CYCLISTS’[13] The Recipe [14] Steel: A Pocket Guide [15] A Chat About Steel [15] Caring for YourTRAVEL Steel Frame GUIDE [16] Keeping the Lights On: A Dynamo-Powered Explainer [18] Packing Lists [20] Bikepacking Bags mong the many materials available for But with steel so prevalent, it can be hard to Atouring bicycles, steel is the big favorite. decipher the myriad options seen in the spec Although other materials are certainly popular sheets and on manufacturer websites. We’re — aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber among here to help. We’ll dive into the kinds of steel them — touring bike makers and touring employed by bicycle makers, take a look at cyclists overwhelmingly prefer the ferrous several common tubing manufacturers, and option thanks to its ease of use, affordability, provide tips on how to care for a steel frame and its ability to be repaired nearly anywhere. once you have one, if you don’t already. DANIEL MRGAN DANIEL 12 ADVENTURE CYCLIST MARCH 2018 CYCLISTS’ TRAVEL GUIDE [24] Road Test: Fuji Touring Disc [28] Road Test: Surly ECR [31] Geared Up BY NICK LEGAN the recipe The base of all steel is iron, “Fe” will recognize names like Reynolds, on the periodic table. One reason Columbus, and True Temper as steel is here to stay is that iron is manufacturers and purveyors of the fourth-most abundant element many types of chromoly tubing made on earth. This keeps the cost down, specifically for bicycle frames. We’ll although the additives used in explore those brands a bit more. many alloys are rarer. Thanks to Fans of Surly bikes will likely be MABRY ALLY generations of experimentation with more familiar with 4130 chromoly. steel, there are many varieties, each Unlike “name-brand” tubing like with its own strengths, weaknesses, Columbus SL or Reynolds 853, 4130 and intended uses. Chromium increases the ability is a designation given by the Society When speaking about bicycles, to harden the alloy and enhances of Automotive Engineers (SAE) that we commonly refer to ferrous corrosion resistance. Molybdenum describes the metal’s ingredients. (deriving from the Latin word for increases toughness, or steel’s ability According to cycling industry legend iron, ferrum) frames as steel. In most to absorb energy and deform before Scot Nicol’s “Metallurgy for Cyclists” cases, and certainly in the case of fracturing. The combination also article (ibiscycles.com/support/ high-quality bicycles, that material increases the tubing’s strength- technical_articles/metallurgy_for_ is more accurately described as to-weight ratio. But these results cyclists), 4130 is very popular in quality chromoly steel. This isn’t the mild come from tiny, carefully measured frames thanks to its “affordability, steel or inexpensive steel seen at amounts of the additives — 95 percent weldabilty, formability, strength, the local hardware store. The steel of chromoly is still good ol’ iron. ductility, and toughness.” Continuing used in bicycle tubing is an alloy. Even within the somewhat the theme of SAE-designated alloys, Chromoly is the result of iron blended narrow category of chromoly, there less expensive frames, like those found with small amounts of chromium, is still great variety. Those who have at department stores, use plain carbon molybdenum, and other elements. ridden bicycles for many decades steel or 1020 with much lower strength. ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 13 8 7 steel alloys. alloys. steel fatigue strength and fatigue limit similar to to similar limit fatigue and strength fatigue looking at the used bicycle market. bicycle used the at looking decades. Titanium, on the other hand, has a a has hand, other the on Titanium, decades. treated after they are welded or brazed. brazed. or welded are they after treated you’re if especially use, in them see still may well-designed aluminum frame can last many many last can frame aluminum well-designed alloy frames, steel frames are not heat heat not are frames steel frames, alloy you popular, so were tubesets firm’s the compared to industrial scales of stress that a a that stress of scales industrial to compared to increase strength. Unlike aluminum aluminum Unlike strength. increase to because But 2016. of end the at options tubing the stresses involved in cycling are so low low so are cycling in involved stresses the treated during the manufacturing process process manufacturing the during treated bicycle its out phased Temper True bicycles, tubes usually have thicker walls. Thankfully, Thankfully, walls. thicker have usually tubes high-quality U.S.-produced steel tubing for for tubing steel U.S.