Please bear in mind that I dealt with Waltly several years ago, and things have changed since then; my knowledge will be out of date. (I’ll be happy to deal with them again once my finances improve.) Prices for similar frames don’t seem to have changed drastically.
FWIW, I found them very helpful, and they now offer butted tubing, T47 BBs, 3D printed bits, UDH, etc. I knew pretty well exactly what geometry I wanted, where the braze-ons were to go and so on, and was happy to review drawings to get there; it took quite a few iterations, but both sides were patient.
I’d be happy to answer what questions I can, but a lot of things will only be answerable by Waltly…
I got a Rodriguez Competition (rim brake, Seattle builder) a couple of years ago, and it’s amazing! And it really isn’t that much more expensive than certain stock frames. For your build, you’d be looking at the Phinney Ridge.
Perhaps it is not an issue of steel or titanium. Nothing is more important than fit. The wonderful bits you have listed deserve something made just for you. My favourite and best bike is a 14 year old rim braked steel bike that sailed across hundreds of kilometres of rough roads north of Dunnedoo last week. Made for me. With every part my choice. Don’t think. Do
Yes, as I mentioned I have 5 stainless bikes currently. Also about 5 non-stainless steel, 10 titanium and about 6 carbon. One aluminum. So it’s fair to say I like every material…or rather I appreciate the various builders’ skill and nuances each material has to offer. Having said that, I do really like stainless for a couple reasons. First is that steel really does ride nice. It is indeed true that a good framebuilder can craft a frame to ride a specific way regardless of the material but it is also true that different materials do seem to favor certain characteristics - both of these observations can be true. For example, my best-riding frame is a filet-brazed steel bike made by Stephen Bilenky about 12 years ago with a mix of Columbus Life, Spirit, and Dedacaciai tubing. I like the classic look of some steel frames that have the typical fairly narrow diameter tubing - it’s a very different look than carbon, Ti, or aluminum frames. On the other hand, steel (stainless or otherwise) with over-size tubing dimensions can look decidedly modern. Compared to Ti specifically, I think the shine and patina of unpainted stainless steel looks much more exotic than the dull lustre of brushed titanium. Naturally, either one can be painted. And stainless steel can also be polished to a mirror finish, if that’s what you’re going for. Ti is commonly anodized as well. Neither stainless or Ti will rust or corrode. Some of the stainless varieties can be subject to staining from salted roads, like Reynolds 953, but I haven’t noticed this (so far). The only downsides with stainless steel would be the cost - it is very expensive, about the same as Ti - and not all framebuilders work with it. 953 is especially hard to find. All Ti frames are welded. Stainless steel (and non-stainless) can be TIG-welded, brazed, or lugged. So you have a choice of construction method depending on the builder. My David Kirk Reynolds 953 stainless frame (and fork) is completely unpainted with naked filet-brazed joints. It is exquisite. I’m sure the filet joints will develop a nice patina of age over time.
@Scott_Bernstein Thank you for the detailed response. There’s definitely something about the 953 by Anderson bike that I have. The oversized, thin tubes allow for light weight while still giving the bike some stiffness and liveliness. It’s among the best bikes I’ve ridden.
Unpainted fillet brazed 953 can succumb to inter-granular corrosion when ridden in poor weather i.e. ‘coming unglued’. Some other grades of stainless are less susceptible to that problem.
Yup. Reynolds certifies individual builders to work with 953. I trust the builder of my frame used the recommended filet materials, heat management, flux, etc…. in order to mitigate this issue. I don’t plan to ride it in pouring rain (if I can help it) nor when there is salt on the roads anyways.
In case u haven’t considered this - be attentive to the F Der to tire or fender clearance when the F der is in the big ring. Campy 12s F der has a fairly long lever arm to which the cable anchors. If it’s an issue some workarounds are to use a Sram Wide f der clamp, modified with some filing to accept the campy der, which set the der a bit further outbound (I haven’t tried that one). The thinking being that the chain line stays the same but in the big ring the cage won’t have to go as far outbound vis a vis the der body and therefore the lever arm gets less close to the tire. or Microshifft makes some f ders that have short lever arms. I use one. It’s not as good as the campy but it works. It depends I suppose on how particular u are about the trim function.
It’s also worth remembering that Campy 12s FDs, at least the mech FDs, have two different positions for anchoring the cable. That’s specifically to address possible interference with the rear tire.
Had a stock Lynskey R230 for years, fabulous bike . Only sold it on as went to disc.
Had a Cielo steel by Chris King but I think Breadwinner Cycles build nearby, their B Road frame always looked great.
On an older Litespeed gravel at the moment and very happy with the ride quality .
Do still have an allroad steel from the UK as I do like the way it rides but frame needs a bit more maintenance than Ti ones . ( ChickensFrameEmporium)
Oh yes. I forgot about that! For those who are interested - the Campy cable anchor bolt is a bit on the beefy side. If you just need a hair extra clearance (say the derailleur is just pressing up against your fender, a button head will do, or as mentioned you can move the cable anchor point forward. Both depicted below. For comparison, also a pic of the microshift derailleur I mentioned.
Last month I built up a Montebello with Ultegra 12sp wireless. It’s a joy to ride and is everything I hoped a Ritchey steel frame endurance bike would be.
I’ve only owned one other steel bike (All-City Space Horse built up with Ultegra 11sp hydro). The Ritchey is head and shoulders (and knees and toes) above the Space Horse in terms of ride quality, handling, and overall fun.
So many options…like endless options. I just built up this Rodriguez, a customized “Phinney Ridge” model. The tubing is their in-house steel which is kind of a version of True Temper OS2 from what I understand, TIG-welded. S&S couplers. I am using SRAM eTap here, with Paul Clampers mechanical disc brakes, but it can also be built with any mechanical drivetrain. I designed my with a high-ish bottom bracket ( BB drop of 58mm) so I can run it with 28 or 30mm 650b tires and not have my cranks hit the pavement
