Independent Fabrication Single-Speed Disc Brake Club Racer At Tokyo Trade Show

Now I have nothing against steel frame bike, but why are the the companies that push these steel frames for being better than carbon building up the rest of the bikes with carbon. Like this last one, ENVE wheels, seat post, fork, stem, bars(im just guessing) Campy super recond, which has lots of carbon, and a fizik saddle with carbon rails. If “steel is real” why is it that they are only making the frames from steel or at least alloys?

Yes Garrett, more steel rims, shifters, seat posts, bars and stems- There is nothing like the feel of steel wheels, and components…and by *feel* I mean mass.

no Rorschach here is what i was getting at
you build an alloy frame, the people who buy these claim they are better than carbon because they last longer, so why would you put a carbon fork on that bike? well it cuts down on weight and it is stiff right.
Now about the wheels(while i hate the idea of edge/enve wheels with campy) with a traditional frame shape wouldn’t you go with a more traditional pair of wheels? i mean carbon are not the best for long braking and some cases not durable enough for some people to use often.
Its pretty clear these frames are all an example of technology standing still in about every way, the only thing that makes these bikes modern is some fancy paint, and all the dress parts like carbon

Anon i could not possibly agree anymore

I feel like you are missing some of the point of this bike. I think that all of us agree that these bikes are works of art. They stand out in a time when the hand-made element is missing from many bike brands. These bikes are made by craftsmen and they choose to spec them as they envision the bike. We would not fault Monet for a beautiful painting because its frame was not to our liking. At NAHBS you see builders who put whatever they have laying around on their works of art and I have never heard any complaints! Be cool. -TR

Keep in mind that these are show bikes, and therefore a premium build is pretty typical – top end finishing kits are often all carbon. I also wouldn’t be surprised if ENVE is providing equipment for them to use for the show, and again it makes sense that they would showcase their highest level stuff.

The other thing is, some people may buy steel bikes for durability, but the people who buy *these* kinds of steel bikes generally do so because they like the ride. Steel or not, it’s still a very high-end bike, so in all likelihood it’s going to be equipped as such. Lastly, it seems pretty obvious that while steel works great for frames, it’s not necessarily the best material for other parts. Just because a steel frame rides nicely doesn’t mean you would want a steel stem or a steel-railed saddle, much less something like a wheelset.

There seems to be this idea that steel frames can’t be modern, but that’s kind of silly – steel frames like these are nothing like those of 25 years ago. The basic look is similar, but nearly everything that affects the ride, both in terms of the actual materials and the design, is different.