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pashtag.
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April 26, 2017 at 8:24 am #27042
newleaf
Came accross this in my quest for my next bike, I love the look of it but not quite sure if steel is right for me, is the weight difference going to make a big difference?
I am mainly looking for a bike to keep fit, 2 or 3 one hour to two hour rides a week maybe the odd club ride as I get fitter and gain more confiedence.
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barbarus: My budget? Don’t
barbarus: My budget? Don’t want to spend more than I have to. Argos (I have a made to measure from them from back in 1995) are around £1800 for an 853, but if there is an off the peg for significantly less then I’ll be attracted more to it. What do you have in mind?
antigee
newleaf [5 posts] 22 hours ago0 likesNot heard of Spa either but like the look of the SPA CYCLES Steel Audax (Shimano 105 Double), just slightly over my budget, need to think about this on
….Spa cycles have been around for years – 20 years or so since they were local to where I worked and service was great and they had been around quite a while then….they specialise in touring/audax and do a good job of it
no relation just a satisfied customer happy to see a specialist business outwitting the big ones
drjohn
I love the look of the
I love the look of the Holdsworth Competition as a £599 frameset, Italian built. If you want a cheap but high quality steel frame, there are bargains galore on eBay! I have a 2nd hand Mercian Superlight and I love the unique feeling of riding a classic lugged steel “lightweight” (c.2Kg).
If you just want to keep fit though: nothing promotes fitness better than a bike you really really want to get out and ride! That means fit and grin factor are paramount. Go to a bike shop and try loads of bikes. Go home and ask yourself, which one did I enjoy most?
PASHTAG: the 2.1 Kg weight is for a Spa Ti Audax frame and fork. Read the *note at the foot of the geometry chart!
NWARDILL: The Ribble 525 looks odd to me because it has a very skinny downtube. A colleague at work has one as a commuter/hack. I wonder if the lack of stiffness in the downtube/headtube junction is responsible for your high speed wobbles?
barbarus
Pashtag, what’s your budget?
Pashtag, what’s your budget?What happens if you sit
What happens if you sit further back and take weight off your hands on the Ribble? Does the wobble reduce?
nwardill
I have the ribble 525, I have
I have the ribble 525, I have had bike wobble 3 times going downhill on the same hill, doesn’t happen on my other bike, could just be me though. Use 23mm,
Excellent. Thanks for
Excellent. Thanks for starting this thread. I too want a steel frame. My needs are:
* 55cm top tube
* 74 deg seat tube
* Mudguard eyes
* Can take 28mm tyres (or bigger) with guards
* Caliper brakes
* Lightweight
I’ve looked at the following:
* Genesis Equilibrium – Favourable geometry but weighs (inc. fork) 2.72kg – https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-equilibrium-725-frameset-2016-road-bike-frame-EV258308
* Ribble 525 – Favourable geometry but weighs 2.1kg (assumed just frame – see Q&A – can anyone confirm this?) and wont take more than 25mm with mudguards – http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-525-reynolds-audax-winter-frameset/
* Holdsworth Brevet – More relaxed seat tube (73 deg) but over 3.1kg (inc. fork) – see Sizes and Specs -http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FRHOBRV/holdsworth-brevet-audax-frameset
* Spa Audax 725 – Further relaxed seat tube (73.5 deg) but SUPERLIGHT 2.1kg (inc. fork) and takes 28mm tyres with mudguards – http://www.spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/uploads/audaxgeometry.jpg
* Spa Audax 631 – The medium would be the ideal geometry for me, however no stock!!!. No reference to weight but we have one of their Touring 631 frames and it is lighter than their 725 (which we also have) so I am guessing this one will be light – http://www.spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/631audaxgeometry.pdf
At the moment I am leaning towards a Spa Audax 725…
Anything I have missed?
Not heard of Spa either but
Not heard of Spa either but like the look of the SPA CYCLES Steel Audax (Shimano 105 Double), just slightly over my budget, need to think about this one!
