Steel Bikes Explained | Sponsored by Wabi Cycles

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Steel bikes are famous for their bombproof durability, classic looks, and buttery smooth and lively ride qualities. Steel is thousands of years old, is the first material that bikes were built out of, and it continues to improve with new innovations. In this video, I explain what exactly gives steel tubings these qualities and how frame designers and builders work with steel to create bikes that we love to ride. We talk about 1) steel's composition, 2) how steel is treated for lighter weight and increased durability, 3) how the profile and butting of steel changes a frameset's ride quality, and 4) a steel tubing tier list to identify different qualities of steel.
Fixie Famous Shoutout:
StanStrong108
Ryan Witt
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nicodache
@ffnivas
Barak S
Pat Bateman
Simon Newton
Gregory Tomlinson
Connect with me:
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#steelisreal #fixedgear

[@FJ-xz7yy]

Wowwww. This channel is leveling up. Getting technical

[@sirmixalot3332]

Any thoughts on a Wabi factory tour being that coincidentally convenient truth that your currently on the same island?

[@b5thomas7]

yes, great idea - would love to see that.

[@x._.xxiang8495]

can buy me a dosnoventa bike please i beg u

[@BruceChastain]

really liked this video, if you can do more of these type I'd be happy

[@stevefavero3204]

Where does Reynolds 531 fall into the steel category as far as strength and characteristics?

[@benc8386]

It's similar strength to chromoly (a little bit lower but not much) but the main difference is you can't weld it (the heat weakens it). So it's fine for a lugged or fillet brazed frame. But no TIG. Reynolds 753 was heat-treated 531.

[@mozzavans]

Epic video! I'm an engineer & still learned something :D Can't wait for the next one

[@bikercam2225]

In welding school at Sierra College Rocklin, and this video was very interesting and built on my knowledge of metallurgy. Thank you Zach.

[@jackgordon8284]

Finally a good description of the differences between steel frames. A big beginner mistake I see people often making when first purchasing a bike is treating all steel as equal.

[@Niidea1986]

A quick comment; I am not sure if I heard about this in the video, but here it is: bike frames usually don't use a single steel alloy, instead the manufacturer will mix different tubes to reach a price point; i.e. Reynolds 725 main triangle and geneeric 4130 seat and chain stays. PS: now that you are in Taiwan, perhaps you have some Tange tubing bikes on hand so you can give some insight about it?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

That was great! Wish Wabi made some geared gravel bikes now.

[@davidseguin9496]

Love your video, educational and easy to understand. Wish you did more video on your trip in Asia. Update on the community you interact with and stuff... how the Fixed community is dealing with the pandemic or the trend difference for their bikes and gears. Keep up the good work!

[@nova-jo1649]

Great vid steel is real!!!

[@liamallen1043]

Great video but Reynolds 631 is not a chromoly, its what you describe as a specialty alloy. Its actually the exact same alloy as Reynolds 853 which you say is a specialty, the difference between the 2 is that 853 is heat treated and 631 is not, making 853 much stronger.

[@peterbaskind9872]

The first bikes - if you could call them that - were made of wood. They sucked; but they were bikes, sorta.

[@mannyorozco842]

Love my Reynolds 631 IRO Mark V! Very light for a steel bike and comfortable as can be.

[@benc8386]

