Ultra Foco steel strength advice

I am a 210 lbs. rider and am interested in a Carrera Shield frameset which utilizes Ultrafoco steel
tubing. Does anyone have any experience with this grade of steel tubing? I already have a Guerciotti
Piranha made with EOM
16.5 steel (strong but light). Does anyone know if Ultrafoco is more delicate then EOM steel or how
about vs. 7000 series aluminum? Please Email me with any knowledge/advice to:
[email protected] Thank you! Adam Huisenfeldt

 

In article <[email protected]>, Adam Huisenfeldt
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I am a 210 lbs. rider and am interested in a Carrera Shield frameset which utilizes Ultrafoco steel
>tubing. Does anyone have any experience with this grade of steel tubing?

Yeah, a 3-pound steel frame is going to be pretty squishy under you. Those frames feel squishy to me
and I am 35 pounds lighter than you. That doesn't make an unridable bike of course, but I don't
prefer it. Reasonable stiffness (for 210 pound rider) would come with more weight. I think my
Dedacciai Zero frame (60cm) is stiff enough, but with several oversize tubes and fatter chainstays,
it is not very close to three pounds.

The carbon rear end makes no sense to me but I assume you have made your peace with it.

> I already have a Guerciotti Piranha made with EOM
>16.5 steel (strong but light). Does anyone know if Ultrafoco is more delicate then EOM steel

Don't have the specs handy to know that. Those bikes are going to be pretty close, very similar
design and materials.

> or how about vs. 7000 series aluminum?

That depends on the details, but I will bet a dollar that a 7000-series fat-tube TIG-welded 3-pound
frame will be substantially stiffer than the Carrera Shield. At 3 pounds you are getting very close
to the edge of the lightest ridable steel frames, whereas a 3 pound aluminum frame is not as close
to stupid-light. Neither will be very crash-worthy but the aluminum one is more likely to be stiff
enough for a person your size. I think you can also find a ridable 3-pound aluminum frame for a lot
less money than the Shield.

At the price you're apparently willing to pay, I think you should also be considering all-carbon
bikes. They will also be stiffer than steel in the 3-pound range. Have you ridden a Trek 5500? I
think testing that in comparison to a 3-pound steel frame would be illuminating.

--Paul