[RossRMC]

i posted this in cyclocross/xc but didnt get a response...

I'm currently riding an 03 trek 4300, its a tank and is a pretty harsh ride w/ the pilot fork not helping out too much but it has served me well. The only thing on it ive had to replace is the wheel set which is now xt disc hubs w/ rhino lite rims.

an opportunity has come up in which i could get a ~3 yr old 19" Rocky Mountain blizzard frame for 200 bucks. I've heard that there is a definate difference in the ride of steel frames and am really curious about it. Considering i'd be moving all the parts from the trek over and hopefully slowly upgrading from there, starting w/ the fork, would this be a good investment? How durable are these frames and what kind of lifetime can I expect out of it? What kind of weight loss or gain can i expect from the frame change? I had been thinking about going FS, but I love not having to worry a lot about my bike and just being able to go out and ride the crap out of it w/ out adjusting all kinds of air pressures and settings. Basically i'm just looking for any input about this frame or steel frames in general.

thanks in advance

 

[Castle]

I don't think you'll get but a few answers in here, but I'll give my .02 cents....

There is def. a difference in the ride quality of a steel frame vs. aluminum, this is a biased opinion as I am a steel fan for a hardtail frame material. Whether it be XC/trail or Dirt Jump style frames and so on.

I believe that steel makes a wonderful frame material, offering a smoother ride quality; my best explanation is it helps with vibration, steel has a more supple ride (this is more noticeable in high end xc steel bikes, thinner tubes that allow more give).

As far as it being a good investment, I'm honestly not sure what a new blizzard frame goes for. I'd offer 150 see if he/she takes it....

As far as the frame failing, the nice thing about steel is it's ability to be fixed. Since you are in the Charlottesville area some (I think that's what it said under your name) I'd recommend speaking with Scott Paisley at Blue Wheel Bicycle Shop in Charlottesville. Great guy, super nice, and knows his stuff! That's if you need something fixed on a steel frame, I believe he also does a few custom frames every year as well. Point being is, it's life, can be very very long time. (I'd also recommend treating the frame with frame saver before rebuilding it with your own parts, just for good measure.)

Weight loss or gain, I'm not real sure on the frame weights for each model listed, but typically speaking steel frames are always marginally heavier than aluminum frames. In my opinion well worth the ride quality, we are talking small weight differences here.

I've always thought the Rocky Mountain Blizzard would be a great choice for a trail/xc rig that you could always rely on!

Suspension is fun too!

my .02 cents

 

[Mattoid]

The quality of those blizard frames is really amazing. You will certainly notice a difference between it and a low end aluminum frame. The blizard would make a fantastic xc/trail bike, but dont exceed its limits. Keep the travel around 3". Go for it!

 

[wannabeabonedoc]

Can i get one with Heath bar chunks?

 

[Mattoid]

Can i get one with Heath bar chunks?

No. Everyone knows the oreo blizzard is the best, lucky the rm blizard can be had in oreo. Thank God.

 

[BigMike]

I'd say, Go for it! The quality on Rocky Mountains are amazing, and they ride really nice too. If you already have the parts to build it up, whats the harm in trying? If you don't like it, you can always move the parts back and sell the frame to me

(Yes, I'm Serious)

 

[RossRMC]

thanks for all the input. After yalls comments and reading nothing but good reviews on the frame I decided to go for it. I'll be picking it up on wednesday, and hopefully start building it up. Ill try and get some pictures up asap. Now, the search for a new fork begins... i was thinking about a fox float or vanilla, lightly used. Or perhaps one of the marz marathon s that are going for 275 on pricepoint, any suggestions, only fork i've ridden is a crappy RS pilot, so i really want to find a fork that will do this frame justice.

 

[BigMike]

Fox