Repop Schwinn Straight bar frames???
- Thread starter veewee25
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Ha! Broke two of those frames already my friend. Would still like to own another some day: problem is. I actually ride my bikes.
exactly. if we're talking about a bike that's intended to be wall-art or as the subject of photo-shoots, it can be made of paper-mache, right? But, if you wanna actually ride the thing, year after year, steel is very hard to beat. To be competition-worthy, these days, you'll likely need to look at CF. But, most RRB folks don't race, at least not on a UCI-sanctioned level. (local mtb races and awesome events like the CBC probably don't require a CF frame, right?
)... and a lot of racers have a steel or Ti bike that they use for training purposes. Race rigs are disposably lightweight, and Al is only a few clicks more durable than that.Make mine steel. Nice pre-war straightbar, BTW, @SILVERKINGPC ...
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When is everyone going to realize that steel is the good stuff? Reynolds 531, Columbus, Tange. It all rides like nothing else and doesn't fall apart. I recently asked the Specialized factory rep at a MB demo on the local trails "when are you going to wise up and start making bikes with steel frames". He said "50 million people world wide can't be wrong". His answer was quick and practiced so he had been asked before. I told him that MB manufactures have brain washed the world with the idea that aluminum is lighter and better than steel. He didn't reply. Even some of the bike shop owners here admit that the above tubing is the "good stuff that unfortunately isn't around much anymore". I build Klunkers and ride them a lot more that my aluminum full suspension Specialized MB or my Aluminum framed road bike or my aluminum fat tire snow bike. The ride is dull with aluminum. I let people ride my 1940 Klunker and they always marvel at the ride. It's the steel, it really comes to life once it's moving and the faster the more it likes it.I have broken every single aluminum high end MTB frame I owned within one year. Every single one, gusseted, big tube, little tube, it didn't matter who or where it was made, or who stamped the tubeset. Seat tubes, down tubes, top tubes, chain stays, swing-arms, linkages and bead welds. The only place on an alu. frame I have not broken was the seat stays. Yet, I have NEVER broken a prewar high-mileage steel American-made frame,(road only disclaimer) and only ONE old american single-piece steel crankset. I trust steel. Steel is real my rat friends..
I luckily found this soon-to-fail linkage on my Ibis when cleaning it...
This bad crash post-op photo is from a few years ago, and totally related to aluminum..
For whatever it's worth, all my bikes are made of steel. From the "modern" mtb, to the road bike, to the other road bike, to the frames i'm still thinking of building, to all of the various cruiser/klunker projects i'm currently riding and/or have in the works. I'm actually on the verge of picking up a brand-new 2015/2016 frameset to build up with a NuVinci N360 hub and disc brakes, etc. Gonna be a Surly Troll. It's made out of 4130 chromoly steel.
So, yeah, i'm a firm believer in that stuff. =D
So, yeah, i'm a firm believer in that stuff. =D
Personally, for me, I i have no problem with taking my specialized early 2000s aluminum hard tail out if I am going to be in the sandy desert or the wash north of town. That bike is light enuff to not sink in when riding the Wash.
I have a variety in my stable to give me choices. Only one and 1/2 aluminum bikes that I ride.
With the up coming klunk build, I will be building a steel wash runner. Then maybe afterwards i can rafter the MTB in the spring.
Building... riding...
I have a variety in my stable to give me choices. Only one and 1/2 aluminum bikes that I ride.
With the up coming klunk build, I will be building a steel wash runner. Then maybe afterwards i can rafter the MTB in the spring.
Building... riding...
no one talked about the thickness of the tubing or how it is assembled (inner reinforcements) or even if it is an aloy like cromolite ? , i mean , it must be of a certain strenght to be worth starting a production , has to have been tested somehow ... my road bike have curved 3/4" aluminum tubings on the stays and carbon fork , and i ride it like crazy , even downhill offroad , i tow my trailer with it , and it survives montreal potholes 
My Brother has a Troll. He has ridden it dirt road touring, commuter and MTB'ing in the Foothills. He really likes the flexibility of different setups. He did have a weld crack at the driveside dropout which happened to a few more online. Surly was good about replacing the frame though.
This should be a separate thread. A lot to discuss here about the differences. Weight and aggressiveness of the rider, miles ridden, previous damage, etc. will affect whether any material fails or not. I put many hard miles on my bikes, weigh around 2-bills, and never purposefully leave the ground or abuse them in any way. Because of this, I demand tougher and higher fatigue-cycle frames. Lighter-weight riders on pavement may get 2k+ miles out of a alu road frame, but a 200lb-er may only get 200m before some kind of failure. Remember that aluminum is used for beer cans too, so if you want something to really last, High-Quality steel butted tubing is the real deal for longevity, and it rides in a lively way compared to other materials as B808 and others have mentioned. Additionally, carbon fiber has come a long way and represents the future IMO. I have 3000 hard mtb miles on my carbon fiber Ibis with no failures except for the lower alu swingarm link at around 2k. I am still waiting for a high-end, full suspension, butted, fat-tube STEEL 27.5" MTB frame to appear, but feel it may be a long wait to ever see one produced.SKPC
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Thanks for the heads-up, Clancy. Surly is pretty good about warrant issues, and buying thru my LBS will be good, b/c they go hard if/when issues like that arise. Scary place to have a weld fail, but those dropouts are pretty intense, aren't they? My buddy has a purple Troll in the XL size; he's been beating it mercilessly without any failures (knock on wood); i've messed with a lot of Surly bikes (used to own an LHT w/ 26" wheels) and other Maxway-built bikes--- they're really good quality for the price, but i suppose these things do happen...
My replacement is a steel Hansome Bikes Shop Bike I built up I don't want to take a chance on getting less than 50,000 miles on. But any way back on subject Verrt if you buy the rep op frame I'll powder coat it free for you.
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I have broken every single aluminum high end MTB frame I owned within one year. Every single one, gusseted, big tube, little tube, it didn't matter who or where it was made, or who stamped the tubeset. Seat tubes, down tubes, top tubes, chain stays, swing-arms, linkages and bead welds. The only place on an alu. frame I have not broken was the seat stays. Yet, I have NEVER broken a prewar high-mileage steel American-made frame,(road only disclaimer) and only ONE old american single-piece steel crankset. I trust steel. Steel is real my rat friends..
I luckily found this soon-to-fail linkage on my Ibis when cleaning it...
This bad crash post-op photo is from a few years ago, and totally related to aluminum..
I'm pretty sure you were not cruising the neighborhood when you busted up all those frames. For this crowd these frames would be great a light weight option to cruiser the neighborhood on.
That's probably true, I try to ride daily. That said, aluminum can be a lightweight and less expensive choice for many people, particularly on the pavement. Old american steel just smells a bit more rat for me as well.
