Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - aluminum vs. steel drops

other than weight, and, I would assume, strength, what are the pros and cons?

I think that aluminum doesn't rust, or doesn't rust as much as steel.

Alum is stiffer, steel gives, suposedly...
Thus, steel lessens the shock in the hands/wrists.

correct me if I'm wrong, but i think its the other way around

aluminum is stiffer and lighter and does not rust.
steel is shinier, heavier, and flexier and does rust.

i say shiny decides it all!

aluminum is stiffer and lighter, but thats not really the case for bars. The black deda pista bars are aluminum and are much lighter than my nittos, but they flex a lot more also. The deda bars I have are great for the streets because of the flexibilty, absorbing shock more than my nittos and also they have a oversized clamp area which is comfortable to grip. Not good for track though because of the flex.

I believe that's a misconception. Aluminum is actually more flexy than steel (gasp, egads, nowai!!!). The reason that we don't usually think about it is that aluminum bikes use tubing with much thicker walls than steel. This compensates for its lack of strength. So if you took two identical bars, one made with a standard aluminum alloy and another with your standard steel alloy, the aluminum would flex more (hence wangster's situation).

and from wikipedia:

Improper use of aluminium can result in problems, particularly in contrast to iron or steel, which appear "better behaved" to the intuitive designer, mechanic, or technician. The reduction by two thirds of the weight of an aluminium part compared to a similarly sized iron or steel part seems enormously attractive, but it should be noted that it is accompanied by a reduction by two thirds in the stiffness of the part. Therefore, although direct replacement of an iron or steel part with a duplicate made from aluminium may still give acceptable strength to withstand peak loads, the increased flexibility will cause three times more deflection in the part.

Where failure is not an issue but excessive flex is undesirable due to requirements for precision of location or efficiency of transmission of power, simple replacement of steel tubing with similarly sized aluminium tubing will result in a degree of flex which is undesirable; for instance, the increased flex under operating loads caused by replacing steel bicycle frame tubing with aluminium tubing of identical dimensions will cause misalignment of the power-train as well as absorbing the operating force. To increase the rigidity by increasing the thickness of the walls of the tubing increases the weight proportionately, so that the advantages of lighter weight are lost as the rigidity is restored.

Aluminium can best be used by redesigning the part to suit its characteristics; for instance making a bicycle of aluminium tubing which has an oversize diameter rather than thicker walls. In this way, rigidity can be restored or even enhanced without increasing weight. The limit to this process is the increase in susceptibility to what is termed "buckling" failure, where the deviation of the force from any direction other than directly along the axis of the tubing causes folding of the walls of the tubing.

yup, aluminum is flexier, which is why i ride alu drops on the streets, i get pounded to death with steel.

Same is true of alu v. steel stems? I seem to recall reading that steel drops, alu stem would give you the stiffest setup, combination-wise.

depends on whether or not the aluminum was designed to be stiffer and heavier or lighter and flexier.

yeah, what you said about the alu stem possibly makes sense, since the stems are pretty burly, enough so that its so much material it won't flex.

aluminum is only stiffer in frames where they use oversized tubing thus creating a very strong and stiff frame that doesn't flex but doesn't absorb road shock either. If you tried to use aluminum in same size tubing as steel, it'd absorb shock, but it'll also fail quickly because its much weaker than steel.

i stand massively corrected.

except on the shiny part.

GO WITH SHINY!

What about carbon fibre? My carbon bars are pretty stiff and very shock absorbent.

So why is it that the keirin riders prefer the Alum/Steel combination? If the Alum bars are truly flexy, wouldn't Steel/Steel make the most sense if they were to comply with NJS regulations and have the stiffest setup?

balance of weight and flex. You'll feel the bars flex more than you would the stem and the aluminum stem is lighter so this way they'll get a lighter setup without a huge sacrifice in stiffness... I think.

JM, the Easton carbon track bars are sexy, but for 300 clams, a little too sexy.

