Re: [CR]Re: Steel, Failure, and Used Racing Bikes

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

From: "David Feldman" <feldmans1@earthlink.net>
To: "Thomas R. Adams, Jr." <kctommy@msn.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <F21IifLDprTxNM19Ipg000237f6@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Steel, Failure, and Used Racing Bikes
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 16:21:40 -0600


Also, I'll say that the notion of steel's vulnerability to rust is a red herring--in 25 years of full-time wrenching in the rainy Northwest I have seen very few frames with actual rust damage. It takes almost deliberate neglect and/or abuse to cause structural damage to a steel frame by rusting.
David Feldman
Vancouver, WA


----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas R. Adams, Jr."
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:52 PM
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Steel, Failure, and Used Racing Bikes



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> Maybe this is the counterpoint to our prior discussions on super light bikes and frames. Bikes in the CR "zone of consideration" have an effectively unlimited life span absent crashes or corrosion. Or at least the effective, usable life span is in the range of 100,000 miles and/or 50 years of use. Thus, you can feel safer buying a used bike made of Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL, knowing it won't have suffered fatigue damage in normal use, even fairly vigorous racing, whereas aluminum, carbon fiber and new super light steel you have to worry about what your buying. (But what is the expected longevity of a highly engineered aluminum bike like a Klein?) I presume Titanium, if well made, has longevity equal to steel, but at a much higher cost and only a bit lighter weight.
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> So when will this knowledge filter out to the mass consumers, making standard weight steel the material of choice? Probably never, given the power of racing in setting market trends and, as has been pointed out before, the consumer's obsession with weight. Also, bike makers might prefer a bike that wears out every few years and requires replacement, so it's hard to expect them to educate consumers about a steel bike's advantages.
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> Of course we can always wait for some rider to get seriously injured riding a "silly light" racing bike through frame fatigue failure, and (shudder) watch the product liability lawyers go to work. "Is it your testimony today, Mr. Colnago, that you sold my client a bicycle frame that you knew would likely fail after a mere 5 years and 30,000 miles of riding, thereby causing my client to implant his head into the grill of that SUV?" Every bike sold thereafter in the US will weigh 32 lbs. (Tongue only lightly in cheek).
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> Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
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> >From: LouDeeter@aol.com
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> >To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
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> >Subject: [CR]Re: Steel, Failure, and Used Racing Bikes
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> >Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 14:34:37 -0500
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> >Ann is absolutely right, one of the risks of buying a used bicycle is that you really don't know what stress that the frame has seen. As Chuck Schmidt pointed out earlier, some "stage" bikes were made with a potential lifespan of one stage. If that "stage" bike wasn't wrecked, then it will might appear on ebay as "like new, ridden less than 200 miles". While you can generally determine low-medium-high usage in very general terms by examining the paint chips under the downtube and on the right chainstay, along with the wear of the parts, you can't really know whether a bike was stressed from racing, heavy rider climbing, or other damaging events without a detailed inspection and alignment check and even then, you may miss something. That is why when you are buying an expensive bike, that you should learn everything you can about inspecting a bike and if you don't know how to do it, to seek assistance from someone who does. I don't believe the ads for cars that say "owned by 80 year old grandmother" and I don't believe "never raced" for most bicycle purchases either. It is a risk. I suppose the framebuilders could say, "that is why you should buy new". I can't argue with that if you are super concerned. Lou Deeter, "I buy used", Orlando FL
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