Steel vs Aluminium
- Thread starter Mikemanorhouse
- Start date
Takingabreak
Dave Yates Fan
- Feedback
- View
Re:
What's your Dads view on titanium?
What's your Dads view on titanium?
rogerzilla
Retro Guru
Re:
In practice I find alu frames don't ride all that differently, unless you're unusually sensitive; most of the difference in ride quality comes from the tyres. I remember riding my Cannondale M1000 back to back with a Diamond Back Axis TT (titanium) and not being able to feel any difference off-road.
Three things might put you off an aluminium frame:
1. It can't be modified (although it can be repainted easily enough)
2. It will eventually break if ridden enough since it has no fatigue limit. However, in practice, I've seen more cracked steel and Ti frames than anything else. It matters more how well built the frame is, and an overheated steel tube can break after a low mileage.
3. It's lost its halo these days, as carbon has taken over on top-end new bikes and £300 Halfords bikes are made from aluminium. Back in the day, a Cannondale or Klein alu frame was like rocket science.
On flexible frames climbing better - of course they don't. Some of the "spring" in the frame is returned through the cranks (you can see this by holding the brakes on and standing really hard on a pedal) but energy lost through tyre scrub, which is substantial when climbing out of the saddle*, is gone forever.
*a fixie without a rear brake wears the rear tyre just as fast as a bike with a braked rear wheel
In practice I find alu frames don't ride all that differently, unless you're unusually sensitive; most of the difference in ride quality comes from the tyres. I remember riding my Cannondale M1000 back to back with a Diamond Back Axis TT (titanium) and not being able to feel any difference off-road.
Three things might put you off an aluminium frame:
1. It can't be modified (although it can be repainted easily enough)
2. It will eventually break if ridden enough since it has no fatigue limit. However, in practice, I've seen more cracked steel and Ti frames than anything else. It matters more how well built the frame is, and an overheated steel tube can break after a low mileage.
3. It's lost its halo these days, as carbon has taken over on top-end new bikes and £300 Halfords bikes are made from aluminium. Back in the day, a Cannondale or Klein alu frame was like rocket science.
On flexible frames climbing better - of course they don't. Some of the "spring" in the frame is returned through the cranks (you can see this by holding the brakes on and standing really hard on a pedal) but energy lost through tyre scrub, which is substantial when climbing out of the saddle*, is gone forever.
*a fixie without a rear brake wears the rear tyre just as fast as a bike with a braked rear wheel
