In situ neutron diffraction was used during tensile testing at room temperature to examine the changes in the proportion and texture of both ferrite and austenite in a nanocrystalline bainitic steel transformed at two different temperatures, 200 and 300 C, for different times to achieve the same phase percentages. Both samples showed an inability of austenite to transform to martensite under strain to take full advantage of the transformation-induced plasticity effect. © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.