Hot answers tagged steel
13
The best method for handling exterior frame rust depends on how much time you'd like to invest. The difference comes down to what you use to complete the two basic steps:
Remove the rust
Good: Sandpaper - Cheap, but wont remove all the rust, and may leave debris.
Better: Steel Wool - Will remove most of the rust, but may leave steel wool fragments, which ...
12
Some things differ if you are looking at a new or a used frame, but here are some suggestions:
First, when you say you are looking for a steel frame, what you probably mean is a ChroMoly Steel alloy frame. This would be a frame made from tubes where chromium and molybdenum were added as the steel was refined. Frequently you will see a sticker on the tube ...
12
Steel is still very common for relatively expensive "touring" bikes (bikes intended for long distances carrying panniers). The slight additional weight of a steel frame over aluminum (well less than 10 pounds in most cases) is inconsequential when you have 40-100 pounds of gear on the bike, the bike is more durable, and the flexibility of a steel bike is ...
10
I have toured a bit, both on steel and aluminum. I have also read a lot about the classic pros and cons perfectly explained by DanielRHicks.
So, based on study and personal experience, I would tell the overal quality and specificity of the bike is much more important than the material itself, for these reasons:
Weight difference is irrelevant since you ...
8
A few things that you can look for, some already mentioned in other answers:
Tubing, as other have mentioned, higher quality frames are made of higher quality tubing. High quality tubing will often be a tube set from a "name brand" and have the appropriate stickers (e.g. Reynolds 531). High quality tubing is typically double, or even triple butted - i.e. ...
7
As a cyclist who had a hard time getting comfortable on road geometry with drop handlebars, I will recommend that you ride as many different bikes as possible for a long time before you consider dropping money on a "custom" bike.
Considering frame material and construction, geometry quirks, wheel sizes, brake types, drivetrain compatibility, tire clearance, ...
6
The manufacturer recommends this product for protecting a painted surface and not used on bare metal. Lacquer by its nature (at least the types still available in the U.S.) provides a beautiful finish but not very good at chip resistance. It is typically applied in multiple layers with sanding between coats. Take this to mean very time consuming and tedious. ...
6
Buying parts alone is sadly a rather expensive way to get a bike and I doubt anyone would be able to tell you if it's worth it to you. That said, I'd be very tempted.
I like old bikes and it's better they get rebuilt and used than end up in landfill.
You should spec up the components you want/need and compare the price with a new one of similar quality and ...
5
How much unusual stress are you talking about? The weight of the bike all on one leg of the fork? Or the weight of a really large person leaning back against the fork?
If it's just the weight of the bike leaning "wrong" on the fork, I wouldn't worry about it. That fork leg is built to handle a lot more stress than that in normal riding.
If it's worrying ...
5
A trailer with a 100# capacity fully loaded over the axle is unlikely to cause significant damage to your bicycle frame--even using the attachment device shown for the Rhode Gear trailer, above. The "tongue weight" of such a trailer would probably be in the twenty-to-thirty pound range.
Just don't load this trailer--or any trailer--with all of the weight ...
4
The difference is usually in the length of the threaded insert that goes in the frame, and that the caliper bolt threads into.
The inserts are available separately, and must be sized correctly for the frame.
There may be some older calipers where the bolt itself is too long, but a Ti/Carbon frame sounds pretty new for that.
They come in 16mm and 22mm ...
4
If by "steerer" you mean the top tube that turns in the bearings, it would be very bad for that to be bent, since it would seriously muck up the bearings, and ever getting it straight enough to NOT muck up the bearings would be unlikely.
Apart from the bearings, with something like a conventional steel fork the twin concerns are fractures in the steel and ...
4
These hitches don't work very well. They don't grab tightly enough, so they can twist around the bar and bump in to the wheel. As they twist they will take off the paint. They also require a lot of turns to attach and remove.
I had two trailers with this kind of hitch, and 3 bikes to pull with. I bought this Burley flex connector for each trailer:
I used ...
4
Custom frames are better, but for many people there is enough adjustability in standard components to get a good fit.
If you can, find a fitter who is also a physical therapist. Getting comfortable on a bike for longer distances is often a matter of fitting the bike to you and fitting you to the bike.
4
Yes, you can. You just need to get the right size of loose ceramic ball bearings as that's what shimano wheels use. They are available from various vendors, like here for instance.
