Ever notice how other manufacturers compare their light weight frames to the ride and feel of a classic steel frame? That's because steel is more comfortable to ride on the road. The goal is to make a frame as light as possible that someone can still ride comfortably for long distances. Carbon fiber and aluminum have a well deserved reputation for feeling 'dead' on the road. Back when steel frames weighed 5 pounds or more people were willing to put up with a 'dead' feeling bike in order to have a frame weight of 3 to 3 1/2 pounds.

I myself even gave in to the pressure and rode a 3.1 pound aluminum frame for about 2 years back in the early 90's. I called it my '50 miler' because after 50 miles my hands (and other stuff) had gone numb. Then I would have to get off and recover before continuing. Oh how I longed for the comfort of my old Reynolds 531 Peugot. I tried many tricks to make it more comfortable. I put in a carbon seat post, a different fork, and I even double wrapped the handlebars, but it became clear to me that my 'aging frame' needed a different kind of bicycle frame.

In the mean time Reynolds and True Temper were pioneering some incredible new steels that enabled bike builders to build 3.5 pound frames out of steel. I had one made for myself in 1994 and what a treat! I could ride STP again and still feel refreshed enough to be the one who drove back from Portland (while everyone else slept and recovered in the back of the van). My hands didn't go numb. My riding speed was faster because of comfort, and my time off the bike recovering was all but eliminated. I didn't even care that my new frame was 6 ounces heavier than my '50 miler'.

Now for the HUGE news!
This year we are making all of our Rodriguez frames from True Temper OX Platinum or True Temper S3. An S3 frame is LIGHTER than titanium, aluminum or even most carbon fiber bikes. Our frames ride like steel because they ARE steel. We've built several S3 bikes now, and the lightest to date is just under 16 pounds as a complete bike (2.2 pounds as a frame). The S3 bike comes complete with Campagnolo Chorus drive train as well as many other trick parts. Words can't do this bike justice, so I'll quit trying to write something catchy here. You're just going to have to come in and FEEL what everyone is talking about.