Do you ride steel racing frame differently ?

[hokoman]

You don't ride your steel vs. misc material any differently. They will feel a little different, but not make riding adjustments. Your seat height is the same on both bikes?

[mtechnica]

Originally Posted by l0n3rider

@mtechnica
.. really hope this is not the case here. i really luv the look of this frame

@hokoman @rccardr
.. thanks. will keep improving my position.. will let u guys know if it improved

all,
i have this input from a friend which has been riding steel frame for a while.. according to him.. steel frame needs to be ride differently.. we need to be more calm.. do not stomp the pedal for power.. but gradually increase your power to increase speed gradually.. do not panic when the gap is opened.. you will close the gap eventually.. steel has momentum.. not fast reaction..

true?

If the frame feels bad you’re better off accepting it and moving on instead of trying to convince yourself it isn’t true, in my experience, I should have ditched my frame sooner but everyone on the internet would have sworn up and down it was a great frame so...

[bironi]

Trust your gut.

[Lionel]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

If the frame feels bad you’re better off accepting it and moving on instead of trying to convince yourself it isn’t true, in my experience, I should have ditched my frame sooner but everyone on the internet would have sworn up and down it was a great frame so...

My view as well

[jtbadge]

Originally Posted by hokoman

You don't ride your steel vs. misc material any differently. They will feel a little different, but not make riding adjustments. Your seat height is the same on both bikes?

Saddle height, saddle setback behind BB, reach from saddle -> bars, saddle->bar drop, gotta check it all.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

If the frame feels bad you’re better off accepting it and moving on instead of trying to convince yourself it isn’t true, in my experience, I should have ditched my frame sooner but everyone on the internet would have sworn up and down it was a great frame so...

Couldn't agree more with this. I've loved frames some friends have hated and vice versa. There's something qualitative about this whole hobby as well. If it isn't working, it isn't working.

[weisan]

ion-pal, I assume your Bixxis is a custom build. Did the custom build process include asking you a bunch of questions about your style of riding, preferences etc?

Assuming you answer those questions honestly and accurately, your custom builder would be able to factor those inputs into the build and transfer that into the ride.

To answer your question: Do you ride steel racing frame differently?

No, with the right frame, I shouldn't have to.

Take for instance, with my Serotta CXII steel bike, even though it was not custom, I was able to ride it as aggressively and capably as my other carbon and Ti racing bikes and my power numbers would tell the same story.

Because of that, I conclude that the material even though it was steel did not adversely affect my performance, at least not at my level of fitness and competitiveness. Maybe if I am Chris Froome or Mark Cavendish riding in the tour, it might be a different story at their level, I don't know for sure.

One last point.

I do have other steel bikes in my stable that are not as nimble or responsive as my Serotta. I attribute that to the design, geometry and perhaps old steel vs new steel like Columbus niobium/spirit vs Reynolds 531.

[l0n3rider]

all,
many thanks for the input so far .. really appreciate it.

so i guess .. the answer to my original question .. most probably "NO" .. the frame material should not give big influence to the way you ride your bike .. AND the difference in riding experience could potentially be due to fitting and bike design ..

my gut is to give this frame more time (maybe another month or two ).. and if i still struggle with it .. life is too precious to waste on riding a wrong bike

@weisan
this frame is not custom made for me .. i got it 2ndhand and the size should be correct for me.

cheers

[HTupolev]

Originally Posted by l0n3rider

all,
i have this input from a friend which has been riding steel frame for a while.. according to him.. steel frame needs to be ride differently.. we need to be more calm.. do not stomp the pedal for power.. but gradually increase your power to increase speed gradually.. do not panic when the gap is opened.. you will close the gap eventually.. steel has momentum.. not fast reaction..

true?

No. Having "momentum" doesn't help you close gaps: it means you'll slow down at a slower rate when you stop pedaling, (and that you'll accelerate more slowly when you're trying to increase your speed). But it doesn't change the power required to maintain a given speed.
Also, differences in frame mass are a pretty small fraction of bike+rider system mass. We're not talking about changes that should tangibly affect ride strategy.

Now, different bikes can respond differently to different pedal strokes. And that can differ between riders; a rider that pedals great for one rider might sometimes feel like it's fighting against the pedal stroke of another.
But I don't think it can be said, in general, that steel bikes don't like hard accelerations.

(It is entirely possible that your legs just don't like the bike. Although, this doesn't explain why it would coast worse downhill!)

Originally Posted by l0n3rider

the fit numbers are a bit different, especially the saddle setback due to the frame geometry .. Legend was a custom geometry frame .. Bixxis is standard geometry with a steeper seat tube angle (i got it 2nd hand)

Desired postures should dictate fit, not the frame geometry. (Frame geometry should be chosen based on the fit implied by your desired postures!)

It's pretty difficult to compare two bikes if you're riding them differently.

[Jere]

Hi

Did you try different wheels?
Low spoke count wheels will give a little , that may not have been noticed on a
Stiff Carbon bike and now it feels like you’re riding in mud ?
Wheels and tires can make a bike feel different
Jere B

[CMiller]

Originally Posted by jtbadge

Saddle height, saddle setback behind BB, reach from saddle -> bars, saddle->bar drop, gotta check it all.

this! Set it up exactly the same

[simonov]

Originally Posted by l0n3rider

@weisan
this frame is not custom made for me .. i got it 2ndhand and the size should be correct for me.

cheers

There's more to how a frame rides than just the size. If your position is slightly different on this bike and the frame wasn't designed for you, all bets are off on whether it is the right bike.

You don't ride a bike differently because of the material. Different materials may feel different and have different ride characteristics, but you shouldn't need to approach how you ride them differently. FWIW, I have 3 bikes from the same builder with nearly identical geometry in 3 different materials. They each have their unique aspects, but there's no need to ride them differently, so to speak.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by l0n3rider

if i freewheeling during a short descend .. it is noticeably slower than my carbon frame ..

this is difficult to actually quantify, especially given your carbon bike probably isn't built or isn't with you any more. but still...it shouldn't be happening. are you sure the frame is aligned properly? if the rear triangle is out of whack, two wheels not traveling on the same plane could definitely be slowing you down.

the good news is, steel that's out of alignment can be repaired. I'd have it checked by your trusted mechanic.

[fignon's barber]

For the record, I raced on a Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, had a custom Bixxis Prima built for me, and consequently sold the Canyon. I have not noticed a loss of speed. From your Bixxis photo, it looks like you have a short head tube and tons of spacers. I can't see the stem, but is that a -17? If so, I'd switch stems to a -6 and slice off a bunch of the steerer. If you can't get the steerer spacers reduced, I would guess you bought a frame too small (I see you got it second hand).

[redir]

I have steel, AL, Carbon and Ti bikes and they all ride the same. I mean yea they feel different but that doesn't mean I ride them any different. They got two pedals, a chain and resistance. It's just a bike