Does steel wear down?

[sante pollastri]

Originally Posted by aingeru

Sean Kelly. 80% of his victories on a Vitus frame...so softer might be better?

yes

[carpediemracing]

Originally Posted by aingeru

Sean Kelly. 80% of his victories on a Vitus frame...so softer might be better?

Based on that correlation toe clips are better than clipless, since most of his victories happened when he rode clips and straps (and he was beating other racers using clipless pedals).

[nooneline]

more likely, being sean kelly is better than not being sean kelly.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by nooneline

more likely, being sean kelly is better than not being sean kelly.

Pretty much.

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Pretty much.

I love the duct tape around the shoes to keep them tight.

dave

[FlashUNC]

And to totally derail this thread and go all Big Ring Riding for a second...

Sean Kelly in probably the coolest photo of all time:

[ctcyclistbob]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

I bet the "my frame has gone soft" complaint has everything to do with just getting used to a bike both physically and mentally over the course of a season. The bike has not changed, the rider has adapted. If riders think that the myth of softening frames is true then they wrongly think that their feelings of adaptation is from the bike and not themselves. Just a thought.

Agreed. The physical adaptation might be (due to) the rider getting stronger during the season. The flex of a steel frame will increase as the rider becomes stronger, so it could be perceived that the frame has softened.

[carpediemracing]

Originally Posted by nooneline

more likely, being sean kelly is better than not being sean kelly.

Much better response than mine. True for sure.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

[aingeru]

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

Based on that correlation toe clips are better than clipless, since most of his victories happened when he rode clips and straps (and he was beating other racers using clipless pedals).

Based on that answer, clipless is faster.

The point was, it's not so important. Your engine matters most. All the rest being illusion.

[martl]

Originally Posted by Louis

Yup. Two neat "around-the-house" experiments one can do with material failure modes are 1) the noticeable work-hardening you get with paper clips after a handful of cycles, and 2) the massive strain-rate sensitivity you get with Silly Putty.

I have seen paper clips hardening at the spot where the first bending is applied, i've seen them breaking next to those spots. this happened after bending them so they were deformed afterwards, not by bending them inside their elastic limit.

I have NOT seen any piece made of steel getting "soft" (i.e. losing a tiny amount of stiffness) by applying a force not big enough to permanently deform it. Which is what the myth claims is happening.

[Tandem Rider]

This frame was never crashed, I weighed about 165 the years I was riding it. I have zero sprint. It was raced on, trained on, lots of group rides. Columbus Foco tubing, custom. I will not name the builder, I consider him a friend. A great handling and riding bike, one of my alltime favorites, fit perfectly.

The point I am trying to make is that frames break, Steel frames break, and I believe it is due to flex, the flex primarily comes from the tubing dimensions. Less steel weighs less, flexes more and is usually a nicer riding bike. Until it breaks. I have no scientific data to support my opinion, but I have owned and occasionally broken a number of frames. Nowhere near Lou's stratospheric ownership record.

photo (18).JPG

[Scooper]

Originally Posted by Tandem Rider

This frame was never crashed, I weighed about 165 the years I was riding it. I have zero sprint. It was raced on, trained on, lots of group rides. Columbus Foco tubing, custom. I will not name the builder, I consider him a friend. A great handling and riding bike, one of my alltime favorites, fit perfectly.

The point I am trying to make is that frames break, Steel frames break, and I believe it is due to flex, the flex primarily comes from the tubing dimensions. Less steel weighs less, flexes more and is usually a nicer riding bike. Until it breaks. I have no scientific data to support my opinion, but I have owned and occasionally broken a number of frames. Nowhere near Lou's stratospheric ownership record.

That fracture is interesting; it almost looks like it happened at the inboard end of the butt taper transition.

Do you mind if I ask what the frame size is and the diameter of the down tube? Foco down tubes were available in 31.7mm, 35mm, and 38mm O.D.

[Tandem Rider]

Originally Posted by Scooper

That fracture is interesting; it almost looks like it happened at the inboard end of the butt taper transition.

Do you mind if I ask what the frame size is and the diameter of the down tube? Foco down tubes were available in 31.7mm, 35mm, and 38mm O.D.

It's 57 squared and 31.7 which is 1 1/4. It's the biggest od downtube I've ever broken. It's reasonable that it would happen at a transition point, not the first time for that to happen. I still believe, pending further information, that the lighter frames are more fun. The downside is a shorter lifespan. Nothing is free.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

I wanted to make the point that metal fatigue is real, not some imagined thing

Indeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBbVnw-B3Zw

[Scooper]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Indeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBbVnw-B3Zw

Good one!