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Tech Bicycle weight & material (June 2018 split-off)

Justin

Maximum Pace
Nov 12, 2016
168
166
Some work was needed to fix the gold leaf as it seemed to be deteriorating (which gold obviously shouldn't do). It's back now and looking as good as new, and is still a dream to ride. There is a very noticeable difference between the Field and my gravel bike.

Can I ask how much it weighs (obviously minus bike computer, water bottles, etc.) I'm curious because I spent my first 12 years on a steel road bike (photos attached) and in that time I never seriously contemplated carbon because I never seriously considered myself a hardcore cyclist. Eventually I got tired of being dropped by mates on big climbs and made the switch. The steel bike had an old C-record group, so the full build wasn't exactly light. It clocked in at roughly 10kg. I don't regret making the change to carbon and shedding nearly 3kg, but I do miss the feel of steel. The idea of a modern, lightweight steel build is an appealing one.

Ciöcc C-Record Build2.JPG Ciocc C-Record Rebuild 1.JPG
 
One guy in the group I ride with has a fully custom steel road bike, fully decked out with SRAM Red eTap, Chris King hubs and headset, and Enve wheels. When I asked he claimed it weighed 7.8 kg.
 
he claimed it weighed 7.8 kg
It's certainly possible, as I've seen steel framsets (frame plus fork) coming under 1.5 kg. If you put the lightest components and wheels, and basically six months salary into it haha
 
Can I ask how much it weighs (obviously minus bike computer, water bottles, etc.) I'm curious because I spent my first 12 years on a steel road bike (photos attached) and in that time I never seriously contemplated carbon because I never seriously considered myself a hardcore cyclist. Eventually I got tired of being dropped by mates on big climbs and made the switch. The steel bike had an old C-record group, so the full build wasn't exactly light. It clocked in at roughly 10kg. I don't regret making the change to carbon and shedding nearly 3kg, but I do miss the feel of steel. The idea of a modern, lightweight steel build is an appealing one.

View attachment 16540 View attachment 16541
Lovely bike.
 
Can I ask how much it weighs (obviously minus bike computer, water bottles, etc.) I'm curious because I spent my first 12 years on a steel road bike (photos attached) and in that time I never seriously contemplated carbon because I never seriously considered myself a hardcore cyclist. Eventually I got tired of being dropped by mates on big climbs and made the switch. The steel bike had an old C-record group, so the full build wasn't exactly light. It clocked in at roughly 10kg. I don't regret making the change to carbon and shedding nearly 3kg, but I do miss the feel of steel. The idea of a modern, lightweight steel build is an appealing one.

View attachment 16540 View attachment 16541
Mine weighs in at pretty much bang on 8.1kg with the Enve SES2.2 tubular wheels and crank based power meter (8.0kg with the none-PM red crank). The frame itself is a bit of a porker. I went with an integrated seat post (ISP) which I think weighs quite a bit more than a steel frame+ carbon seat post and being 6ft2, the frame is a similar size to a 58 or 59 frame. If you are a smaller guy, you can drop quite a bit of weight due to the frame size.
Mine is far from being a weight weenie build. There are much lighter steel builds out there. If I remember rightly, Rob English's personal steel bike is under 6kg.

I went from a carbon bike weighing 6.07kg to this steel machine. The carbon bike was a beautiful bike to ride, especially when I pointed it up, but the steel is just sublime. Wouldn't swap it for anything. I do wish I could have held onto the carbon bike, but I needed to make room for a gravel bike instead. Having two road bikes just didn't make sense to me.
 
Mine weighs in at pretty much bang on 8.1kg with the Enve SES2.2 tubular wheels and crank based power meter (8.0kg with the none-PM red crank). The frame itself is a bit of a porker. I went with an integrated seat post (ISP) which I think weighs quite a bit more than a steel frame+ carbon seat post and being 6ft2, the frame is a similar size to a 58 or 59 frame. If you are a smaller guy, you can drop quite a bit of weight due to the frame size.
Mine is far from being a weight weenie build. There are much lighter steel builds out there. If I remember rightly, Rob English's personal steel bike is under 6kg.

I went from a carbon bike weighing 6.07kg to this steel machine. The carbon bike was a beautiful bike to ride, especially when I pointed it up, but the steel is just sublime. Wouldn't swap it for anything. I do wish I could have held onto the carbon bike, but I needed to make room for a gravel bike instead. Having two road bikes just didn't make sense to me.
Cheers. I'm sorely tempted by the idea of going back to steel, or possibly trying out titanium. Some of the custom Baum builds sound like they're amazing to ride, if eye-wateringly expensive (https://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/bikes-of-the-bunch-lotus-49-inspired-baum-corretto/). I'd be reluctant to do it unless I could get the completed bike under 8kg, and I worry that, as @luka points out, it would end up turning into a giant money pit. Not that that has ever stopped me before. Maybe it can be my mid-life crisis purchase.
 
@Justin - I have Steel and Titanium MTBs. I like Steel better. I actually warrantied a defective frame and the manufacturer offered me my money back or a titanium replacement. I opted for the the Ti. I love the bike now and truly am happy with it, but honestly, I wish the steel frame that had issues would have been perfect. Ti comes in different configurations just like steel, so you can get them flexy or stiff. In this case, my ti bike is a touch more stiff than I prefer. When I bring it out to XC races, it is the perfect bike. An excellent combo of power/weight and comfort. It is leaps and bound more comfy than my old Aluminum bikes, but... it isn't steel.

