Best Steel Road Bike



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"BarryG" <bg at albany.net> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> IMHO, the long top tube geometry that Greg L has always
favored wouldn't be
> my first recommendation for a 73 year old rider . . .

Slide the seat forward half an inch, and you have a "normal" top tube, and "normal" 73 deg. seat
tube. And starting with a "big" frame, your handlebars won't be so low.

Matt O.
 
<< I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for the beauty of
the ride. >>

May I suggest a Waterford 2200. Quite expensive but worth it. Lugged steel but very light. Very
responsive, sweet frame.

My friend has an Independent Fabrications that seems even lighter than the Waterford. Tig
welded, that one.

Can't go wrong with a new Ritchey, either.

If you're an older guy riding 125 miles per week, you deserve a great steel frame. Don't hold back.
Have you considered titanium, by the way?

Enjoy, Robert Hurst
 
On Sun, 1 Jun 2003 00:25:23 -0000, "BarryG" <bg at albany.net> wrote:

>IMHO, the long top tube geometry that Greg L has always favored wouldn't be my first recommendation
>for a 73 year old rider . . .

Maybe he should get a comfort bike, 'cause he's 73? <G>

Not every one who buys a Lemond rides it in the same position Greg
did. With a proper fitting and a test ride, I'm sure a 73 year old can make up his own mind.

FWIW, I don't ride my Trek OCLV with a huge saddle to h-bar drop, but Lance does.

I recommended the Lemond because they offer a good value in the steel arena.

Barry
 
"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for the beauty of the ride.
>
> I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
> age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
> range is open.
>
> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
> Tom

Try Bob Jackson of Leeds, England and beat the American prices with excellent bikes.
>
>
>
>
 
"Tom" wrote:
> I'm riding a double ring, 11/28, welded carbon fiber, bike w/Dura Ace components at the moment;
> but, am going to a triple ring due to age and mountains in the area. Don't want to part with my
> carbon fiber bike;
will
> just keep it for the 'flat lands and rolling plains' but several have recommended a steel frame to
> me for my new triple.

The triple crankset will be much more helpful in taming the hills than saving a pound or two of
weight. When choosing and setting up your new bike, make sure you get a proper fit. Take a real test
ride AFTER the bike has been adjusted for your proportions. Not knowing your riding style it's hard
to make a specific recommendation. But if comfort is a priority, make sure you're not too stretched
out and that you can get the bars at a comfortable height. Have the stem changed if necessary. Also,
look for a frame that can accomodate slightly wider tires (at least 700 x 28).

Art Harris
 
"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for
the
> beauty of the ride.
>
> I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
> age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
> range is open.
>
> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
> Tom
>
>

Tom

I sure like my Waterford 2200. If I were in the market for a new steel bike I would probably
have to choose between a Landshark and a Waterford. I'm from the old school and like the looks
of a lugged frame. The ideas about getting a credit card touring type frame also have merit. The
slightly relaxed geometry of a credit card touring design make these types of bikes a little
easier on the body to ride for the longer rides. Check out the Road Sport bikes at
www.waterfordbikes.com the longer wheelbase and the slightly relaxed geometry and increased
clearance for wider tires of these frames may fit into what you are looking for.

John Meier Washougal, WA
 
"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for the beauty of the ride.
>
> I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
> age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
> range is open.
>
> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
> Tom

Boy, a lot of noise without much recommendation in this thread.

OK, I am a fan of steel; there are 2 steel bikes and an unbuilt steel frame within 10 feet of where
I sit, plus one carbon fiber bike. I have a new custom steel bike due here any day.

The real deal with steel is that steel is steel, but there are differences. Differences tube
thickness, tube profile, etc. all make a difference in the ride. And what I like may not work for
you. I have a nice steel bike made with Reynolds 853 (brand withheld intentionally) that I fell in
love with on the first test ride. It was less than 1/2 the price of the other bikes I rode at that
shop on that day - I think the sales person threw it in to drive me to the more expensive options,
but it backfired. A good friend decided to get a steel bike, and went out and tested a similar bike
this January, and did not like it; they fell in love with another steel bike, Reynolds 631, by
another manufacturer. The message: you need to find what you like and the only way to do that is to
ride. Go to several shops and test what they have available. Test ride as many as you can, hopefully
with a hill or two along the test route. Then make your choice.

If it were me I would look at the Heron, Rivendells, Independent Fabrications, Waterford, Gunnar
(Heron, Gunnar, and Waterford frames are all welded by Waterford, but are different), Steelman ...
and if price is no object then after you decide what you like find a custom maker (like Landshark
which you mention) and work with them to get what you want.

