Why “Steel is Real”
I still remember my first ride on a “real” steel bike. It was a 2008 Redline 925 single speed. We bought it for Erin so she’d have a road bike to ride with me. I owned a Cannondale Capo with an aluminum frame and carbon fork. We went out riding one day and half way through the ride we decided to switch so we could feel each other’s bikes. That was the last time Erin technically owned the Redline, and the last time I owned the Cannondale.
I instantly fell in love with the ride of the Redline. It was smooth yet rigid, stiff yet forgiving, and every turn felt like an unspoken bond. I didn’t know at the time, but what I was in love with was the frame material steel.
In a world of technological mastery and advancement, most are surprised to hear about my choice. I’ve ridden every frame material out there (short of these crazy bamboo bikes) and am here to tell you pound per pound, dollar for dollar, nothing is as good as steel. Aluminum is so stiff and jarring that anything over 20 miles on less than perfect pavement will have my wrists, back, shoulders and backside aching and wanting to get off ASAP. Carbon is stiff and can be forgiving, but can often times feel “dead” when you go to sprint and carve into tight turns. Carbon also has the downside of being pretty sensitive. Don’t get me wrong, carbon bikes these days are very strong. But get in a good crash or hit a pothole too hard and you could have a cracked frame. No thanks!
The most common response when I say this is, “Isn’t steel heavy?”. The answer is, no, not always. Let me explain. There are many different qualities of steel out there. Steel is always a mixture so like anything, the better the ingredients, the better the outcome. At the low end you have “High Tensile Steel”. Because the mixture is cheaper, it’s weaker, which means the manufacturer has to make the tubes thicker. That means you end up with a heavy bike that you’ll find in department stores with price tags around $200.
The next step up from here gets the street name “CroMoly”. Being a higher quality blend of steel, they can make the tubes thinner, making it lighter. CroMoly frames also start to show off their “spingyness” properties which makes them loved by so many riders. Without going into science I don’t know enough about, steel has a natural bounce or give to it. Its incredibly strong, but when riding and hitting a patch of rough pavement, the frame itself absorbs a lot of the shock. Riders, including myself, claim to feel the bike is alive. I have no actual proof of aliveness, but when zipping down a windy road the steel feels responsive and predictable. CroMoly framed bikes are in the $500-$1000 range depending on what your looking for. This is also one of the most popular materials for fixies and single speed commuter bikes.
Then we start getting into the “performance steel”. These bikes are almost always made out of Reynolds steel. You’ll always see a number after it that refers to the quality of the blend. The higher this number, the higher the quality (and price tag). The Jamis Eclipse pictured at the top is made out of Reynolds 853 steel. Again, better quality means thinner walls, making this bike weigh in at a feather light 17lbs. If you think 17lbs sounds heavy for an entire bike build, your insane or way too professional to be reading this blog! Depending on the steel mixture, your usually looking at $1200-$4000 and up if you get a custom frame made for you.
At the end of they day, you need to ride what feels right to you. I just hope you give steel a good look while on your search. It will be well worth it! Here is a few steel bikes worth checking out.
