Independent Fabrication SSR 953
Indy Fab’s Reynolds 953 frame proves steel still has a valid place for those in the market for a top-performing frameset
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- Independent Fabrication SSR 953
- £2,350 Frame and fork (includes custom geometry and a choice of decals)
- Frame weight: 1.1kg
- Size tested: 57cm
- www.ifbikes.com
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Think steel is dead, and that there’s no place for it if you’re after a lightweight high performance frame? Think again, as the recently released Reynolds 953 tubeset is out to shake up any illusions that steel can’t cut it anymore.
Independent Fabrication appears to be a very nice company. It's an employed-founded and –owned corporation and doesn’t hold back in its clear pursuit of producing frames of the highest possible quality. It isn’t mainstream, it doesn’t outsource its frames or even supply stock sizes.
It also likes to work with high-end materials; for example, the Independent Fabrication XS combines carbon and titanium in one rather expensive package. The SSR makes use of the relatively new Reynolds 953 tubeset. I had the pleasure of testing one recently and struggled to stop riding it long enough to write these words, but here we go…
Frame
The interesting aspect of this frame is of course, that it is made from Reynolds 953 steel. So I’ll focus on that first. There was a time when everyone rode and raced steel bikes, with Reynolds claiming 27 Tour de France winners on a frame built using the company's steel tubes. Reynolds has been manufacturing tubesets since 1898, and 953 is an attempt (their last, realistically) at producing a cutting edge high-performance steel tubeset, and by god they’ve succeeded.
Reynolds 953 tubing is based on a specially developed "martensitic-aging" stainless steel alloy that can achieve a tensile strength in excess of 2000MP (853 is around 1400MP), giving a good strength-to-weight ratio. Because of the high strength of the steel, extremely thin tube walls (down to 0.3mm) can be used, thus reducing the weight. It’s also corrosion resistant so doesn’t need treatment and will never rust. The dropouts, bottom bracket shell and the head tube are made from 953 too, and all the tubes are cold-worked.
The advantages of the new tubeset can only be seen clearly once a frame has been built. Independent Fabrication were one of the first companies to start working with 953 when Reynolds released it a few years ago, but it's taken frame builders some time to get to grips with the steel alloy and find out how best to build a frame. With the SSR, IndyFab appear to have cracked it, for it’s without a doubt one of the classiest frames you’ll likely find anywhere.
What’s smart about Independent Fabrication’s application of 953 is just how good it looks. On first glance it could pass as a titanium frame – the colour is quite similar – but it’s the subtlety of the machining, the incredible smoothness and extraordinary tidiness of the welds that really impress. This isn’t a frame that’s been lobbed together by a robot, but sweat and long hard human hours have been invested, and that shows.
Likewise, there are many intricate details which further add to the beauty. The IF ‘crown’ logo is stamped atop the rear brake bridge, itself a lesson in beautiful simplicity, the 953 dropouts with excess material clearly machined away to reduce weight and the reinforced head tube finished off with a sterling silver IF head badge held in place by two small Allen bolts. Very nice. Flush against the underside of the downtube is a small gusset designed to add extra metal to an area subject to high loads. Cables are held in place on the downtube by exquisite small round sections of 953 welded into place.
Then there’s the fact that IF only supplies custom frames; there is no ‘stock’ off-the-shelf option. And custom means that every customer is taken through the same process, whichever frame you're buying, and can specify every tube, every length, every angle and every option such as the colour. Decals too can be specified. So buying an IF gets you a truly bespoke frame that can be cherished for years to come.
Components
This bike came from Bespoke Cycling, who will build a bike to any spec you want, or that your bank balance can handle. Obviously you don’t want to short change such a good frame, and the spec as tested certainly doesn’t. The Reynolds theme is carried through to the wheels and finishing kit (handlebars, stem and saddle). The stem was a little short but a swap meant a good fit was found. Reynolds build some lovely kit and the wheels are a particular highlight.
The MV32 tubular wheels weigh just 1.19kg a pair with a 32mm deep section all-carbon build. Tyres are 22mm Veloflex Carbon tubs which are handmade in Italy. They're billed as a “fantastic everyday tubular”, weigh 240g and with a Calicot puncture resistant layer underneath the thread should shrug off glass and thorns.
A SRAM Red groupset is becoming an increasingly popular choice at the top-end, and it made a big contribution to the impressively low weight of the full-build. The 1,928g groupset is winning many fans, myself included, and in such a short space of time SRAM has become a serious rival to Shimano and Campagnolo.
