New bike affordability

[Ana]

When I got to the top of the hill on the stock aluminum, I was catching my breath.

When I got to the top of the same hill riding the steel bike I could only think of this

That is exactly how I feel when I climb hills on my aluminum frame! I thought it was me (I'm sure it is at least partly! ) but I'm very eager to test ride some steel frames now You may end up converting me I want to discover why steel is called the "plush" ride

A Trek 830 is steel, but it is the kind of steel that does not suit a lighter rider well, because it is heavy and thick walled. This means, if you are not big and heavy enough, it will feel fairly dead and not offer a particularly plush ride. A custom builder can custom "tune" a steel tubeset to fit the rider's size, weight, and intended usage. I built an all-steel frame last summer that weighed 2.6 lbs (most titanium frames come in around the 3lb mark). This shocked me, but made me realize the incredible versatility and benefits of steel. Stock steel frames and bicycles, regardless of the manufacturer, will be more "burly" (i.e., heavier and stiffer) than anything custom, for cost and liability reasons.

I had no idea the tubing on my Trek 830 is too thick to be a plush ride I can't even imagine how different a steel frame for a road bike would be

But if I find one and fall in love with it then I will have to get it....