Even the wholesale on those Easton bars is astronomical. As much as I would like to build a world caliber track bike (monocoque carbon frame, Mavic wheelset, Easton bars), I simply don't have 10 Gs lying around.

i just got my steel nitto b125 drops and OMG they are so shiny....i'm in love with them

sorry, just to clarify: alu or steel: which bars will absorb more bumps in the road and are therefore easier on your hands/shoulders?

alu. but you wont get as much sex as you do with steel.

alu. but you wont get as much sex as you do with steel.

but you'll be in worse shape for those times when the only sex your getting is from yourself.

I think you'll get as much sex. I think people with alum bars put that much more thought into their ride rather than going with the less expensive, shiny bits..

sorry, just to clarify: alu or steel: which bars will absorb more bumps in the road and are therefore easier on your hands/shoulders?


more of a tire pressure thing than handlebar material

more of a tire pressure thing than handlebar material

+1, but aluminum bars will help a bit also. If you ride mostly on the top then you won't be able to tell much difference. The bars won't flex much at the tops, its in the drops where the flex and shock absorbing happens.

I've got both steel and alu nitto bars/stem combo and steel is definitely easier on the hands. Less vibrations, less shock, and probably less flex (both are super rigid). Steel's heavier though (about 500g more), and I'm no physisicts, but based on feel, I think it's mass might be the reason why it's more comfortable.

it seems like people seem to disagree on this issue, i.e. renz thinks steel's better, but wangster and onetwentyeight side with aluminum as being more shock absorbant. i do ride mostly on the top near the stem, so maybe it doesn't make a difference either way. i should probably just try out some friends' setups and see what's more comfy for me personally. thanks for your opinions.

as to whether steel is flexier than aluminum, I think it depends on the item.

Steel Nitto drops are probably stiffer because they weigh like 6 lbs.

dude. grab the drops (on either bar (this goes for everyone)) and move/stretch/pull them with your hands/arms. You'll find out for yourself which is more flexible.

Done the flex test, and the steel bars are definitely stiffer. I can sort of flex my alu bars, but the steel one? Only if I were the incredible hulk.

Ok here's a quick and dirty comfort test: Place your hands on the bar handles, lift the front of the bike and let it fall to the ground (while still lightly touching the bars). Feel how much vibration is transmitted through the bars. My steel bars soak of the shock and are super comfortable.

But flex is not totally undesirable. Tomity mentioned that the Grand Mighty cranks are popular with Keirin racers because they flex. Maybe the same thing goes with alu bars, a certain amount of flex is desirable, like a spring returning energy back or something like that, but that's just an uneducated guess on my part.

It seems to me that the amount of flex in a lot of handlebards depends more on the make/model than the material. People are comparing aluminum deda pistas with steel nittos, and that's just a whole different ballpark. The only way to really figure this out is to compare two exact bars (Nitto B123 to Nitto B123AA for instance) but even then, there is a slightly different shape. Width would also be a factor with the flex, no?

If you rock aluminum bars without bar tape, they can get pretty easily scuffed. My 3T Pista bars were almost entirely black on the top from having the bike upside down on the sidewalk while changing flats.

I far prefer the Nitto steel bars I have now. I'd even say the weight is an advantage - I like the way it affects handling.

As others have alluded to, stiffness is not an intrinsic quality of the material. Rather, it is a function of the elasticity of the material and the cross-sectional qualities of the component. You could design a wooden handlebar that would be stiffer than your typical steel handlebar if you really wanted to. It would be really big and ridiculous, but you could do it.

What I wonder about is the intrinsic qualities of the materials. Does aluminum, which is approximately one third the density of steel, have better or worse vibration damping qualites than steel? Also, what effect, if any, does the arrangement of molecules in the alloy have on damping vibrations?

Steel Bars and stem are what I use. I prefer Cinelli over Nitto because of the more pronounced curved bend. I like steering my steel frame with steel bars and stem, because I think that I can "feel" the frame response more through the same metal type. Plus, I also prefer the steel aestheticalli. It creeks less and is more "solid." One time a minivan turned into me and my steel bars destroyed its rear light and the surrounding area, they, myself, and my bike were unscathed.

Ah yes, I feel that the weight of steel in the position bars occupy is advantageous for steering.

AluminIum (al-u-min-e-um) breaks.

Do you need another con?

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