Ride
My first proper ride was the Dartmoor Classic, after making the long trip down to Devon on an extremely hot day in a car lacking air conditioning [air con. uses too much petrol - ed.]. The SSR was an immediate hit. Even before I had left the rugby pitch used for the start/finish arena, I had to shoo people away from it before I could climb aboard.
As mentioned before, IF don’t do stock frames, but luckily this 57cm frame fitted me like a silk glove. My stretch to the bars allowed plenty of room to breathe and enabled good control, while the tall head tube permitted a more comfortable position than I might have been expecting – make no mistake, this is a bike absolutely destined for sportives, a fact reinforced after over six hours in the saddle when I stepped of the back with no back or neck discomfort (even after spending much of the time on the drops).
When most people first clap eyes on the 953, the first word to pass their lips is ‘titanium’. And while visually there is a passing resemblance, the same can’t be said of the ride. The ride isn’t dissimilar to titanium, but is inherently springier, a quality that isn’t all that apparent all the time. A couple of long steep descents taken at speed early in the Dartmoor Classic revealed the tendency for the rear wheel to skip quite violently over sudden bumps in the road, alarming when used to the cushioning effect of many carbon frames ridden before hand. Compared to other steel frames, it has a much lively character, and is closer to titanium in that respect.
Elsewhere, the frame as sublime in its comfort. Smaller road buzz seems to be dissipated really well, leaving the rider still very, relatively, fresh after 100 miles (the fact I couldn’t walk afterwards was more due to the exertion, and not the bike…). Light weight aren’t words normally levelled at traditional steel bikes, but the SSR can give many carbon bikes a run for their money, and it positively propelled itself up the many climbs of Dartmoor.
So the SSR is just a sportive bike, then? Wrong. An evening crit race around the tight and challenging Crystal Palace circuit in South London revealed that, when equipped with high performance equipment, a steel bike can give just as fast and hard as any other modern bike. I detected little in the bike that was holding me back compared to the carbon ‘race’ bike I’d usually choose to ride for such an event. Surprised? I most certainly was.
Verdict
The old saying ‘steel is real’ gets bandied around a lot in the cycle community. With the Reynolds 953 tubeset expertly executed in the Independent Fabrication SSR, steel still has a place for those seeking a high performance frameset that can handle a mix of riding, and is a credible alternative to high-end titanium and carbon offerings.
I love the look of the frame, the rather odd decals and the sublime welds and the small bits of attention to detail that adds to the overall package. I really liked riding this bike, and if I had space in my shed for one (and a bank balance that could handle the impact the price would have) I’d have one without hesitation. One of the very nicest bikes I’ve ridden this year.
 Everything
 Nothing (well, ok, it’s a little pricey)
Bespoke Cycles
www.ifbikes.com
Discuss this story
And don't think about buying an IF with your bike to work scheme as Mosquito bikes charge an additional 10% of the purchase price for the use of the scheme! The phrase rip off comes to mind especially when there are a few out there that happen to work for the NHS, local government etc who can't get the massive discounts others are provided with. Do Rouke bikes come in colours other than red? It would be interesting to read a review of his 953 bike to be able to compare the two. Hint Hint!!!
Posted: 01/08/2008 13:58
yeah, Rourke bikes do look very nice I have to say- and I've definitely see them in colours other than red. I'd like to see a test of his new 953 frame too!
Posted: 01/08/2008 18:21
Can someone please help me understand the below comments from the article? It first says that the stainless frame is springier than ti. Then it says it has a livlier character than other steel frames, closer to titanium. I would interpret this to mean that stainless is springier than titanium, yet slightly less lively than titanium. So.... what is the difference between "springy" and "lively"? : "The ride isn't dissimilar to titanium, but is inherently springier, a quality that isn't all that apparent all the time. ..... Compared to other steel frames, it has a much lively character, and is closer to titanium in that respect." THANK YOU in advance to anyone who can help!
Posted: 12/02/2009 00:27
Oh, dear... It depends what you mean by springy, for a start. Assuming equivalent Ultimate Tensile Strength, steel is springier than titanium because it has a higher Youngs modulus (by a factor of roughly two) so for a given deflection it will store ( and subsequently return) about twice as much energy. On the other hand, since a good ti alloy can have almost as high a UTS as a good alloy steel, ti, being half as stiff, will deflect more under a given load, meaning that it can store more energy at the limit than steel... And 953 has such a high UTS it can be made in tubes with very thin sidewalls and, hence, fatter tubing for the same weight as other high-end steel tubes, thus confusing the matter stiff further. Ti also has self-damping qualities that contribute to the fabled ride, while steel, being stiffer thanks to that modulus, can be used in smaller diameter tubes that may have the same bending stiffness as a fat ti tube but which will then be less stiff in torsion. It's all about second moment of area and modulus and how they combine to affect the frame's reaction to various loads. I guess DA was having a stab at describing the ride sensation he experienced with the IndyFab 953, and a fine job he did too.