-produced high-quality result in soft steel. Steel tubes are heat heat are tubes Steel steel. soft in result stress remains. To mitigate this, aluminum aluminum this, mitigate To remains. stress Unfortunately, after many years of making making of years many after Unfortunately, a brittle material, and too little heat will will heat little too and material, brittle a eventually fail no matter how low the cyclic cyclic the low how matter no fail eventually durable. But too much heat can produce produce can heat much too But durable. True Temper True this means that an aluminum tube will will tube aluminum an that means this hardens the material, making it more more it making material, the hardens aluminum does not. Counterintuitively, Counterintuitively, not. does aluminum application of heat within a specific range range specific a within heat of application stainless steel tubeset. tubeset. steel stainless Steel does have a fatigue limit whereas whereas limit fatigue a have does Steel soften a material. In the case of steel, the the steel, of case the In material. a soften SL tubing, all the way to its gorgeous XCr XCr gorgeous its to way the all tubing, SL an infinite number of stresses without failure. failure. without stresses of number infinite an of heat or cold — is used to harden or or harden to used is — cold or heat of 6 and Life, Spirit, of line Niobium its through a value beneath which a material can endure endure can material a which beneath value a Heat treating — the controlled application application controlled the — treating Heat ranging from the affordable Cromor, Cromor, affordable the from ranging failure due to fatigue. Related is fatigue limit, limit, fatigue is Related fatigue. to due failure produces an expansive line of tubesets tubesets of line expansive an produces Treating Heat be applied to a material without causing causing without material a to applied be tubes from the firm. Columbus currently currently Columbus firm. the from tubes describes the range of cyclic stress that can can that stress cyclic of range the describes De Rosa, Ciocc, and Colnago have all used used all have Colnago and Ciocc, Rosa, De butted tube has three, and so on. on. so and three, has tube butted loads. Fatigue strength, or fatigue life, life, fatigue or strength, Fatigue loads. Pinarello, Bianchi, like brands Italian racers. butted tube has two thicknesses, a triple- a thicknesses, two has tube butted of a material caused by repeatedly applied applied repeatedly by caused material a of steel reigned supreme among professional professional among supreme reigned steel sections in the middle save weight. A double- A weight. save middle the in sections In materials science, fatigue is the weakening weakening the is fatigue science, materials In building its reputation during the era when when era the during reputation its building remain strong. Meanwhile, the thinner thinner the Meanwhile, strong. remain Fatigue Strength or Fatigue Life Life Fatigue or Strength Fatigue founded in 1919 and is still going strong after after strong going still is and 1919 in founded 2 joints that so ends the at material more with Stalwart Italian tube maker Columbus was was Columbus maker tube Italian Stalwart Butted tubes have varying wall thicknesses thicknesses wall varying have tubes Butted TERMINOLOGY Columbus Double Butted Double Reynolds Air Hardening CONNECTING Lugging Legendary British brand Reynolds has a long Some modern steel tubesets are air hardened, Lugged frames are brazed together with history of producing tubing for bicycles. In meaning that the heat from brazing or TIG Welding either silver or brass filler to fix the tubes welding actually increases the strength of 1897, the company was granted a patent for Welding is a means of joining in which inside the lugs. 5 the material at the heat-affected area of the edges of the materials to be joined are producing butted tubes. In 1934, they debuted the joint after cooling. Reynolds 853 is one melted and fused together with the aid of the iconic 531 double-butted tubeset. More example. This allows for thinner tube walls, a filler material. TIG welding, or tungsten recently, Reynolds 853 was among the first saving weight and resulting in more damage- inert gas welding (technically TIG welding is air-hardening alloys, offering stronger joints resistant steel. gas tungsten arc welding, GTAW), is a form VARIANTS and increasing dent and impact resistance. of arc welding that uses a nonconsumable Reynolds is widely used by touring bike Stiffness 4130 tungsten electrode to deliver the current to manufacturers. The scientific measurement of stiffness is As mentioned, 4130 is widely used in bicycle 3 the welding arc. Both the tungsten and weld frames. It is a generic term, not a brand Tange called modulus of elasticity. This refers to puddle are protected by a stream of inert name like others we’ll discuss. Many bicycle the degree to which a material can undergo gas, usually argon. Only steel alloys that are When Japanese bicycles like Miyata, Fuji, manufacturers have it custom drawn, a stress, deform, and return to its original designed for the higher heat of TIG welding and Nishiki made a splash in the 1980s, sometimes internally and/or externally shape after the stress subsides.