Alessandro
My current winter/commuter
My current winter/commuter bike is a 7 year old aluminium Bianchi Via Nirone which I’ve previously upgraded until I bought a fancier bike last summer and am now in the process of downgrading again. Having recently moved back to civilisation (Scotland…), I am beginning to full appreciate the value of having a solid set of mudguards. The Bianchi has no lugs and I’m therefore tempted to buy a new steel frame for the coming winter which can take proper guards.
Despite never having heard of them until recently, I’ve been pointed in the direction of the Spa Cycles Steel Audax bike (http://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s143p2828/SPA-CYCLES-Steel-Audax-Frame-and-Forks). You can buy it as a full bike but I’m likely to buy the frame and just swap all of my old gubbins onto it.
I have absolutely no experience of steel bikes but a lot of people seem to swear by them and I much prefer the skinny tubes they tend to be built with compared to the gargantuan monstrosities that so often plague some modern carbon bikes.
Drewcifer wrote:I ride a Genesis Equilibrium 20 and love it to bits. I managed to get one on eBay for a great price. You sound about the same size as me and my frame is a large 58cm but because of the geometry it’s more like a a 57cm. The Ribble geometry looks similar.As for the weight….I prefer the solidity, and the way it soaks up a lot of the gnarliness one encounters on yer average UK roads. If I was riding anything lighter in a 40mph headwind I’d be worried I’d blow away! I recommend watching “A Sunday In Hell” or “The Stars And The Water Carriers” and reminding yourself what those boys were capable of on their steel bikes, with fewer gears!
In short: go for it
When you say it has a simliar geometry to the Ribble Reynolds 525, their guide is saying I am a large which looks like a 55cm http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-reynolds-525-steel/ i rang up and spoke to Ribble yesterday and the person i spoke to confirmed that based on my height and inside leg I would fit their large frame.
Anonymous
Unless you are aiming to
Unless you are aiming to become ‘king of the mountain’ and you ride only the hills then weight is not an issue at this level. On the flat there is no advantage to a ultra light carbon bike vs a high quality steel bike – momentum is your friend. If you you want to be faster on the flats then aero is the main consideration (aero wheels on TT bikes are much heavier than standard wheels but they are faster). Go for it. Steel is real.
Forester
Likewise, I have an
Likewise, I have an Equilibrium 10 which I rewarded with an upgrade to 105 and new wheels at 10,000k, great bike.
Drewcifer
I ride a Genesis Equilibrium
I ride a Genesis Equilibrium 20 and love it to bits. I managed to get one on eBay for a great price. You sound about the same size as me and my frame is a large 58cm but because of the geometry it’s more like a a 57cm. The Ribble geometry looks similar.
As for the weight….I prefer the solidity, and the way it soaks up a lot of the gnarliness one encounters on yer average UK roads. If I was riding anything lighter in a 40mph headwind I’d be worried I’d blow away! I recommend watching “A Sunday In Hell” or “The Stars And The Water Carriers” and reminding yourself what those boys were capable of on their steel bikes, with fewer gears!
In short: go for it
matthewn5
Beware of Planet-X’s size
Beware of Planet-X’s size chart – they recommended a 56 for me that was more like a 57 and I couldn’t get comfortable.
Almost made my mind up, its
Almost made my mind up, its either this one or Ralaigh Criterium Sport both using Tiagra set up, I went to my local bike shop this morning and he agreed with me that i would need the 58cm frame for the Criterium but on the Ribble sizing chart I would be a large. Little bit wary of buying online after a mistake last week when i went by the size chart on Evans Cycles and got a Specialized Allez 56cm frame and it was too small among other things. My nearest Ribble store is Birmingham and I haven’t got the time to go there so would have to trust to ordering online. I’m 5.11 and 3/4 so a smidge under 6ft with a 32 inside leg.
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