[email protected] (Peter Headland) wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> > everyone I have convinced to give steel a try has been converted.
>
> I switched from steel (a nice custom frame from one of England's top builders) to carbon
> (mass-produced Trek 5500). The Trek is stiffer (in torsion, which is what really counts) and
> lighter than my steel frame; these things matter if you climb a lot of hills. I do not believe
> that you can build a steel frame that has the same characteristics without using such thin tubes
> that denting becomes a hazard.
I ride steel, I climb hills - lots of hills. I average about 9,000 ft of elevation gain per 100
miles. Average grade on most of the hills I ride is probably 8-10%. Does that qualify in your book?
I have a Trek OCLV bike, too. I can climb fine, and fast, on either. You prefer carbon; so what?
Does not make it better for you or for anyone else.
> PS: From your reference to "nanogram weenies", I assume your bike weighs at least 25lb?
Not at all. My steel bikes all weigh in the 20-22 lb class. The new one I am having built might be
over 25 lb., but it is a touring bike and is built for durability; some of the components are on the
heavy side.
> Why is it that there is this ceaseless drip-feed of abuse in this vein on this NG? I am sick to
> death of comments along the line of "you'll save at most 3oz., which is insignificant"; add all
> those "few ounces" and you end up with a few pounds. I seriously doubt many people here would
> accept $1000 to carry half a brick in their jersey pocket on every ride, so why is it considered
> so odd to spend that kind of money to get rid of that kind of weight?
I think the reaction is against those who try to sell the notion that if you save a few grams (and
in some instances, it is just a few grams, not pounds) someone will ride faster, better, etc. Fact
of the matter is, for most recreational riders the weekly fluctuation in body weight is more than
the weight differences being discussed in a lot of the advice here. What does it matter for most
folks if there is 1" of exposed cable for the 2 derailleurs and brakes, or the cables are clipped
tight against the binder bolts? We are talking 1-2 grams, perhaps, yet I have seen such advice. In
the end, most of the weight savings discussed here could just as easily be translated into 'lose a
few pounds off your body' for many recreational riders; the effect is the same, and it is much less
expensive.
- rick warner, who is off to climb a hill on one of his steel bikes