Steel Frames

Religiously defending steel frames is a bit of a meme these days, but hear me out.

No, steel frames don’t really offer a better ride feel. Vertical compliance of a bike frame, regardless of material, is completely negligible on bikes with tires 28mm and wider. But that’s not the point. I only ride steel frames for two reasons: Serviceability and repair-ability. Steel bikes (usually) have the most reasonable part standards built into them. 68mm BSA bottom brackets, 1 1/8 threadless headsets (or 1 inch threaded), 27.2 mm seat-posts, etc. All of the oversized standards that we are being sold today were designed to deal with the drawbacks of carbon and aluminum. Want a bike with part standards that will last a lifetime? Get a steel frame. Chances are it uses normal standards.

On top of that, steel frames typically have integrated derailleur hangers. Only steel frames can get away with integrated derailleur hangers because only steel can be bent back if the hanger gets bent.

When aluminum bikes came along, replaceable derailleur hangers become necessary because aluminum cant be bent back and be trusted to still be structurally sound. This SHOULD have been fine because derailleur hangers are such a small and cheap part. Whats could be wrong with having to replace them once in a while? Oh buddy, you underestimated the bike industry. Every single fucking company has their own derailleur hanger standards. In fact, more than one is often used in the same company. Will your standard be around 10 years from now? Who fucking knows! Fuck you! Sram has been trying to reign this in with the “Universal Derailleur Hanger”, which has seen wide adoption and is a noble cause, but it can only be used on frames designed for through axles, which I will go into in another article. Faced with these options, I still prefer a good old fashion integrated hanger.

And, finally, steel frames are repairable. Dent a steel frame? If there’s no cracks, you are fine, keep riding it. Hit a car and warp it a bit? You can probably get the frame re-trued. Fucking tear the frame in half with a chop saw? Weld it back together, no big deal. Aluminum can be welded back together too (at specialized shops that are hard to find), but aluminum and carbon frames are toast if they get warped or get a dent. When I get a bike, I want to know it is going to last. And before you point it out, yes, titanium has these properties too. Good luck finding a cheap place to re-weld your titanium frame. It would probably cost you less to just buy a new steel frame!

The downsides of steel? It rusts and its heavy. I don’t really take the rust problem too seriously. I live in Seattle, some of the worst conditions for a steel frame, and I have never noticed rust getting out of control on my frames. I even had a steel frame from 1972 that wasn’t rusted through yet. If you are paranoid about it you can spray frame saver down the tubes every winter, but its really not that big of a deal. As for the weight, steel frames weigh, on average, 4-6 pounds more than their carbon equivalents. Less compared to aluminum and titanium. If that worries you then I have no idea what to tell you.

The one downside of steel that I do respect is price. Typically these days, entry level bikes are made with aluminum. In the modern age, aluminum frames are cheaper to make than chromoly steel frames. You can get decent aluminum frames for like 2/3 the cost (i have no source on that number) of a steel frame. By all means, ride what you can afford. Unless what you can afford is a carbon or titanium frame because OH BOY have I saved the best for last. For the price of a decent carbon or titanium frame you could get a fucking FULL CUSTOM STEEL FRAME. What the ACTUAL fuck. “Oh I can afford it so I should get the best thing even if it wont last as long and will be out of date in two years.” No. Ew. Stop with the consumerist bullshit. If I had fuck you money I might - MIGHT - be convinced to buy a custom titanium frame. At worst, its a more expensive steel frame that doesn’t need paint. But if you ever see me dropping $10k on a fucking carbon bike please shoot me and bury me in an unmarked grave.