Mar 20th, 10.  While at events, RoadCycling keeps an eye out for new and interesting bikes.  With all the carbon bling around, finding a steel bike was a thrill.  Seeing it ride to the podium was even better.

Gayle Brownlee and her steel bike 'Betty Leeds' break free ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Brownlee was more than happy to introduce us to her steel bike as she prepared for Stage 3 of the Women's Tour of New Zealand last month.

"Her name is Betty Leeds, so she is my 'Betty' and she is the most amazing thing ever," Brownlee said.

While almost every high end road race bike you see in 2010 is made from carbon fibre, top end steel bikes are still being made by German company Fixie Inc .

Fixie Inc, as the name suggests, started making fixed gear bikes.  Five years on and they have moved into the road race and cyclocross market with two road and one cyclocross frame sets.

Brownlee couldn't stop talking about her 'Betty' and how beautiful her frame, and Fixie Inc bikes in general, were to look at and to ride.  

"The appeal is in the handling. Being able to descend at high speeds, especially in a women's bunch, is really important,"  she said, commenting that other riders can often be a little nervous.

"Nothing descends better than a steel bike, and when you/re climbing it just gives you that little bit of extra spring too," she said.

The Betty Leeds bike is named after one of the first thoroughbred mares in Germany and is made from custom drawn 4130 aircraft steel and fitted with Reynolds carbon forks.  It may be retro in material and styling,  but at its core Betty is a 100% modern bike designed for performance. 

"I don't know the exact weight but my bike is just under 7.5kg fully built up with wheels and bottle cages. She is incredibly beautiful," said Brownlee.

Beautiful doesn't win races, but Brownlee and her Betty proved light isn't everything when they broke away from the peloton and stayed away for 3rd place in the same stage where we met them.

"She did good!" Brownlee exclaimed when she met us at the finish line.  "It's just fantastic and she (Betty) is absolutely faultless."

Fixie Inc's byline is "cycles for heroes", which is also their website – www.cycles-for-heroes.com.