Great video, and I know this was 4y ago, but I've only just seen it and have some quibbles. In theory Reynolds 725, being stronger, means you can use thinner walls. But actually Reynolds will sell you the exact same tubes as 525 (without the heat treatment). The truth is regular chromoly is strong enough anyway to make into a .7/.5/.7 tube. The situation with 631 and its heat-treated counterpart 853 is similar, but they do have an additional range called "853 Pro-Team" which does have thinner walls than are available in 631. The other aspect is whether tubes are "drawn over mandrel" or "DOM" (originally made out of rolled up and welded sheet metal, before being drawn thinner and butted) or "cold drawn seamless" aka CDS (made out of a solid piece in several operations, and never had a weld). Columbus Cromor is DOM. Zona is CDS. I don't think Zona is heat-treated. 525 may be DOM but 725 is guaranteed to be CDS. Everything else from Columbus, even stainless XCr is CDS. The Reynolds stainless tubes are DOM again. Those stainless alloys are so ridiculously strong it's difficult to make them CDS. CDS is a bit stronger than DOM, but it still doesn't really matter-- you can get 525 in the same thin walls. Columbus differentiate their products more by only supplying Cromor with slightly thicker walls. Until you get to the stainless tubes there really isn't a great deal to choose between them. Any double butted chromoly, or anything from Columbus or Reynolds, can all be used to make a dope bike frame. They are all a step up from plain-gauge tubes or "high-tensile" steel. One more quibble. That seat tube you showed that was thin at the top is designed to be brazed into a seat lug. STs for TIG are usually "externally butted" (get a bit fatter on both the ID and the OD) because you do want a bit of extra thickness there to weld to. Despite my various objections this is still one of the best videos I've seen on the subject so keep up the good work :) I am a hobbyist framebuilder so am a bit obsessed (I usually use 631).

[@thomasmuller986]

Such a pitty the wabi company don't have any tall frames for taller people. No 62 or 63 available. Does anybody know whether these will be available in the future?

[@mozzavans]

Atze Peng maybe just contact them-surely they could do a custom build?

[@thomasmuller986]

@@mozzavans Sorry I just realized that wabi has a different sizing. A wabi 60 frame is like a regular 62 size. For everybody other tall boy - read this: wabicycles.com/pages/sizing

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Why have fine steel, lugged frames become a fashion collectable instead of a wonderful bike and great companion? Produce them again already!

[@onyhow]

Shame you don't mention high-end martensitic stainless tubes like the Reynolds 9 series, KVA M series, or Columbus XCr

[@frankducett9]

Bamboo has been around forever as well but that doesn't make it the ideal material choice for bicycles or jetplanes. Aluminum has progressed now to surpass steel tubing in every way and when used with carbon fiber.... there is no comparison. I have had Columbus SLX and Reynolds 531 tubes, forks and stays on numerous bikes over the years and can assure you that the cycling world has moved on in many ways including performance, weight and cost. Your views are dated and more dangerously sponsored.

[@humanerror3139]

Steel is real great video Zach

[@Ober1kenobi]

I seen a cheap “fixie” bike before, wasn’t even that cheap tbh, 18kg, 39.6lbs It didn’t look heavy at all but holy shite

[@nikpetrov6260]

Great video thank you! Btw what duals on the vid most of the time? Looks vintage but it’s definitely something modern

[@murphykenji]

I ride a Fuji Connoisseur which is a Reynolds 725 frame.

[@Radnally]

Almost through building my frame from Spirit tubing. Good discussion. Thanks

[@worldofameiso5491]

Steel hasn’t been around for thousands of years. A couple of hundred years perhaps.

[@telephant6203]

Thoughts on velocidad? (E.g crankset and wheelset)

[@mikemadsen2716]

I am a commuter and I ride in cold as well as hot weather and I like good spring suspended seats and solid as a rock steel frames that are extremely tuff and trustworthy.

[@Graptos]

Vs. Titanium? Other than cost, how would a steel frame compare to a Ti frame? Which steel is most like Ti in terms of weight/compliance/ride quality etc.?

[@sprocketandwheel]

Reynolds 853 or if you have the $$$ Reynolds 953 ( stainless steel) In my opinion Reynolds makes the finest tubing for bicycle use... They have even started manufacturing tubing for motorcycle frames again.. The famous Norton feather bed frame was made from a Reynolds 531 material..

[@F3udF1st]

Butting is not thickening the tube, it's the other way around. It thins it out, making it lighter. The middle of the tube is butted, thin, where nothing is welded to it.

[@Touchgrindbmxbaws]

Thoughts on flip flop hubs?

[@tatwood93]

Strengthness to weight ratios... Lmao

[@themindoft2934]

COLUMBUS

[@JeromeGaston-n2v]

Columbus or reynolds

[@jamesowen418]

Molybdenum 😆

[@camerond8176]

Been riding my Reynolds 853 Road bike for a while.............Rides like a Cadillac and corners like it's on rails.

