Steel road bikes on test 2021 - Test: Elegant road bikes and gravel bikes with steel frames

Max von Senger und Etterlin is a designer, not a technician. He is the founder of the bike brand Standert, based in Berlin-Mitte - and today is also a committed steel frame rider in sport. "In the beginning, it was more of an aesthetic thing," he says, "we started with singlespeeds that were modelled on Japanese Keirin bikes. It wasn't until further development that I learnt to appreciate the performance: steel wheels simply have a rich and lively feel on the road. And if you look after them, you'll have them for a long time!"

Steel vs. carbon: not an equal duel

In its small market niche, steel is here to stay - on the contrary: more and more new companies and designs are turning to this traditional material. What helps Standert and the other steel brands to turn their passion into frames is the material itself. Even the smallest companies down to one-man-shows can produce customised steel frames. Tube sets from various manufacturers such as Tange, Dedacciai, Columbus or Reynolds, combined with a variety of other frame parts, lead to unique results - with a stylish finish. Customised dropouts, tube shapes or bottom bracket housings are also an option if sufficient quantities are produced, as steel is relatively easy to machine.

With carbon frames, the barriers to entry for a customised product would be significantly higher. Here, small brands only have the option of customising a purchased frame that other manufacturers can also source. At the same time, the steel customisers are dropping out of a race that they have already lost at the start: When it comes to optimising weight or aerodynamics, they have no chance against the large development teams of the top carbon brands. With steel as a material, they are not competing in a lower league, but in a different discipline. A racing bike with a steel frame will always be about a kilo heavier than one with a carbon frame, even if it is very stiff. If you are always looking for top performance, you will almost automatically buy the fibre speedster. Even if the importance of frame weight is traditionally overrated: anyone can lift, and a steel frame also feels heavier than a lightweight carbon one when pedalling.

Steel is comfortable per se: a myth!

Nevertheless, there are some views, facts - and prejudices - in favour of steel frames. To start with these: That steel frames are comfortable per se is nonsense. Properly constructed carbon can do better. Even the sensible combination of a carbon seat post and saddle makes a big difference, as shown in this test field by the comparison between the stiff 8bar and the much more comfortable Standert or Rennstahl. In addition, the narrowest tyres in the test are 28 millimetres wide. They absorb micro-jolts so well that the frame material has at most a supporting effect. If anything, it's the construction and frame design that counts.

Life cycle assessment of steel racers hardly any better

What definitely speaks in favour of steel is its far superior energy and environmental footprint compared to carbon. Recycled steel (and this is a large proportion of the material worldwide) requires only a few percent of the energy of carbon laminate in production and - unlike the fibres - can be recycled practically endlessly. Given the widespread use of carbon forks, wheels and add-on parts in the test, two kilos of steel instead of one kilo of carbon will hardly make the world a better place. However, repairability, robustness and a more timeless look can also speak in favour of the metal.

In terms of the carbon footprint of the transport route, however, the two materials in this test field have little in common: all brands have their steel frames welded in Taiwan. Andreas Kirschner, head of Rennstahl and the titanium brand Falkenjagd, nevertheless takes the environmental issue very seriously: "We keep an eye on the eco-balance of our bikes throughout the entire value chain, from the energy-efficient extraction of the necessary raw materials and the extremely long durability of the end product through to recyclability," announces his website.

Plenty of room for customisation

In addition to the material steel, our test bikes are also united by their basic concept: while carbon bikes are increasingly being offered in just one version without the opportunity for individual customisation, our steel bikes can be personalised to a very large extent in modular systems. The two cheaper steel frames in the test, the models from Tannenwald and 8bar, can be painted in almost the entire RAL colour palette on request, and the bikes from Standert and Rennstahl, which are already very individually painted, allow a great deal of freedom in terms of equipment. The steel bikes thus emphatically occupy their market niche: individuality instead of measured value, feeling instead of aerodynamics.

TOUR summary

The more integrated and unalterable the high-end carbon bikes become, the clearer the niche of the steel racers tested here becomes: small manufacturers provide the individuality that large-scale production lacks. The fact that the frames are at least a kilo heavier due to the material is the price to pay.

After the bikes had undergone the TOUR lab tests, the corresponding rating points were added together to form grades. Despite their luxury features, neither the two road bikes nor the gravel bikes were able to fully compensate for the disadvantages of the comparatively heavy frames.

The elegant, comparatively light Standert drive unit is most likely to appeal to classic racing cyclists. The 8bar Kronprinz with its frame set, which is only half the price, is very stiff, minimalist and robust. The entry-level model "Vogelfrei" from Tannenwald is offered from the outset as a highly customisable utility bike rather than a sports bike; our test bike shows the possibilities. Rennstahl enters the growing niche of off-road orientated gravel bikes with the smooth-running, well thought-out 853 Trail Gravel.

What they all have in common is an experience that only really becomes apparent when you switch back to a carbon racer: They ride smoothly. Elegant. Unagitated. Almost silent. The buzzing of the freewheel, amplified in the resonance chamber of a carbon frame, on the other hand, is suddenly as annoying as the sound of a chainsaw coming menacingly close while picking mushrooms.

Four steel racers in detail

8bar Crown Prince Steel V1

Price 4,099 euros, frame set 898 euros

Weight: 9.2 kilos

Info: 8bar-bikes.com

Frame sizes: S, M, L

EQUIPMENT

Drivetrain: SRAM Force AXS eTap

Gear system: SRAM Force AXS eTap

Brakes: SRAM Force Disc, 160/160 mm

Wheels/tyres: 8bar Road Ultra Disc / Schwalbe One TLE 28-622

Standert Disc drive unit

Price: 5,599 euros, frame set 1,799 euros

Weight: 8.9 kilos

Info: standert.de

Frame sizes: 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60

EQUIPMENT

Drivetrain: SRAM Force AXS eTap 2x11

Gear system: SRAM Force AXS eTap

Brakes: SRAM Force Disc, 160/140 mm

Wheels/tyres: DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline / Vittoria Corsa Graphene 28-622 tyres

Rennstahl 853 Trail Gravel Hawaii

Price: 5,600 euros

Weight: 9.7 kilos

Info: rennstahl-bikes.de

Frame sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL

EQUIPMENT

Drivetrain: Campagnolo Ekar 1x13, 9-42 teeth

Gear system: Campagnolo Ekar

Brakes: Campagnolo Ekar, 160/140 mm

Wheels/tyres: Tune Schwarzbrenner / Schwalbe G-One Bite 50-622

Fir forest Bird-free C.3

Price: 5,800 euros

Weight: 10.4 kilos

Info: tannenwald-bikes.de

Frame sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

EQUIPMENT

Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 1x12/SRAM XO 10-50 teeth

Gear system: SRAM XO eTap AXS

Brakes: Hope RX4, 160/160 mm

Wheels/tyres: SON Dynamo/ Hope RS4/ DT Swiss Carbon/ Schwalbe G-One Speed 38-622

You can download the full test with detailed grades and measured values for weight, stiffness and features below for €1.99.

Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has its price. That's why we guarantee independence and objectivity. The TOUR tests are based on standardised and reproducible test procedures, which we always disclose. TOUR articles can be bought - TOUR test victories cannot!

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