steel? carbon? or steel/carbon combo?

[admiral finch]

I agree with everything that has been said about steel. Currently, I'm riding an 02 lemond Buenos Aires (her name is Hen) that is all steel. I switched the steel fork for carbon and I've been exceedingly satisfied with the improvement of the handling and, especially on decents. I'm having a new frame built for me--I'm also short and I have weird proportions, like an extra long torso for my height-- and I had the option of getting either a steel or a carbon frame. I chose to go with a Waterford steel frame and I'm really excited to get the bike! Not only will it be built for me, but I'll be able to put what I want on it, and... the best part... it is the color I wanted--a fade from light yellow to vanilla--and I had the carbon fork painted to match. WOO. Yah, I'm girlie right now, I know. I'm stoked on the whole color thing because I didn't want the standard black and gray.
I'll be putting a carbon seat post on, but using an aluminum Ritchey stem and aluminum bars. If I were to crash, those two items would be most likely to need replacing if they were carbon.
Another thing about steel that you'll want to pay attention to is the grade of steel--531, 631, 753, 853, etc... and what tubing is made of what grade.
For instance, I thought the lemond was 753 throughout, but it's really only 753 on the seat tube and is 531 on the rest of the frame. I really don't know too much about what the different grades are, but I did find this site that could be helpful:

https://vault2.secured-url.com/reynolds/steel531.html

So. Those are my two cents. Good luck!

A.F.

[MightyMitre]

Love 531 tubing. Do you know why?

Because Reynolds is my surname!!

Gives me a chuckle when I ride my steel bike because the tubing has my name on it.

[Veronica]

Okay so I weighed 111 when I was in 6th grade.

V.

[massbikebabe]

Veronica:

hahahahhahahahahaha...you read my mind. I would not post my weight anywhere these days even if you had a rifle to my head Maybe in May after I get my most serious miles in...

karen

[spazzdog]

Have you seen the 2005 Bianchi 928 L'UNA Record?

Very expensive, but goddess is it gorgeous... all white carbon (though it looks gray in the photo).

Go to http://www.bianchiusa.com/548.html for a peek.

Another great photo at the Interbike 2005 show is at
http://www.sammamishcycle.com/interb...erbike-086.jpg

[caligurl]

that bianchi is gorgeous! my hubby actually emailed me the links from work the other day (and one of a gorgeous white bike with red handlebar tape! flashy!)

[admiral finch]

Oh wow, I agree. My shop guys all wanted that when they came back from Interbike. They pushed me to get it when I was looking for the new bike. so pretty....

[emily_in_nc]

Originally posted by caligurl
which is best? all steel? all carbon? or a combination of steel and carbon?

Hi caligurl,

I have an all-carbon bike (Aegis Swift), all steel (Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe), and steel with carbon fork (Terry Isis), and they are all great bikes and very comfortable rides. There is a noticeable difference in weight between most steel and carbon bikes, though. My Aegis comes in at 18.5 lbs including saddle, pedals, wb cages, and small seat bag. The Bike Friday, about 21 lbs, and the Terry, about 23 lbs.

When you're small like us (I'm 5'2" and lightweight also), bike weight is more important than in larger riders, because every lb. you add or subtract from the bike is a higher percentage of your body weight. And when you're already as light as you are, it's not like you can lose another 10 lbs off your body to "lighten up" as many riders could afford to.

If you ride mostly the flats, you might not notice a difference, but for hills, I do better on my lightest bike. I can achieve a higher average speed on that bike than the others. Of course, my Friday has wider tires, which slows me down, but the Terry also has 23c tires. For a given route and effort level, I was about 1 mph slower on my Terry than I am on my Aegis, which is why the Terry is on my trainer now!

However, my Terry is a 2001 model. I expect a brand new Luna with part carbon would be lighter, especially if you equip it with light components, use light wheels, and the like. I have heard wonderful things about Luna and would certainly consider one myself if I were in the market for a custom bike. I've read and agree that frame material is just one of many components to consider when buying a new bike, and that all have their pros and cons. I personally suspect you'd be happy with either carbon or a steel/carbon mix as long as the bike fits you and is beautiful - and I am sure it will be!

Good luck and let us know what you decide...

Emily