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Who buys these things ?


Page Turner

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Three Modern Steel Bikes

bianchi-eroica-1546530450.jpg
Bianchi Eroica

$4,000 | bianchiusa.com

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Upgraded nostalgia with downtube shifters and an elegantly integrated headset, a dazzling Bianchi celeste paint job, and, of course, a Campy groupset.

masi-gran-criterium-classico-1546530450.
Masi Gran Criterium Classico

$2,720 | masibikes.com

BUY NOW

Masi replicated its gorgeous road-race bike from the ’70s, down to the iconic chrome lug set.

stoemper-taylor-1546530450.jpg
Stoemper Taylör

$2,399 (frameset) | stoemper.com

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This steel frame rides retro-smooth but is customizable with modern components including disc brakes and eTap shifting.

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...I mean, 4000 bucks for a nostalgia reproduction of a bicycle you can buy with the original components for 600 bucks on Craigslist ? :huh: But this one has a proprietary "integrated headset" ?

Is this the next hipster fixie craze, but for old baby boomers with too much disposable income ?  #WTF

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4 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...I mean, 4000 bucks for a nostalgia reproduction of a bicycle you can buy with the original components for 600 bucks on Craigslist ? :huh: But this one has a proprietary "integrated headset" ?

Is this the next hipster fixie craze, but for old baby boomers with too much disposable income ?  #WTF

Steel frame knowledge peaked 30 years ago?

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1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

Steel frame knowledge peaked 30 years ago?

I don't think so.   The steel alloys are better now, building methods have refined and stainless steel tubing is a thing.

Its still a dated material but much better than 30 years ago.

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3 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I don't think so.   The steel alloys are better now, building methods have refined and stainless steel tubing is a thing.

Its still a dated material but much better than 30 years ago.

ARE YOU CRAZY!??!?!

How could any of that nonsense you spout be true????

You must be one of those darn wealthy baby boomer hipsters!

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17 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

Three Modern Steel Bikes

bianchi-eroica-1546530450.jpg
Bianchi Eroica

$4,000 | bianchiusa.com

MORE INFO
Upgraded nostalgia with downtube shifters and an elegantly integrated headset, a dazzling Bianchi celeste paint job, and, of course, a Campy groupset.

masi-gran-criterium-classico-1546530450.
Masi Gran Criterium Classico

$2,720 | masibikes.com

BUY NOW

Masi replicated its gorgeous road-race bike from the ’70s, down to the iconic chrome lug set.

stoemper-taylor-1546530450.jpg
Stoemper Taylör

$2,399 (frameset) | stoemper.com

MORE INFO

This steel frame rides retro-smooth but is customizable with modern components including disc brakes and eTap shifting.

My go to LBS sells a fair number if these bikes.  The Manager knows me well and we always shoot the bull as he knows I like the classic stuff. He says it's older guys with $$ who buy them for nostalgia and to ride La Eroica events.

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29 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I don't think so.   The steel alloys are better now, building methods have refined and stainless steel tubing is a thing.

Its still a dated material but much better than 30 years ago.

...I'll need a link so I can educate myself.  To my knowledge, the steel alloy tubing of today in those diameters is no better than the columbus SLX and the Reynolds 531c  of olden dayes with the exception of the weldability/heat treating versions.  Neither weldability nor heat treating is especially important as a consideration in constructing a lugged bicycle frame.

The improvements in steel bicyccle frame manufacturing seem to have more to do with OS tubing dieameters, and the resulting ability to draw the tubing walls out thinner, thus making the frames lighter but still with the requisite stiffness.  An example is pictured below.

 

Specialized Elite (Silver) 008.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 009.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 010.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 011.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 012.JPG

 

Specialized Elite (Silver) 014.JPG

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26 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

ARE YOU CRAZY!??!?!

 

...yes. See above.  If you are convinced that steel bike tech in the making of one of those repro frames is "improved", I'll need to be convinced.  And just so you know, I consider your opinion on this to have almost zero probative value,.  So I'll need links and quotes to technological sources, you lazy fucking hipster. :)

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2 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...I'll need a link so I can educate myself.  To my knowledge, the steel alloy tubing of today in those diameters is no better than the columbus SLX and the Reynolds 531c  of olden dayes with the exception of the weldability/heat treating versions.  Neither weldability nor heat treating is especially important as a consideration in constructing a lugged bicycle frame.

