Hi all,
Does anyone really want to steer me clear of a steel framed Scapin as my next bike? Will need to ride it for both road and tri, training and racing.
Any thoughts very much appreciated
Thanks.
I love steel bikes. This is what the first Bici Pidassos will be made of, as well.
Carbon is my favourite material, I admit, but there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned, round-tubed steel steed in the stable, as well. I will have a Reynolds 853 in my garage as soon as I get stuff sorted.
Just make sure you occasionally spray in an application of Frame Saver to preserve your investment.
As bunnyman mentioned (and I second his comments) steel is an excellent material for a tri bike. Back in the good 'ol days QR made some impressive steel bikes. Waterford (Barb Lindquist’s bike sponsor) and Seven are both doing really nice custom frames in steel. Steel is an excellent material, currently overshadowed in popularity by the cosemetic (and somewhat functional) allure of aluminum which lends itself more easily to light, aero, bladed tube shapes. It would be nice to have a light, comfortable tri bike out of Reynolds 753 or 853. Steel is a great choice.
Said with sarcastic voice:
No! Steel is heavy. It’s the frame material of has-beens like Merckx, Indurain and Hunault. And ESPECIALLY avoid anything from Scapin. Just too close to “scraping,” which sounds too bottom-of-the-barrel for me. Gotta go with aluminum. Light and harsh. What’s an IM without some pain?
Sarcasm off.
The more important aspect than frame material or manufacturer is fit. Scapin has some good road-oriented stuff, and uses a variety of grades in their various offerings. The road geometry may well be the best for your particular riding tendencies.
Seven Cycles will custom make a steel Axiom in tri/steep geometry. This is a sweet bike. www.sevencycles.com. Here’s a pic. of the Ti version. You can pick your paint/decal colors for the steel version.
I don’t know about lugged steel trii bikes, but I know that all of the custom dealers can set up a bike with a steep angled seat tube… my personal recomendation would be serotta… I can’t remember off of the top of my head but there are some custom guys out there who specialize in detailed lug work who should be able to answer that question if it comes back to me I will repost
italian steel…yummmmmm !
I got me a Moser and I love it.
No!, only can you ride steel in a triathlon if your John Howard.
Seriously though, weight is not as important on flat courses like Eagleman. But weight is important on hilly courses like IMUSA, Columbia, etc.
IMHO, I would not think that steel is appropriate for a tri bike. Bottom line is steel bikes are heavier than aluminum, carbon, titanium.
Waterford in TrueTemper S3- that’s good stuff!!!
I have heard that a few tubesets of 753 are still floating around. I am sure that it would cost a MINT to get something like that!!! I think Bob Jackson claims that he still has some.
Ok, then let me ask the question: what are the chances of Ves Mandaric building up a steel frame in tri geometry? Ves?