Hello all,For many years there has been a feeling that steel, as a bicycle frame material, has reached the end of it's life. Certainly in our time there are many more options for frame materials than ever before. With massive factories producing inexpensive plastics and aluminum alloys, this is no surprise.Steel is a material that has a long and storied history in our collective cycling culture. From the first truly successful frames to the current ultra light butted tube beauties, steel has been unrivaled in it's applications.For a company like Merckx to discontinue the building of steel frames is a bit sad, poignant perhaps, since Eddy Merckx achieved his finest victories on bikes with steel frames. But in a struggling economy, it may well be that Merckx steel frames were simply a losing proposition, and the decision to discontinue production was based on an accountant's bottom line. Sad.However, steel is far from dead. From my own admittedly limited perspective, I see a resurgence of steel. From the younger riders learning to appreciate the qualities of a steel ride to the seasoned riders who realize the true beauty of the material, the body of steel riders seems to be growing. One has only to consider the current activity in the custom frame market to see this. While it's true that this market is also suffering from the economy, it shows every sign of growing as the economy recovers. There are more steel frame builders coming up than ever before.0It may never be that steel frames will be produced in the quantities that they were in the past. But I do not think that steel will die in the marketplace. It is simply too versatile. It is up to the current and future frame builders to showcase the strength and beauty of steel and keep it alive. And it is up to us, as consumers and advocates to take an active part in insuring it's survival.Yours in appreciation of steel,Chris WimpeySan Diego, CaliforniaUSAWhere today I will definitely be riding a fine steel frame.-----Original Message-----From: Dave Porter <frogeye@porterscustom.com>To: 'Cheung, Doland' <CheungD@bv.com>; 'CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS' <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>Sent: Thu, 14 May 2009 7:52 amSubject: Re: [CR] End of an Era re: MERCKX (KOF) Steel bikesThis quote from Richard this morning: "in the bigger picture, the sun hasset on steel for mass market bicycles atmo.e-RICHIECTR" I hope he's wrong!DavePfrogeye@porterscustom.comPorter Customs 2909 Arno NEAlbuquerque, NM USA 87107505-352-13781954 BN2 1959 AN5Porter Custom Bicyclescars: http://www.britishcarforum.com/