The improvements in steel bicyccle frame manufacturing seem to have more to do with OS tubing dieameters, and the resulting ability to draw the tubing walls out thinner, thus making the frames lighter but still with the requisite stiffness.  An example is pictured below.

 

Specialized Elite (Silver) 008.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 009.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 010.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 011.JPG

Specialized Elite (Silver) 012.JPG

 

Specialized Elite (Silver) 014.JPG

Valid point.  I wonder what the differences are of say Reynolds 531 & 853.  Is it the alloy or how it's drawn, tube thickness & how it's treated.

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1 minute ago, Page Turner said:

...yes. See above.  If you are convinced that steel bike tech in the making of one of those repro frames is "improved", I'll need to be convinced.  And just so you know, I consider your opinion on this to have almost zero probative value,.  So I'll need links and quotes to technological sources, you lazy fucking hipster. :)

I'm not doing your research for you! 

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1 hour ago, Page Turner said:

...I mean, 4000 bucks for a nostalgia reproduction of a bicycle you can buy with the original components for 600 bucks on Craigslist ? :huh: But this one has a proprietary "integrated headset" ?

Is this the next hipster fixie craze, but for old baby boomers with too much disposable income ?  #WTF

Nah, at that price hipsters and old baby boomers with too much income (wait, what!) would buy Ti. 

Steel if Ti was too rich for them, Aluminum...not with their bones and arthritis, and definitely wouldn't buy any of that plastic junk. ?

It doesn't have to be a $5000 Moots Vamoots when a Lynsky R270 Ultegra/disc $2750 will do.

 

 

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15 minutes ago, Tizeye said:

Nah, at that price hipsters and old baby boomers with too much income (wait, what!) would buy Ti. 

Steel if Ti was too rich for them, Aluminum...not with their bones and arthritis, and definitely wouldn't buy any of that plastic junk. ?

I own steel, titanium, and aluminum.  Steel rides the best, titanium is nice to hoist up on bike racks, and aluminum suffices when all the electrical gear on the bike is already weighing it down and you can't afford the addition 4 or 5 pounds of metal adding to the already gawd-for-saken weight of an e-bike.

That about sums it up.

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12 minutes ago, Tizeye said:

Nah, at that price hipsters and old baby boomers with too much income (wait, what!) would buy Ti. 

Steel if Ti was too rich for them, Aluminum...not with their bones and arthritis, and definitely wouldn't buy any of that plastic junk. ?

What about plastic with motors? I here that's all the rage with the cool cats these days. 

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Just now, Dottles said:

I own steel, titanium, and aluminum.  Steel rides the best, titanium is nice to hoist up on bike racks, and aluminum suffices when all the electrical gear on the bike is already weighing it down and you can't afford the addition 4 or 5 pounds of metal adding to the already gawd-for-sake bike weight of an e-bike.

That about sums it up.

And CF beats them all :D You should look into a CF bike to solve your need for multiple bikes. CF does everything well.

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3 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

And CF beats them all :D You should look into a CF bike to solve your need for multiple bikes. CF does everything well.

My degree is in engineering and I try to respect the visions and calculations of the others in my profession.  They said this bridge will support me, that rope is strong enough to hold me, two screws are enough to hold it - I'm on board.

but I have a mental block with carbon bikes.  Even at my "fit" 245 pounds I would be uneasy at a full sprint or bombing down a hill on CF.  "Luckily" it's pretty much a moot point for me.

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5 minutes ago, Dottles said:

Do you own a testicle cradle?  Or do you have balls of steel?

My cross bike is AL and it rice beautifully.  Don't get too hung up on "it rides like a jackhammer"  as ride quality is more a function how it's made not what it's made from.

I noticed Giant dumbed down the Anthem 29 for 2019.  Mine is Al with a high end spec.  They lowered the price point but also lowered the spec.  I'm guessing most want a carbon frame with lower end spec at that price point but I'm stoked with my Al frame and high end spec.  I don't need to upgrade a single part, including the frame.