- rick warner
 
On Sat, 31 May 2003 12:45:18 -0500, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for the beauty of the ride.
>
>I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
>age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
>range is open.
>
>Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
>Tom

I came in for another question, but I'll toss in my $.02 here. About 11 years ago, I had a frame
built for me by Serotta. It's a light touring bike based on Colorado CRL tubing in touring geometry.
At the time, there were no good road triple groups, so I went with Dura-Ace and a triplizer type
setup. Of course, you have many more options now. You can see it at:
http://members.cox.net/orngcat/Bike1.htm

It's very comfortable and I've done many happy credit card tours on
it.
 
>I came in for another question, but I'll toss in my $.02 here. About 11 years ago, I had a frame
>built for me by Serotta. It's a light touring bike based on Colorado CRL tubing in touring
>geometry. At the time, there were no good road triple groups, so I went with Dura-Ace and a
>triplizer type setup. Of course, you have many more options now. You can see it at:
>http://members.cox.net/orngcat/Bike1.htm
>
>It's very comfortable and I've done many happy credit card tours on
>it.
>

Nice bike. You list bb height. That tells me very little. What is the bb drop? B

(remove clothes to reply)
 
I think DeRosa still makes a lugged steel bike. It has Campy Veloce or Mirage triple stuff on it.
Maybe cost around a grand(?). "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for
the
> beauty of the ride.
>
> I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
> age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
> range is open.
>
> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1
> Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
 
On 01 Jun 2003 21:35:51 GMT, [email protected] (B) wrote:

>>I came in for another question, but I'll toss in my $.02 here. About 11 years ago, I had a frame
>>built for me by Serotta. It's a light touring bike based on Colorado CRL tubing in touring
>>geometry. At the time, there were no good road triple groups, so I went with Dura-Ace and a
>>triplizer type setup. Of course, you have many more options now. You can see it at:
>>http://members.cox.net/orngcat/Bike1.htm
>>
>>It's very comfortable and I've done many happy credit card tours on
>>it.
>>
>
>Nice bike. You list bb height. That tells me very little. What is the bb drop? B
>
Bottom Bracket drop spec wasn't included to me for this frame, but I measured it at very
close to 7.5cm.
 
Check out Rivendell or Waterford. I've got a 13 year old Waterford built paramount that I've
recently upgraded to modern components, excellent ride. I've also heard nothing but good about the
Rivendells http://www.rivendellbicycles.com

Tom wrote:

> I'm planning on buying a new light weight, triple, steel road bike, for the beauty of the ride.
>
> I'm a senior citizen and ride 125 miles a week in all types of road conditions. Not a racer at my
> age; but, ride with the younger guys and want a good bike that rides and performs well. Price
> range is open.
>
> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
> Tom

--
Mark Wolfe http://www.wolfenet.org gpg fingerprint = 42B6 EFEB 5414 AA18 01B7 64AC EF46 F7E6 82F6
8C71 "We're seeing crazy uptime numbers now, like three months, six months. I fully expect we'll see
a year of uptime when Windows Server 2003 is finished." -- Jeff Stucky, senior systems engineer
Microsoft. Three Months? Crazy??? egads...
 
The best part of this thread is that, contrary to 'gotta be aluminum or carbon' resellers(you know
who you are!!!), that steel is alive and well and still a great(the best?) choice for a road frame,
in terms of those things that are important in a road frame- looks, ride, strength, price, etc...
Steel is still a wonderful material, and will be for a while, methinks...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"
 
On Sun, 01 Jun 2003 03:44:36 -0700, B a r r y B u r k e J r . wrote: ...
> Not every one who buys a Lemond rides it in the same position Greg did. With a proper fitting and
> a test ride, I'm sure a 73 year old can make up his own mind.
...

This was the only mention in this thread about getting fitted for a bike. With age "adapting to the
bike" become harder, getting a good fit becomes essential. After the fit the choise of suitable
bikes will be much smaller. Other things to consider in selecting the bike are: Service life (higher
end groupos and Campy have advantage here) Serviceability (Campy) Familiarity (probably Shimano)
Place to clip route sheet (Shimano's flying cables) Reduce weight (Ti and slight advantage for
Shimano) Distance riding (longer wheelbase & more fork trail for slower steering) More saddle time
(harder seat for longer distances) Are you a runner (steeper seat tube) Local temperature and
humidity (number of water bottles) Local crosswinds (no bladed wheels in crosswinds) Local headwinds
(close gear spacing for best gear selection) How much junk do you carry (rear rack) Local road
surface conditions (36 spokes is a strong wheel) Climbing strength (triple for gravity chalenged)
Pedals (Suggestion: Look with adjustable tension & Kool covers) Good local bike shop (Move to
Boulder/Denver/CO Springs area :cool:

Richard Kaiser
 
On 02 Jun 2003 12:58:37 GMT, [email protected] (Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote:

>The best part of this thread is that, contrary to 'gotta be aluminum or carbon' resellers(you know
>who you are!!!), that steel is alive and well and still a great(the best?) choice for a road frame,
>in terms of those things that are important in a road frame- looks, ride, strength, price, etc...
>Steel is still a wonderful material, and will be for a while, methinks...