Steel is not for everyone.
Ti is not for everyone.
Carbon is not for everyone.

If possible, try and find one to get a long test ride on. Not just a 10 minute spin. Ti is a really expensive option to get wrong.
 
Some work was needed to fix the gold leaf as it seemed to be deteriorating (which gold obviously shouldn't do). It's back now and looking as good as new, and is still a dream to ride. There is a very noticeable difference between the Field and my gravel bike.
Glad it was only cosmetic.
 
@Justin - Ti comes in different configurations just like steel, so you can get them flexy or stiff.
Steel is not for everyone.
Ti is not for everyone.
Carbon is not for everyone.
If possible, try and find one to get a long test ride on. Not just a 10 minute spin. Ti is a really expensive option to get wrong.
i agree to a point but any material can be made to provide any ride characteristics. The secret is the magic sauce the designers put into their frames. For my dirt racer I went custom Ti and got exactly the bike I asked for in terms of comfort and feel. I also have a carbon racer that I am perfectly happy with and can see myself happily riding in another ten years, albeit much slower than now.
 
i agree to a point but any material can be made to provide any ride characteristics. The secret is the magic sauce the designers put into their frames. For my dirt racer I went custom Ti and got exactly the bike I asked for in terms of comfort and feel. I also have a carbon racer that I am perfectly happy with and can see myself happily riding in another ten years, albeit much slower than now.

Read the sentence just above what you quoted...
I wholeheartedly agree in the magic sauce, and that is why you need to test ride if you have never owned one. You have no starting point to compare.
 
Cheers. I'm sorely tempted by the idea of going back to steel, or possibly trying out titanium. Some of the custom Baum builds sound like they're amazing to ride, if eye-wateringly expensive (https://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/bikes-of-the-bunch-lotus-49-inspired-baum-corretto/). I'd be reluctant to do it unless I could get the completed bike under 8kg, and I worry that, as @luka points out, it would end up turning into a giant money pit. Not that that has ever stopped me before. Maybe it can be my mid-life crisis purchase.
How tall are you? If you are 6ft5 and need a huge frame then sub 8kg would be a little difficult, but otherwise I think it would definitely be attainable without ridiculously priced components. I saw a steel Stinner on the weigh weenies website that didn't use any really weight weenie components and the build came in at 7.48kg ( that was with 45mm carbon clincher which ain't the lightest).
Ive got a bit of a thing for those Stinners at the moment. The Stinner Gibraltar looks amazing. Can be had in steel or Ti, the prices are very reasonable for what you get and you can get custom sized tubes for not much more money. Waiting time is also only around 8 weeks I believe. Obviously there are other very nice bike builders out there, too. Stelbel is another framr builder that is on my radar (not that I'm in the market for a new bike unfortunately).
 
Read the sentence just above what you quoted...
I wholeheartedly agree in the magic sauce, and that is why you need to test ride if you have never owned one. You have no starting point to compare.
my bad, comprehension before coffee is not my strong point.
 
I have 2 carbon, a titanium, a steel and 2 aluminum framed bikes. They are all different but to be honest I cant notice any difference in the "riding feel" you talk about. Sure steel is heavier and one of the aluminum bikes is crap due to its low quality. I notice the geometry but not the frame material. I also cant tell the difference in any of the Japanese beer brands, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo...if that helps.
 
I find it hard to tell the difference between the beers if I'm only having a couple of sips. After a pint or two, it becomes clearer. Same goes for the materials. It's only when I'm doing an all-day ride that I really notice the difference. After hour number four ticks over, I'm thankful for the slightly more forgiving ride that steel offers. That said, I do think there's a tendency to exaggerate this difference.
 
As said before, the same material can me made to handle differently.
Ti can be stiff or flexy, same for steel, same for carbon, not so much for aluminum, but aluminum can be tuned quite a bit.

As for not feeling the difference - possibly it is limited experience? I worked in bike shops for years, I have ridden tons of variations of all materials.
A shit bike is a shit bike - regardless of material and a nice bike is a nice bike regardless of material.
Now... comparing bikes in the mid-high range back to back, there is no doubt a difference. If you are unable to feel it, I have no idea what to tell you.
Bottom bracket sway is immediately noticeable on a sprint. Stiffness is immediately noticeable when you hit a rough road.

My wife can't tell the difference between a BMW 5 series and a Honda Accord. I guess they are the same?
 
The niner is no slouch tho. I have a few friends who have given up their road bikes to ride that for everything but races.
More comfy, once rolling quite fast and easier on the body.

Bump...

Was looking at the Niner RLT steel but turns out the company went through bankruptcy and then was sold. Bummer. The Niner looked like a really good do-it-all bike.
 
Bump...

Was looking at the Niner RLT steel but turns out the company went through bankruptcy and then was sold. Bummer. The Niner looked like a really good do-it-all bike.
They are still in business but now with a parent company. The founder of the company is still there also. Great bikes. I love my RLT Steel. Would recommend it as a hard as nails, do anything (almost) bike.
 
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