![]() The mystique of steel caused the British cycle industry to be slow to adopt newfangled materials such as aluminum, and many British cyclists believed, even well into the 1960's, that steel rims, for instance, were superior to aluminum ones. Raleigh originally introduced the slogan "The All Steel Bicycle" to differentiate Raleighs from competitors who used cast iron for some critical parts, a heavier and cruder technology. ![]() ![]() Britain's rise to an industrial superpower on the crest of the Industrial Revolution was based, as much as anything else, on the steel industry and the new technologies it made possible: steel ships, steel bridges, steel buildings.and steel bicycles. Modern steel rims, cranks, etc are of low quality, because they are aimed at the cheapest possible price point.įrom the mid 19th century well into the 20th, the word "steel" was magic in Britain. Contemporary bicycles with steel rims, or cranks, or handlebars, or brakes are cutting corners and saving a little bit of money, for a low-end bicycle. Contemporary bicycles have many parts made of aluminum (or "aluminium," if you prefer) for lightness, strength and corrosion resistance.
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