicking ass in reliability!

My wannabe hipster daily commute Mojo Bike rolling fixed.

A whole shed full of random steel oddities.

A unicycle.

I'll be purchasing one of those unbranded carbon bikes soon enough and building it fixed just to see how long it will last the torture I can pelt upon it.

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