[@donavonbebo7906]

It's Chrome Molly !!

[@LimitedWard]

I'm curious, in your opinion, would a complete noob be able to tell difference in ride quality between the different steel types? My experience with different bikes has been very limited, so it's hard to tell what I'm missing out on.

[@stevencouncil1859]

I have a early 70’s Nishiki frame that says Special 150 Tubing. Anyone know what that is? The internet doesn’t...

[@lovenottheworld5723]

Trying to reconcile the marketing information with the metallurgical definitions leads to confusion of mind. If you want stronger and lighter weight the tubing manufacturers have you catered to. It's not a lie that it's stronger and lighter weight. Their definitions, though, appear to be a bit nonsensical if you look into it. The words don't always match up consistently with the materials science way of defining the concepts. It doesn't matter as long as it meets the buyers' expectations.

[@Mzrmar]

Oof I fucked up and bought the Crew Co City bike which is high ten. I don't want to go through the trouble of returning it so I'm just going to upgrade as needed until I could build my credit because at the moment it's just out of my current income to afford chromoly. Kind of sucks.

[@colwilton5193]

4130 is an SAE code number, it is not the propportion of the alloys. the 41xx codes go from 4118 to 4160.

[@donavonbebo7906]

Like Holly

[@sheldonharvey8306]

The video was super informative. Thank you. I believe Chrome-- with an O as in oatmeal-- moly-- like the name Molly, but it has been a while so I might be out of style.

[@jaz2relaklaang586]

Steel is real..I use high-ten steel for my bike to work..👍👍🇵🇭

[@Touchgrindbmxbaws]

What would you say is a good beginner bike easily available in the uk for £400-£500?

[@ziggypi4813]

incredible amount of info here... obviously too much to cover but nice broad strokes.... I'm interested in more info on surly and all city

[@adriannelson3045]

Really interesting, and such a knowledgeable young man.

[@bwcastillo]

Dude that was so informative. Thanks Zach.

[@derricksnider2479]

Any info on kaisei 022 used on the bareknuckle?

[@maxmiliankula8714]

what to you think of the colossi mondial track frameset ?

[@cometo2004]

Love this video! Wonder if you could share tips how I can fix my brakes. When I pull on the brakes, it feels mushy and the bike takes a long time to slow down. Any tips? Thanks in advance

[@jackgordon8284]

This could be your brake cables. They can stretch and become more ineffective over time. If they're a year or two old it might be time for a change. The obvious answer would also be to check your brake pads haven't worn down. These will also wear down and need changing over time.

[@stuminnis4050]

You might want to check out the Park Tool KZbin channel. They have a ton of great repair vids. If you prefer text, try Sheldon Brown’s web site.

[@moviepedro]

take it to your local bike shop

[@cometo2004]

Thanks all for tips. I managed to get them tighter. Still kind of squishy though.

[@cometo2004]

@RollinRat I brought it to a bike shop. The guy told me that its because he did not adjust the brakes earlier when i sent it for servicing the last round. now it works and i'm loving my bike once again! Thanks RollinRat

[@rostjamocnik5928]

The same type of video for aluminium frames pls

[@noonehere4332]

If you like steel bikes go to walmart XD.

[@jakobw135]

Great and informative - Zack!! :-)

[@roguecode2354]

nice dude! dropped a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time.

[@reapanomin899]

Tange tubing is my favourite,bit I'll be happy to ride bikes with any other branded tubing(on bikes with cheap and unbranded tubing,anyone would feel some form of inferiority).Also,I have just noticed the TRP RRL brake levers with gum hoods.Noice!

[@thomasmuller986]

Soma bikes. Mostly Tange.

[@reapanomin899]

@@thomasmuller986 Yeah.Given the chance,I would have purchased the Soma Wolverine.With those sliding dropouts weird gear setups can be achieved,not to mention the somewhat generous tyre clearances.

[@thomasmuller986]

@@reapanomin899 just bought the black v3 frameset and lugged fork from sale. If you dont need that belt drive, the soma double cross is even lighter, but same geo. I also have a 1982 Koga miyata (tange)

[@reapanomin899]

@BeboSaab I might actually consider doing a test to confirm that statement of yours,now that you actually said it.