You didn't ask this, but I'll answer it for you anyway: would I recommend replacing the bearings on a pair of WH-R550's with ceramic bearings? No, and neither would many others. ...
3
From what it sounds like is that you've been trying to do sportive 'road' riding on a hybrid bike which has a geometry that doesn't fit your riding style well. It may feel fine for more casual riding, but not for your more sporty style. You need bikes that works for the types of riding which you prefer to do.
Many places can do a pre-purchase bike ...
3
On first thought, I would say NO due to the lack of cantilever brake mounts. Caliper brakes which come on this bike limit tire choice a lot. But if you don't plan to do traditional cross racing and are just looking to ride this bike on fire roads and gravel paths, then I think you can make it work fine. The issues you'd have in a cross race would be ...
3
I've done a conversion on an old steel Schwinn, and these look similar. I'm not sure how in-depth you want to go, but at the most basic level you only have to worry about two issues:
Tire clearance
Brake clearance
Tire Clearance
The most popular size of cyclocross tire is 700x32. You may find that a knobby cyclocross tire will fit between your fork, but ...
3
Steel will rust, given time. Riding a nice bike on salty roads will scratch it up, but you can minimize that.
Frame exterior:
Wiping a steel bike down with a greasy rag as a preventative measure certainly won't hurt, and it may help (particularly if you already have any scratches in the paint). I think you'd be better off concentrating on cleaning it ...
3
If you're talking about the crack running from the opening down into the fillet, that doesn't appear to be likely to seriously affect integrity (though I'm sure there are some here who will disagree). The lug in that area is reenforced by the steering tube, so there's very little stress at that point. (In fact the crack may have been there since ...
3
If you want the best for you in a steel frame, look into local framebuilders. There are newer tubesets by Columbus and True Temper that individual builders can use to make awesome frames. Furthermore, they are competitive with aluminum frames (yes they weigh more, but the difference is far less than how overweight 'I' am...ymmv). Here in the Seattle area ...
3
Steel has been the standard for cheap bikes for a very long time. Weight is a prime factor, as noted above. In addition, steel rusts.... If you go to someplace where lots of bikes are parked outside for any length of time, like the university where I work, you can pick out the cheap bikes instantly by the nasty rust that starts forming with great speed.
...
3
I ride a steel frame fixed gear nearly daily in tropical conditions, and near the sea. It really puts the frame through its paces. As far as my experience goes, there's nothing that can be totally rust proofed.
Using any sort of metal lubricant on the inside of the tubes will certainly help prolong the life of your steel frame. Some may insist on using the ...
2
Steel makes for a heavier rim; the modern-box section design works well for taking advantage of aluminum's lower density. Furthermore, since steel will rust, the rims are typically chrome-plated. The chrome plating makes rim brakes almost useless in the wet, which is exacerbated by the poor pads used on most of the classic bikes that shipped with steel ...
2
sillyyak is right. The weight of wheels makes a big difference. I notice a huge difference in stopping in the rain on aluminum vs steel. On bike forums ( http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-449632.html ) everyone says aluminum is superior for weight and in the rain
and so does this girl:
...
2
I will tell you how I have 'fixed' bikes with crash-damaged forks in the past:
turn the bars round 180 degrees and swing the bike square on into a concrete wall.
Incredibly this 'technique' works remarkably well, and is quite fun to do with someone else's 'pride and joy', but, as of yet I don't think I have had the pleasure of using this 'technique' on ...
2
The problem I had was getting the ammonia to the corrosion. I hung the bike upside down by both tires so the seat post was vertical. You can either remove the bottom bracket or as I did the bottle cage screw and fill the seat post with straight ammonia. If possible plug the hole so the ammonia doesn't evaporate. I let it hang for 2 days. I then laid the bike ...
2
I have an identical problem, having been rinding the bike without seat clamp for more than two years now.
I suppose you have already read something about it, if not I recommend Sheldon Brown on the subject. But I must warn you that the ammonia theory didn't work for me, and I tried ammonia on some aluminum sample parts without any visible effect (corrosion, ...
2
If you're going to be riding in particularly corrosive environments (the beach, salt coverered winter roads, etc.) I recommend doing something to protect the inside of your frame. I spray some T-9 in the frame of my Surly every couple of rides in the winter. I've also heard good things about J.P. Weigle Frame Saver.
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