Posted: 12/02/2009 10:04
1.1kg frame weight. No way I'll make an educated guess at around 1.8kg in that size.
Posted: 12/02/2009 17:15
So you'd like to think that in the last 26 years the technology had improved sufficiently to reduce the weight by 700g You'd like to think so but it hasn't. I can just believe manufacturers are getting down to 1.4kg but I suspect they are using something other than 953 for the stays and head tube. As there are no reinforcement rings on the head tube the IF frame must be using the 1mm version of the head tube and 170mm of it - or something lighter? I've seen a couple of articles saying 953 isn't much if any lighter than 853 and 853 frames in size 57cm with a tall head tube are heavy lumps. I'll back down on 1.8kg but it's1.6kg if it's all 953 and 1.5kg if it's a mix.
Posted: 13/02/2009 06:37
There are a few misconceptions/misunderstandings about the properties and uses of titanium and steel creeping into this thread...as Richard mentions they are both alloyed to give the relevant properties for the task they are to perform - the additives alloyed to the raw material are generally in small percentages. Therefore, the difference in weight/mass between 531, 853 & 953 will be very minimal, but because of different properties in strength (tensile or otherwise) weight savings are made by a reduction in mass (i.e. thinner tubing), but this can also create further complications, which I won't bore you with. Titanium is often far 'springier' than any alloy of steel under most conditions especially under high stress and therefore will last much longer under conditions of constant flex. However, titanium alloy used for fire protection (again much better than steel) has a different property and becomes brittle under high stress and will bend to a certain elasticity before failure, but needs to so it can be shaped. Once subject to high temperature it has done its job but can't be re-used. The numbers given to the steel i.e. 531, 725, 953 etc refer to the number of elements taken from different property groups alloyed to make the final composition. But you don't gain additional benefits without loosing certain properties i.e. extremely tough can become more brittle etc. 953 has a combination and process of alloying that has gained much more than its losses, especially tensile strength and anti-corrosion and is a serious challenger to the properties of titanium. I am a big fan of titanium, but I can't wait to compare against 953 steel. It will probably take much more time to define the advantages of one against the other in terms riding qualities and practicality - and maybe one will be better at one style/discipline whilst conversely not as good at another. Often a riders description to the quality of ride may not necessarily correlate to the specification of the material...but then we get into geometry and much more debate!!!
Posted: 13/02/2009 14:55
I think this thread somehow relates to the one I have just posted during the only minutes of a bloody (excuse me) busy on call day at the hospital. First, I think IF are terribly expensive, probably very good, but I do agree that you can get the same steel and building quality by much less money, do not personally know the british frame builders mentioned, but I am sure if a chap has built thousands of frames by hand during his lifetime, must be good at it, even if he does not have a webpage or marketing at all. Zullo is another example, as Casati and a few other small italian brands, just to quote a few here in Europe (with the advantage of avoiding taxes as you buy in €) and there are a lot of smaller northamerican frame builders (most of them steel) without the marketing of IF and with no importers at Europe, usually one-man bussiness that are excellent and very cheap, even though the USD has risen a lot for us. If there is somebody interested out there I can supply quite a few names. Second, I think it is difficult to compare ti and steel without knowing if ti is straight gauge or butted, and which kind of steel you are using. Straight ti gives a dead feeling in my experience, and good steel (my frame is Pegoretti´s built with columbus spirit) is ever so lively ... that even though it weighs 1.3kg more the whole bike once built, if feels lighter than the ti bike. Curious at it may sound, but it is my feeling after riding them. Once said, i would like to try the new reynolds tubing and the columbus XCR, stainless steel by the way, but after a recenly and traumatic enough broken marriage my funds are a bit tight, so I will have to wait before ordering a new frame ... Even though after having a look at maestri (italian for master) Zullo´s frames (check the sebpage at my recenlty posted thread) I am thinking of buying a few on call days more and make an effort ... Best regards from Spain.
Posted: 13/02/2009 19:41
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