[@reapanomin899]

@BeboSaab Sure,having a bottom that is able to feel the qualities of a certain tubing is dumb,but anyway,what frames are you comparing when you had mentioned in your first comment?And how long have you ridden them each?

[@BEasay]

Thanks, nice breakdown.

[@limbolegs]

Tange prestige is what I ride rn, super light and fun

[@jurepog]

Great video! Very informative

[@williamwoody7607]

This kid is really smart. I like him for bikes,and Tim Mosso for watches, on Watchbox reviews.They both possess the really granular knowledge that makes real insight possible and the expository style to make it accessible. High marks.

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

He doesn’t need your marks though.

[@Fixingeverthingwithaengine567]

I ride aluminium bike frame

[@ivanfedotov5552]

Is it a real huuuuuge bulding behind Zach...? Give a link or information about thiiis, pleade

[@takowtraveler1012]

It's called Taipei 101

[@ramiebay1685]

Thanks for this mate

[@birthaappleshirt7404]

Gosh this is a wonderful video really clears a lot for my understandings of steel, but i can’t seem to understand this, is 1020 carbon steel the same as hi tensile and should I avoid it?

[@morecannonfab]

I built race car chassis for 26 years and this is my understanding of different steels. AISI 1020 steel is a low carbon designation. The first two digits “10” are the type of steel, in this case low alloy iron. The second two digits “20” are the point percentage of carbon in the steel. In this case .20 percent carbon. Carbon adds toughness and strength which means that you can build a lighter frame with the same strength as a low carbon counterpart. 4130 is a mid carbon range steel and is popular for aircraft and drag race cars. The difference in strength between it and 1020 is about 30 percent stronger in favor of 4130.

[@anthonytabullo7662]

Great video Zach

[@onewheelisbetterthan2]

Anddddd now I want a wabi

[@athletejmv]

Great video ! TY.

[@ValeriaMartinez-sz2ol]

Great video and super easy to understand, thanks for the breakdown! id love to see more types of these videos!

[@user-su4du1cd2u]

私の先生はあなたの兄です

[@jinwoo9801]

Are raleigh bikes low quality?

[@knellotron]

The cheap ones are cheap, but the Raleigh Tamland line is air-hardened 631 steel.

[@rexdaileg6573]

Hi Zach, I hope you’re eating enough. You don’t look very healthy.

[@birthaappleshirt7404]

He looks great not even close to being unhealthy or skinny

[@mj897]

Reynolds 953 is I Best

[@mj897]

Stainless too

[@liamallen1043]

Very hard to work with apparently though, so very very expensive

[@trajtemberg]

Unless you weight over 100kg and bomb it pretty often.

[@mj897]

@@liamallen1043 it can be hard on your tools...but price wise..its not bad. I bought a road bike from Rourke in uk

[@mj897]

@@trajtemberg its pretty bomb proof I hear

[@MrMarkpark]

“Material that has been around for 1000’s of years”? Lol

[@alfoga]

Steel was known in antiquity and was produced in bloomeries and crucibles.[16][17] The earliest known production of steel is seen in pieces of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia (Kaman-Kalehöyük) and are nearly 4,000 years old, dating from 1800 BC.[18][19] Horace identifies steel weapons such as the falcata in the Iberian Peninsula, while Noric steel was used by the Roman military.[20] The reputation of Seric iron of South India (wootz steel) grew considerably in the rest of the world.[17] Metal production sites in Sri Lanka employed wind furnaces driven by the monsoon winds, capable of producing high-carbon steel. Large-scale Wootz steel production in Tamilakam using crucibles and carbon sources such as the plant Avāram occurred by the sixth century BC, the pioneering precursor to modern steel production and metallurgy.[16][17]

[@travietrades9301]

this guy literally knows nothing about steel. but ey

[@oasisd347]

What do u think about celt 2k17 its a steel frame and also when are you going to the philippines. I want you to roast my bike

[@carl8568]

I bought a cromo Marin gravel bike with a carbon fork, the thing weighs a bloody tonne. I'm looking out for Columbus Spirit for my next steel ride.