Steel is Real

In recent years, steel has made a comeback of sorts as a material for building bikes. It went something like this.

• Steel is heavy, aluminum is lighter!
• Titanium is lighter than aluminum (sometimes) with a better feel!
• Carbon fiber is lighter than metal and can be built into al kinds of weird shapes!
• I don't need a 15-pound bike, steel is durable and "classic" and, sometimes at least, oh so pretty.

Okay, well, for me, I still like the feel of aluminum and especially carbon. Aluminum is very stiff and I love the power-transfer you can get from a good aluminum frame. Carbon is, well, everything I want in a frame. It's light, it's pretty, it's stiff, but forgiving.

However, I don't hate steel. No, I just like it in a different spot. I love steel-spoked wheels.

In my arsenal, I have aluminum, carbon-aramid, Vectran and steel-spoked wheels. I like them all, but I keep coming back to steel. I love the ride of steel-spoked wheels. They're plenty stiff, but don't shake your fillings loose. They're easy to work on (usually) and durable. They're "classic." They're understated and elegant. These days, they're often bladed, and very thin--making them very aerodynamic, too.

Keep up the good work, steel.