I have been on the lookout for a used (or maybe new?) hardtail 29er to use on smoother trails (also have a FS) and possibly for commuting given that I'm fortunate enough to be able to take a trail for part of my commute. My first inclination is to go steel both for the ride quality of which so many speak and for durability.
However, I am concerned about the possibility of rust, especially since it seems to rain here quite frequently for 8 months out of the year. My only long-term experience with any type of a steel frame (if you call it that) is the circa-1994 cromoly Trek 820 I commute on. In general, I'm pretty impressed with the corrosion resistance. Spots where the paint chipped off has turned brown with rust, but it hasn't spread (unlike numerous spots on my former car). It's been ridden in the rain plenty and has sat outside semi-covered for more time than I'd like to admit. It has seen a little snow and road salt too.
That said, maybe the frame will crack in half tomorrow due to rust
Anyway, my questions are the following:
1. How does the rust resistance of Reynolds 853, True Temper OX Platinum, and whatever other high-quality steels there are compare to each other and to that of the cromoly on the old beater? Have others had similar luck as me with cromoly frames? My feeling is that there is enough maintenance on a bike without worrying about treating or constantly drying the frame to keep it from rusting away (or just looking bad), so if it's likely to be an issue I think I'd rather just go with aluminum or something. I'm a bit worried about it because I recently saw a custom steel frame on ebay with some pretty noticeable rust issues that looks much worse than my old beater frame.
2. What have been your experiences with rust/corrosion on steel or cro-mo frames after frequently riding through a) the rain, and/or b) the salt/snow? My guess is that the latter can about cause anything to rust, though I'd still be curious to hear the differences between these materials, if any.
3. What are the advantages of materials like Reynolds 853 over old-school cro-mo?
I wanted to ask the questions here because a) the 29er crowd seems to be the steel-loving crowd and likely has experience with this issue, and, b) the bike will ultimately be a 29er, after all.
If it matters, I'm 6'5" and 200 lbs.
By the way, I do not want to turn this into a thread about the differences in ride quality between steel and aluminum--there are other threads for that. I just want to know about the rust you all have or have not experienced on different types of steel tubing.
Thanks!
However, I am concerned about the possibility of rust, especially since it seems to rain here quite frequently for 8 months out of the year. My only long-term experience with any type of a steel frame (if you call it that) is the circa-1994 cromoly Trek 820 I commute on. In general, I'm pretty impressed with the corrosion resistance. Spots where the paint chipped off has turned brown with rust, but it hasn't spread (unlike numerous spots on my former car). It's been ridden in the rain plenty and has sat outside semi-covered for more time than I'd like to admit. It has seen a little snow and road salt too.
That said, maybe the frame will crack in half tomorrow due to rust
Anyway, my questions are the following:
1. How does the rust resistance of Reynolds 853, True Temper OX Platinum, and whatever other high-quality steels there are compare to each other and to that of the cromoly on the old beater? Have others had similar luck as me with cromoly frames? My feeling is that there is enough maintenance on a bike without worrying about treating or constantly drying the frame to keep it from rusting away (or just looking bad), so if it's likely to be an issue I think I'd rather just go with aluminum or something. I'm a bit worried about it because I recently saw a custom steel frame on ebay with some pretty noticeable rust issues that looks much worse than my old beater frame.
2. What have been your experiences with rust/corrosion on steel or cro-mo frames after frequently riding through a) the rain, and/or b) the salt/snow? My guess is that the latter can about cause anything to rust, though I'd still be curious to hear the differences between these materials, if any.
3. What are the advantages of materials like Reynolds 853 over old-school cro-mo?
I wanted to ask the questions here because a) the 29er crowd seems to be the steel-loving crowd and likely has experience with this issue, and, b) the bike will ultimately be a 29er, after all.
If it matters, I'm 6'5" and 200 lbs.
By the way, I do not want to turn this into a thread about the differences in ride quality between steel and aluminum--there are other threads for that. I just want to know about the rust you all have or have not experienced on different types of steel tubing.
Thanks!
