“Steel is real.” This is the motto that many cyclists who ride steel frames live by. Steel has a lively feel that aluminum and carbon fiber simply do not have. Titanium has this similar lively feel, but the cost of just the raw material puts it out of reach of most riders. However, being a “man of steel” has its drawbacks, notably that in certain parts of the country steel can also become ‘real’ly rusty if not properly maintained, which makes a new tube set from KVA Stainless Inc. attractive.
What should be a ‘no brainer’ material to be used as a frame tube set, stainless steel has had a checkered past. Those of you who have been around the bike industry for a number of years will remember the Columbus Metax tube set. That too was a stainless steel tube set that was used by a number of frame builders including the now defunct Rhygin. The problem with the Rhygins is that they were plagued with a cracking problem… not something that you want to be known for in the frame building business. On the other end of the spectrum is the Reynolds 953 stainless steel tube set. This tube set is still being used today by prestigious builders including Waterford and Independent Fabrications. Continue reading Interbike 2011: KVA Stainless Inc. MS2 Tubing