Do Aluminium frames age well?

[ibbz]

I was wondering, with the majority of Retro bikes being either Steel or Ti, does Aluminium deteriorate over time? - even if not ridden 'hard' or thrashed?
Would it just crack or would the metal deteriorate naturally??

As Steel if cared for can to all intents and purposes, last almost forever.

As today most bikes, even budget ones are Alu, and they seem to be getting cheaper - it's either manufacturing costs are low (china?) or material costs are low - then surely the longevity suffers? Are todays bikes "throw away" bikes?

 

[Rich Aitch]

I might be wrong but my understanding is that if Aluminium "goes" it can go without warning, due to repeated flexing. The upside is that it doesn't rust and I don't think the Al equivalent- that white powder- is as structurally critical as it is with steel rust.

Alumininum building is more capital intensive- you need expensive stuff to do it, as ideally it is autoclaved to heat treat it, and they are more expensive than 'Ovens' for example- so you need to churn out a lot of frames to break even. Once you have passed that point though you can just keep going, the more you make the cheaper you can sell them for. I don't have figs for the bike industry but in the car industry the break even point- based on steel pressings- was estimated to be about 250,000 bodyshells a year.

 

[T'boo Ted]

It also depends on the aluminium used. Like you regularly see plenty of zaskars still being ridden and kleins, but anything made from program (varilite) easton stuff (yeti, manitou etc) generally tends to be full of cracks.
From my vague knowledge from yesteryear, common stuff from way back was 6061 and then 7005 (program). 6061 is a pretty strong alloy of aluminium (when compared to others you'd make a bike out of), and is really good to weld. 7005 is stronger (using "stronger" as a loose term) than 6061, but is harder to weld. I seem to remember it being stiffer or harder and lending to more brittle. We built a bike out of laminated timber for a project so had to figure out what 7005 was and it properties vs others, but that was long ago . And we see many failures of 7005 bikes

 

[highlandsflyer]

with the majority of Retro bikes being either Steel or Ti

Really? I must have a blind spot when it comes to Titanium.

Bikes from the era when Aluminium became widespread seem to be holding up fairly well as it goes.

Low grade steel seems to be the material of choice for the most disposable BSOs.

 

[videojetman]

well after 23 years my rc100 has developed 2 cracks.
i will never ride this bike again.
mainly because i only have the frame left.

 

[sylus]

on yours vid..i would smooth those repairs..then decoupage it with retro bike mag pages and photos...laquer it and then stick it on a wall as art

 

[lrh]

Ti is similar to the steel curve. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit

 

[Charlieboy28]

doesnt aluminium become more brittle with age regardless of whether the bike is ridden or not, or am i making that up

 

[trail_head]

Food for thought;
Have you ever looked out an airplane window at take off? Seen the wings flex up? Retro bikers give aluminum a lot more flak than it deserves!

Airplanes are made of aluminum and have a non-stop service life of 50+ years.

Long live aluminum!

 

[legrandefromage]

you are making it up.

A bit like that Dakota DC-3 I saw fly over the other day, or a Hurricane pass over, or that series 1 landrover or that Airbus fly ovehead, they dont exist - far too old and aluminiumy...