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7 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...please. "Dazzling" is not how I would describe Bianchi celeste.  "Dazzling" looks like this:

 

Ron Cooper (repainted) 006.JPG

Ron Cooper (repainted) 007.JPG

Ron Cooper (repainted) 009.JPG

Beutiful for sure but I'm a sucker for Celeste too. (Says the guy with a nude carbon Bianchi...)

I wish I had photos of my early 80's Gazelle. The color was "champagne" a metallic yellowish gold with white accents and red lettering.  Just stunning.

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4 hours ago, TrentonMakes said:

but I have a mental block with carbon bikes.  Even at my "fit" 245 pounds I would be uneasy at a full sprint or bombing down a hill on CF.  "Luckily" it's pretty much a moot point for me.

I always thought that, but then a good deal came up on an older CF bike so I went for it.  It only rides a tad smoother than my really old aluminium one.

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...in 40 years, all those carbon fiber reinforced plastic bicycles will be a fond memory when the guys riding them now are olde and frail.  By then, bicycle frame weights will be in ounces instead of pounds, and the only reason they won't float away is rider weight.

 

3663-500x0.jpg

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The more money people have in excess of their needs, the more they seem willing to waste on fads, nostalgia, autographs, etc. or the latest gear.

And there are those who will experience a reduced standard of living because they have to have the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc.

My siblings and I agree that growing up very poor had at least one positive result: we went through life living beneath our means and achieved better lives and incomes than average.

I've seen people in Walmart in ragged clothes and awful looking older car with an ear stuck to the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc. as they shop the aisles. Then at the checkout counter they're struggling to find enough change to pay cash for their stuff.  Amazing how keeping up appearances can ruin your life.

 

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1 minute ago, MickinMD said:

The more money people have in excess of their needs, the more they seem willing to waste on fads, nostalgia, autographs, etc. or the latest gear.

And there are those who will experience a reduced standard of living because they have to have the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc.

My siblings and I agree that growing up very poor had at least one positive result: we went through life living beneath our means and achieved better lives and incomes than average.

I've seen people in Walmart in ragged clothes and awful looking older car with an ear stuck to the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc. as they shop the aisles. Then at the checkout counter they're struggling to find enough change to pay cash for their stuff.  Amazing how keeping up appearances can ruin your life.

 

I don't buy very many things for myself.  But when I do, I do tend to go for it.  Mainly in bikes.  But I have spent more money on travel than anything else in my life and I cherish that.  I get to carry around those experiences with me until the day I die or come down with dementia.  Even then I suspect I will always remember those memories, I just won't be able to put it into perspective or identify how those experiences relate to me in the bigger picture... or who the hell I am.

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8 hours ago, MickinMD said:

The more money people have in excess of their needs, the more they seem willing to waste on fads, nostalgia, autographs, etc. or the latest gear.

And there are those who will experience a reduced standard of living because they have to have the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc.

My siblings and I agree that growing up very poor had at least one positive result: we went through life living beneath our means and achieved better lives and incomes than average.

I've seen people in Walmart in ragged clothes and awful looking older car with an ear stuck to the latest iPhone, Note 8, etc. as they shop the aisles. Then at the checkout counter they're struggling to find enough change to pay cash for their stuff.  Amazing how keeping up appearances can ruin your life.

 

True but I don't know if things that keep you healthy totally falls into that logic (assuming you can afford it in the first place).  

Sure buying a retro steel roadie when you have a high end road bike may be overkill but if you ride them both, stay active & fit while doing so I'd think there is value in that.  Like having multiple bikes for various disciplines. Some may see it as overkill but if you ride them all and enjoy the health benefit of riding them I don't see the problem.  At least that's how I justify it!  

Seriously though I drive an older car and have an older phone because cars & tech gizmos aren't important to me but I ride  high end bikes because I can afford them and they are important to me.

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12 hours ago, Page Turner said:

...in 40 years, all those carbon fiber reinforced plastic bicycles will be a fond memory when the guys riding them now are olde and frail.  By then, bicycle frame weights will be in ounces instead of pounds, and the only reason they won't float away is rider weight.

Will steel bikes still be the exact same? No progress? No improvements? Staid and stale?

I'll buy the nanotube frame when it arrives! And the 20 speed gruppo.

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