Quote Originally Posted by Miranda View Post
Hmmm--my brain kinda hurts now.
Ah, ladies, our job here is done

Quote Originally Posted by Miranda View Post
Steele was something I had not considered as light, fast, or smooth. Well, I still have my old steele 10 speed from being a kid hanging on hooks in my garage. Of course she's dead heavy. Was just a cheap bike.
Seriously, though, today's steel isn't the steel of your childhood. Margo can go through the nitty gritty, but today's steel is lighter and a good builder can work miracles. My steel bike is a few pounds lighter than the Cannondale aluminum it replaced. And I'm big (I ride a 58/60cm frame). I seem to recall you said 29" inseam? There isn't that much frame there. The weight of the frame will not be a huge factor.

But, seriously, if custom steel ends up on your radar, drop over to the Terry website. Not for the bikes (you don't sound like a WSD fit), but because Georgina Terry has two interesting interviews with Richard Schwinn (Waterford Bikes) on the today's steel.