Stainless vs steel

clarendon · #1 10-20-2019, 02:59 PM

Hi -

I am considering a custom road/light gravel frame and looking at Columbus XCR or Spirit.

Reading through various sites, what I have learned seems to be that XCR is stiffer, can be left unpainted so it doesn't suffer paint chips, but is more expensive and possibly dents more easily. I also read somewhere that all the builders say go for Ti if you're willing to spend on S/S as Xcr is a pain to work with!

Grateful for any insights/experiences on the trade offs...

Thanks in advance.

joosttx · #2 10-20-2019, 03:29 PM

Stainless is difficult to work with so the builder must know what they are doing. Plus there are more ti tubes to build a bike with which makes it easier to dial in what you want. Finally I have heard stainless is thinner walled which make it easier to dent,

Peter B · #3 10-20-2019, 03:41 PM

Columbus Spirit is a great tubeset but is a lightweight option. Offroad robustness and dent resistance will not be its strongest points. If one were evaluating that or SS I'd encourage you to consider ti instead. SS is 'rust resistant' but not to the degree of ti. And one builder comfortable with steel may not be experienced with ti.

Discuss your needs and desires with your subject builders and listen to their feedback.

Not sure who you're considering but a few reputable builders fluent in gravel, steel and ti include:

Carl Strong
Erik Rolf (Alliance)
Mike DeSalvo

These three have strong pedigree, deep experience, reasonable lead times and proven abilities. They can serve as a solid starting point. There are many others so exercise your due diligence. Use the forum search tool to discover more. Your geographic locale is another consideration.

Good luck and have fun with the process!

clarendon · #4 10-20-2019, 04:34 PM

Thank you both - that is very helpful as I look into builders. Do you happen to know if any of these are able to work with the Ritchey Breakaway system as a custom option? I imagine both will offer S&S couplers.

Thanks again.

Peter B · #5 10-20-2019, 04:42 PM

I suspect any I mentioned are. Seeing that you are on the east coast there are likely many qualified builders closer to you. IME it is preferred to work with someone 'local' if possible. Google or forum searches should yield a list.

Here's a start:
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...=framebuilders

In NY Coast can do trad steel quite well. Bedford can do steel, ti or AL. 22 has you covered for ti.

Plenty of other options as you widen your circle of consideration.

berserk87 · #6 10-20-2019, 04:43 PM

As others have said, I think that the cost of stainless steel versus Ti make stainless a less popular option. I don't see the advantage of stainless next compared to Ti if cost is similar.

Peter B · #7 10-20-2019, 04:45 PM

See also these links:

http://sandsmachine.com/

http://sandsmachine.com/fbplist.htm

SPOKE · #8 10-20-2019, 06:46 PM

Give David Kirk a call if you want to know the pros & cons of stainless. His Onesto model is absolutely fantastic!!!! Kelly Bedford works with all frame materials. He can provide good insight too.
I have a frame from Kelly that uses stainless tubes for the main triangle and love the way it rides. The Onesto that Dave built for me uses the Reynolds SS tube set as well as a SS fork. The geometry is a bit more “sporty” than most of my custom bikes and I find that I usually grab it when I head out for a group ride that I expect to be a good bit faster than when I ride by myself.
The bead blasted finish of the Onesto seems to do a good job of fending off the dreaded rust spots that can plague a brushed finish stainless frame.

Hellgate · #9 10-20-2019, 07:15 PM

Give Max Kullaway a call at 333fab. He builds with Ti, steel, and SS on a regular basis and can give you the skinny.

I'd argue all three materials are very good with nuances between them. In other words, regardless of what you select, a good builder will create a wonderful ride for you.

https://333fab.com/materials

zzy · #10 10-20-2019, 07:20 PM

XCr rides great if your builder can handle it. I prefer it to my Ti bikes. 953 is especially hard to work with too, even harder than XCr.

makoti · #11 10-20-2019, 07:33 PM

I have a SS bike & the guy who built it (John Hollands) did say that he had a time working with the tubing. Broke a few bits & cutting it was difficult. However, he didn't suggest that we try a different type of tubing. Glad, because it rides great. KVA tubing.

bikinchris · #12 10-20-2019, 10:18 PM

Independent Fabrication built a few stainless steel bikes for me over the years. Beautiful finish. They also learned a lot about building with the first ones due to SS being more brittle.

bob heinatz · #13 10-21-2019, 12:31 AM

As already suggested contact Dave Kirk about ss vs steel. I had Dave build me a steel road bike earlier this year and I absolutely love it. However his ss would have been also an excellent option for the riding I do.

clarendon · #14 10-21-2019, 12:57 PM

Thanks all, very helpful.

I’ve just been riding an IndyFab SSR which I rented on holiday in Mallorca so I know how lovely that is to ride and their finish is superb (I thoroughly recommend Gary at www.nplus1bicycles.com if you are ever looking for a rental in Pollenca.. absolutely first rate bikes, lovely chap and great service).

I am taking a look at David Kirk and 333fab. Really beautiful bikes too...

cmg · #15 10-21-2019, 01:38 PM

i had an Independent Fab SSR, beautiful bike. a wonderfully responsive bike , lighter then any steel bike I've had. Consider IF for a custom SSR or their TI bikes, can't go wrong. My SSR was custom for someone else and the longer head tube allowed me to ride with the stem slammed. looked cool.