When you were racing, I believe steel was still the primary material. How well did it hold up to the rigors of racing? Would it last and last as the “steel is real” crowd would have you believe? I am 6′5″ and weigh just under 190, so am larger than the average racer. Do you know how body size plays into frame life?
"My very nice carbon bike bought in 2006 developed an odd, intermittent clicking in the bottom bracket that I first noticed in recent rides. When I inspected the frame halfway through a ride Saturday, I noticed cracks in the bottom bracket shell and extending into the right chain stay. The good news is I got home fine. The bad news is it is time to replace the frame. Considering the time I actually spent in the saddle, it turns out the great deal I got on this frame was not so great, after all.
When you were racing, I believe steel was still the primary material. How well did it hold up to the rigors of racing? Would it last and last as the "steel is real" crowd would have you believe?
I am 6'5" and weigh just under 190, so am larger than the average racer. Do you know how body size plays into frame life?
I am sorry to hear about your bike. It is always a drag when you've found that comfortable bike, best-fitting jeans or perfectly grease-stained and weathered hat, only to have them come apart in their prime."
Steel is absolutely real, my friend. It can be repaired, cold set, re-painted and customized. It is comfortable. It lasts and lasts, just like they say.
Personally, I find redeeming qualities in all of the common frame-building materials, so I have a bit of a hard time determining a favorite one. I currently own and ride a carbon fiber road bike -- and I'd say it is one of the nicest rides I have ever been treated to. Yet there's still something about steel ...
Yes, steel was the primary frame-building material when I was racing, and it held up really well. However, when you're racing as much as we did back then and training on top of that, we would start to feel that the frame was "going south," so to speak, by the end-of-year classics.
But then again, you have to remember that we were (I was) riding one bike, every single day, from the beginning of January through the end of October. I was riding big miles and 140 or so races during that period. My bike was ridden over the worst roads, it was cleaned with diesel fuel, soap and water almost every single day, and was subjected to rain and fertilizer-strewn roads weekly. The thing pulled tough duty, to say the least.
Since your question asked for a bit more knowledgeable substance that simply my reminiscing over the past, I called upon one of the smartest people I know, my friend Mark Zeh. Mark was one of the legendary frame-builders of the '90's and had his work featured in magazines well before the bike world started celebrating the "hand built bike."
In 1994, when I was riding for the Coors Light Team here in the States, Mark built me the most amazing mountain bike frame on which I attempted to murder the rest of the field as well as the speed record for the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40. And I would have gotten away for it too, if it hadn't been for those pesky kids and their dog -- I mean a double flat and a mini pump.Anyway, thanks to Mark, you have an informed answer.
"The short answer is that body size shouldn’t really play any role in frameset life, unless you’re somehow extremely heavy and ride a lot! I could imagine that someone who is very large and powerful, like a pro basketball player, would probably have to replace a frameset more often, but your dimensions seem well within the range of the riders that I’ve worked with.
Of course there are things that influence frame life for any size rider:
1. Build quality—this has to do with the fit-up of the tubing at the joints and builder’s skill in joining the tubing. If the fit-up of the tubing is poor and the builder closes the gaps with welding rod or brazing material, a lot of included stress is built into the frameset. These framesets tend to break sooner.
2. Materials and parts selection—It’s important that the sizes and gauges of the tubing are selected for the rider’s size and weight. If you want an ultra-light frameset, it probably won’t last very many seasons. Tubing cracks from fatigue always start at the downtube/headtube joint or where the seat tube goes into the bottom bracket. The right side rear dropout is the frame component that is most-prone to fatigue and breakage. The type used by the builder will have an impact on frame life—I always preferred to use “Breeze-in” style dropouts—there’s just nothing there to flex on them.
3. The seat post clamp type— this is an area of major stress on a frameset. I used to use separate, aluminum collars on my framesets, and used a seat tube that was externally butted at the top, so that there is more material where the seatstays and top tube join the seat tube. Before I slotted the seat tube, I would drill a 6mm hole at the location where the slot would end and braze a washer around the hole. The slot was only about 4mm wide, so this created reinforcement at the bottom of the slot and also terminated the stresses from the seatpost in a nice way. I did this, since the bottom of the seat tube slot is also a common area for cracks to start on a frameset. Many builders still choose to use a welded-on threaded collar, or lugs with ears for the bolt. These can all be fine, but tend to “stretch” over time. Whatever your frame has, it’s important that the seatpost fits very closely inside the seat tube. The post should slide smoothly, but not freely, or the clamp will have to roll the material of the seat tube around the post to clamp down on it. In cases like that, it’s common for the seat clamp bolt to bend and break over time.
Hope that’s helpful, as you consider your next frameset purchase."
http://www.markzehinnovation.com
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2 Responses to “When you were racing, I believe steel was still the primary material. How well did it hold up to the rigors of racing? Would it last and last as the “steel is real” crowd would have you believe? I am 6′5″ and weigh just under 190, so am larger than the average racer. Do you know how body size plays into frame life?”
Thanks, Joe.
Fingers crossed the warranty will apply. But this is the last Made in China frame I plan to buy….
Oh man! That bike is all business! Damm! That was a winner.
I remember this race I was at with you in 92′. I was on a drop bar B-Stoned thinking I was gonna lay waste to all of ya’s.
Nope. I got murdered and ground into the gravel.
You were riding a bone stock fisher pro caliber. Just crushed us.
Which you then rode to victory at the Chequomagon 40 that year.
You were on target in the 94′ race to record time! It was like 5min till we rolled up on you just finishing that first flat. and then I flatted.
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