Ferrous materials have been making a comeback into the current psyche of cycling, refuting notions that a high-performance bicycle has to be made from fantastic plastic. Modern steel fabrication is pushing out of the custom bicycle builder niche and into the realm of  high-performance production. For too long, cyclists have been distracted by the thermoplastics of the 00s and the current all-out obsession with “The Biggest Loser” mentality when choosing a bicycle. With good, solid tools there’s always a reassuring heft and mettle that carries the knowledge that it will do the job you need from it today, tomorrow, and when your daughter or son picks it up years down the line.

(Disclaimer: we really, really, really, like steel bicycles here at ChainSlap. No, really.)

Nath’s Stanton Switchback

Mountain bikes are no longer restricted to your fully rigid retrogrouch singlespeed bike oddities. Companies like Starling and Production Privee have launched their new envelop-pushing full-suspension bicycles in search of grip and feel, not out-and-out stiffness. These look like genuine trail bikes that combine modern expectations of geometry and travel, the aesthetic advantages of slimmer lines, and the assurance of welded 4130.

Starling Murmur 29 – bet you couldn’t come up with this in your shed.

Production Privee No 5

Road bikes made from steel are not the much cherished lugged, flexible things from the past. Arguably, the new breed of road bicycles from smaller builders like Independent Fabrications, Jaegher, Vanilla Cycles et al pioneered all the modern accoutrements that are now must-haves on your Sunday finest. Mason, Ritchey, Kona, Genesis and Breezer to name a few all have modern steel bicycles in their catalogue now.

Donhou DSS2

Mason Resolution – probably one of the best looking production bicycles out there.

The how a bicycle rides is always a function of the design of the bicycle, not the material it’s constructed from. The right bike dampens the chatter we accumulate and amplifies the chorus of focus and silence. Why we ride is a different function; we choose the best tool that enables adventures of all sizes, brings family and strangers together, and encourages further celebrations before, after, and between rides.

Brett’s Jaegher Interceptor

Tom’s Crowe Rishworth

Kev’s Serotta CSI