Is High End Steel Bike Better than Carbon???

How I rescued and Built out a 2006 Bianchi Pinella made out of Boron Steel to be comparable to modern Carbon frames.
In this video I share how I found and restored this steel frame. I also go through my thought process to give the bike a modern feel in its ride characteristics.

Frameset: 2006 Bianchi Pinella 53cm
Fork: Bianchi Full Carbon from FG Lite
Headset: Chris King 1 1/8
Stem: FSA Pantani Tribute
HndlBr: Deda Superlegerro 42cm
SeatPst: Deda Superlegerra 27.2
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost Kit Carbonio 130
Calipers: Campagnolo Super Record 11
Levers: Campagnolo Super Record 11 speed
R Derr: Campagnolo Super Record 11 speed
F Derr: Campagnolo Record 10 speed
Crank: Campagnolo Super Record 11 speed Ultra Torque 52/39 172.5
Wheels: Fulcrum Racing One

[wordsmithgmxch]

Brave man! To buy a frame like you did, to go that deep into the weeds with the repair / restoration / remanufacture: wow: You have my respect. I'm happy it turned out so well for you!

[jeremynorth]

I love this episode and your passion for this bike. Your description of riding a steel frame is spot on.

[yishaithegift]

Your breakdown of bicycle knowledge is very much appreciated. I live here in Miami as well. I absolutely love cycling but I'm a noob. One thing you've mentioned that was spot on is the weight difference as it regards to momentum. I'm 6'2" 185 I own a Cannondale R400 it has stock RSX components with Mavic Aksium Race wheels, with hutchingson gold tires. Now I've always wanted to ride a carbon bike with all the bells and whistles. One day a co-worker of mine brought his BMC teammachine to work. I was blown away with the weight difference between the two bikes. He laughed saying I need a lighter bike. So on lunch break I took his bike for a 3 mile ride. First thing I noticed is that it takes off like a bullet! Not gonna lie I was flying! But I did feel like to sustain the momentum I had to keep pedaling whereas with my cannondale it seemed to hold its momentum through my cadence. I didn't feel like I was wasting energy. I get up to speed and the bike stays there. Especially in a headwind. The carbon BMC required more effort to fight the drag of the headwind. Like throwing a paper plane in front of a fan. But my cannondale was actually fun in a headwind. I could go faster with less effort even on the hoods because the weight of the bike isn't slowed down by the opposing wind. It's simple science when you think about it. So I can understand 100% your rationale with steel frames. But that BMC is definitely fun to ride. That acceleration and top end speed is exhilarating! And I love the sound it makes.

[Vezzo]

I ride a Steel Colonago Masterlight Frame.52cm Mapei team colors of the mid have over 30, 000++ miles on that bike as good as day Steel is Real Baby You have a beautiful Bianchi... great build Thank You for sharing

[dosgos]

Great narration and story. I agree with you that steel frames do a great job of dampening the road; they are comfortable on longer rides.

[duncanmacphee]

The Bianchi celeste and yellow is the most beautiful colourway of any bike.

[newoldsteel]

YES YES YES I 100% agree with you on everything you said. I own 4 steel frame bikes and seriously have such a blast on them. Most of the time if not 99% of the time you can keep up with riders because fitness and aerodynamic position is most important. It's rare when I can't keep up but it's because they professionally race. I'm In Vegas with huge hills and I feel like the liveliness of steel bikes springs you to the next pedal stroke, and it seriously feels like that energy you put in gets returned when climbing. I'm definitely subbing to your channel too!

[roblucchetti]

I call my late 80's DeRosa my "Caddy" - it's one of those early types of steel that just dance with you. It's not the best for climbing or sprinting as there's simply too much flex, but for pure enjoyment and comfort to relatively quick, you can't beat it.

[Myiata]

Beautiful bike!I love this old road bikes, Italian bikes are a must!

[BrianRPaterson]

I like riding metal. I started on steel, moved on to aluminium, and I still ride a Cannondale XS800 on the road and a bit of gravel.
But I've never really trusted carbon to last.

[anthonyharris]

I like steel frames over carbon because of the springiness especially for cyclocross and singletrack. I've club raced bikes back in the 80s and 90s and our team bikes were steel Scapins at the time beautiful riding bikes. Over the years I've road magnesium, titanium, aluminum and carbon but I always felt that quality steel tubing road the best.

[howardleckey]

Love it bro. I’m a 60 year old ex racer. I have ridden all materials but Steel is my choice for most rides. Needs to be the highest end tubing from whichever manufacturer and usually performs consistent and comfortable over a long day in the saddle. Colnago Master light is still my favorite allrounder for pure feel. Thanks for sharing that beautiful steed!

[jffydavy]

Great video. When I started riding/racing bicycles steel was the only material for bike frames. I learned how to read the road through double butted, lugged frames. The feel (language) of a steel frame is still in my head and I have better control of my steel frames than aluminum, titanium or carbon frames. Carbon frames are more 'comfortable' via shock absorbing but that quality effects my speed and confidence because it hides the connection between my wheels and the pavement. Carbon is not bad, I just connect to a steel frame better than frames made of other materials. My bamboo frame was very comfortable but I would never try to be aggressive when riding it.

[jeffparnell]

Your assessment toward the end regarding carbon vs still is spot-on with my own experience with carbon frames and steel frames. I decided to get a Gunnar Roadie, I feel like I could ride all day on steel, even regardless of the road surface.

[hatbpto]

Lifetime bike guy here. This video rocks! 👍

[wplg]

Great presentation!
Framing, audio, video, editing, B-Roll, and even mic placement is on point.

[wm.b.bowman]

Loved the vid!

Been 16+ years since riding. Recently retired and pulled my mid 1990s Landshark custom steel out of mothballs and upgraded it from 1995 8 speed Campy Chorus to 2021 12 speed Campy Chorus. Wow!!

I own a Cannondale R900 Aluminum and a Lightspeed titanium and neither compares to the comfort and responsiveness of the steel Landshark!

[marcmommaas]

Thank you for this wonderful video, really enjoyed this, love the passion and can't agree more. I am riding my cinelli supercorsa with sram red/force mix electronic groupset. An amazing feel to ride this bike, definitely not as fast as carbon, but lighter than you might expect. Holds speed, climbs well, accelerates well, is forgiving with ny roads, and above all, I just want to keep riding it, love it so much. I travel and rent carbon bikes for fun, but I always miss my cinelli which always puts a smile on my face.

[lvkeepfit]

An answer to the title before watching the video in my opinion absolutely YES!

[jamesajjr]

Really enjoyed the video! Very thorough! I just recently got my hands on an 87 Trek Elance that built up with 105 components and replaced wheels with Fulcrum Racing One’s. I was really able to shed significant pounds, but haven’t weighed the bike as of yet. Truth as mentioned “Carbon feels a bit flimsy” I concur with that statement! My Cervelo R1 takes off like a rocket and climbs like a mountain goat. However, it does not have that powerful robust feeling like the old steel Trek. The Trek has become my 1st choice in all my riding situations lately. I’ll my Cervelo just to go out on super jaunts around my neighborhood. The Steel is Real!!👍