Steelman Cycles Eurocross 525

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at Steelman

Bike Setup:
Mavic Heliums, Campy Record 9, Avid Shorty brakes and a custom Steelman stem.

Summary:
Haven't even ridden it yet. I got a Dedaci Eurocross on closeout. Just the QUALITY of the build tells me this is going to be an awesome bike. Even though this was a closeout Brent treated me like He was building a custom frame. Many questions were asked about the type use and type rider I am. I placed my order on the web site and recieved an Email and a call the next day from Brent himself. I expect this one to be just as good if not better than my custom IF.

Strengths:
Beautifully constructed machine. I am an aircraft builder and know QUALITY when I see it. Faced and reamed seat tube,headtube and B/B. Powdercoat that surpasses many custom paints.

Weaknesses:
Zero

Similar Products Used:
IF Crown Jewel

Favorite Ride:
Everything around me here in western Montana

Bike Setup:
9 speed Ultegra, Mavic ceramic T217 with Ultegra for offroad(heavy, but bombproof, and Open Pro's for pavement. Steelman stem, King headset, XTR canti's, USE xcr seatpost... Specalized Tri-cross and Ritchey Speedmax tires.

Summary:
BUY THIS FRAME BUY THIS FRAME... IT IS THE BEST YOU WILL FIND FOR A STEEL CYCLOCROSS FRAME.
This is for the 853 Eurocross... not the 525 Eurocross, which is also available from Steelman.... Price for the 853 is $1149, and the 525 is $900
You can tell that Brent and his wife Katryn know what they are doing and take a lot of pride in what they do. And, unlike some builders out there who put their founders name on the frame and$1300-$1500 price tag, but have some inexperienced welder actually building it(a big FAT lie...I will be nice and not mention any names... I made a big FAT promise,) Brent Steelman is the person who builds the frames, and has the right to put his name on the downtube. I found STEELMAN after I bought a $1350(overly FAT price) production cyclocross frame from a trusted and respected mid-size builder, received my frame with two significant defects, waited several months for them to build me a new production frame, got screwed around the whole time, and then finally told them to keep everything and send my money back(Which I waited for for almost a month.)
After dealing with several other small builders after this fiasco, I came upon STEELMAN CYCLES, and was sold on them immediately. I can tell you that they are easygoing, eager to help, and they know what they are talking about. Unlike some builders who seem to only dabble in cyclocross, STEELMAN CYCLES are really invloved in cyclocross, and it shows in their work, and comes out in the ride. So, for all the reasons mentioned above... If you are the type of person who would rather save their money for an extra couple of months in order to buy a cyclocross frame from a small builder, rather than buying some corporate piece of nonsense, then I can tell you that you should definitley invest a lot of time checking out STEELMAN CYCLES. I spent 6 months saving and researching everybody who makes a cross frame, and after getting screwed around on my first purchase, and getting sick of egos and attitudes, I finally found STEELMAN. What a relief. Let me just say that the STEELMAN EUROCROSS 853 is so great that I don't even mind that I lost well over $100 bucks in labor and shipping from the fiasco I described above. In the end I saved, and came out waaaaaayyyyy ahead in the deal... in price, value, design, handling...everything !!! STEELMAN IS REAL... BUY ONE!!!

Strengths:
This is a top quality 853 steel cyclocross bike that is designed for racing and built by Brent Steelman... someone who has a lot of experience in cyclocross and who obviously takes a lot of pride in what he does. Steelman's 853 Eurocross is well thought out from top to bottom. Beautiful powder coating, good decals, incredible crowned straight blade fork built by the man himself, excellent dropouts, smooth as butter welds. Little things that go a long way: top-tube cable routing that is offset a bit to the side, your choice of top or bottom swing front der., integrated and threaded rear brake cable stop for quick and easy adjustments on the fly... plenty of room for rubber...did I mention the dropouts on the fork? Brent and Katyrn Steelman are also very helpful and ACCESSIBLE if their already very informative web-page can't answer any of your questions.
THE RIDE: This thing rips... it literally feels like an extension of myself. It has a long enough wheelbase to be stable, yet has steep enough angles to be nimble when you need it to be. When climbing, it feels like no energy is wasted... the bike just lunges forward with every stroke of the crank. This is the most incredible steel bike that I have ever been on. And with a pair of road wheels... you are not losing a thing on not having a road racing specific frame... this bike is the best of both worlds.

Weaknesses:
nope

Similar Products Used:
Fat City Chris Cross... and I researched all the others from small builders... Rock Lobster, Indy Fab, Strong, Sycip, Lyon's, Waterford, Seven, etc. Steelman was the best that I could find for my dollars... after I sent back the Fat City to get my money back!

Favorite Ride:

Toro Park, Salinas

Bike Setup:

Thin tires, stripped down MTB.

Summary:
This is an exceptional value and a great handling, do-anything bike. Builder is very knowledgable and has quick turnaround. Frame is comfortable, light and stable. Colors and craftsmanship are awesome! I look forward to racing the hell out of it this season. Steelman has been building 'cross bikes for years, check it out!

Strengths:

Very compliant, handles great. Superbe craftsmanship, personal attention from builder, very fast delivery.

Weaknesses:

None.

Similar Products Used:

Voodoo Loa.
Bontrager Race Lite.