Also, repairability. Lugged steel means being able to replace a single tube without too
much trouble.

Jasper
 
In article <[email protected]>, Ryan Cousineau <[email protected]> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Beats me; I just read what's written on the Diamondback frame that was made in China years ago.
>> Diamondback has since gone through a turnover of owners and this particular frame is no longer
>> made. But, its about a 19lb bike with all Dura Ace components on a double ring 58cm frame. I
>> have no complaints; just need some help on the mountains and looking for a good comfortable
>> 'steel' ride.
>>
>> Tom
>
>D'oh! It says "welded carbon", right? Do magnets stick to it? It's steel.

The DiamondBack WCF bikes were carbon tubes bonded to metal which was TIG-welded, instead of having
a cast or machined lug. Basically like a lugged carbon bike only uglier. :)

At least some of the WCF joints were crmo steel (incl. with steel rear triangle) but I don't know if
they made them out of other materials as well.

--Paul
 
In article <[email protected]>, Fred Roses <[email protected]> wrote:
>"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
>
>Bianchi amd Landshark are apples and oranges. John Slawta at Landshark is one of around 20 artisans
>around the US who will custom-build you a beautiful steel frame, while Bianchi is a giant factory
>that mass produces frames of steel and other materials at all quality levels. For what it's worth,
>most custom framebuilders are happy to work directly with you in the design and specification of
>your bike, but John Slawta strongly prefers to work through a handful of dealers, who are listed on
>his website.

When I ordered a Landshark recently I just called him up and told him exactly what I wanted, he
didn't seem to mind at all. Perhaps his aversion to phone sales is caused by time wastage from
people who don't know what they want and need to be fitted. It took about 3 minutes on the phone and
the bike arrived less than 3 weeks later. I emailed him a couple images to use for paint stencils.

--Paul
 
I have a Landshark, and have had it for about 3 years now. Its a great bike. I have no
complaints at all.

I had dealt both directly with John at Landshark, but actually bought the bike from John Dacy of
Business Cycles in Miami. I found him through the Landshark website, and he took the time to answer
my questions and to outfit the non-frame components of the bike.

For fitting, I used a local bike shop here in Houston, and also used a local shop to put the
bicycle together.

I also sent John some copies of paintings that I wanted him to use as inspiration for painting my
frame and pump. He liked my painting idea, and we discussed some details a few times over the phone
-- he called me because he was excited over the ideas and how they were coming out.

I recommend the Landshark to anyone who has the money to spend on this sort of luxury. There are
probably several bikes that are just as good, and I doubt you would go wrong with any of the one's
named here: Waterford, Rivendell, etc...

Duffy

"Paul Southworth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:5aPCa.35656$A%[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Fred Roses
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >> Bianchi? Landshark? Your recommendations please.
> >
> >Bianchi amd Landshark are apples and oranges. John Slawta at Landshark is one of around 20
> >artisans around the US who will custom-build you a beautiful steel frame, while Bianchi is a
> >giant factory that mass produces frames of steel and other materials at all quality levels. For
> >what it's worth, most custom framebuilders are happy to work directly with you in the design and
> >specification of your bike, but John Slawta strongly prefers to work through a handful of
> >dealers, who are listed on his website.
>
> When I ordered a Landshark recently I just called him up and told him exactly what I wanted, he
> didn't seem to mind at all. Perhaps his aversion to phone sales is caused by time wastage from
> people who don't know what they want and need to be fitted. It took about 3 minutes on the phone
> and the bike arrived less than 3 weeks later. I emailed him a couple images to use for paint
> stencils.
>
> --Paul
 
Jasper Janssen <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On 02 Jun 2003 12:58:37 GMT, [email protected] (Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote:
>
> >The best part of this thread is that, contrary to 'gotta be aluminum or carbon' resellers(you
> >know who you are!!!), that steel is alive and well and still a great(the best?) choice for a road
> >frame, in terms of those things that are important in a road frame- looks, ride, strength, price,
> >etc... Steel is still a wonderful material, and will be for a while, methinks...
>
> Also, repairability. Lugged steel means being able to replace a single tube without too much
> trouble.
>
Similiarly, some carbon frames, like Calfee, can also be repaired very easily. In fact, replacing a
single tube is no trouble at all on a Calfee.
 
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