Commuting - steel vs. aluminum

what are the advantages of steel vs. aluminum? more specifically, for commuting? i hear that steel is better for dampening road vibration, but are there any other advantages?

It's heavier, rusts, has a fatigue limit, and is theoretically fixable.

Steel is preferred by custom framebuilders. Very few custom builders work in aluminum.

Steel has that thin-tubed look.

There is a perception (false, IMO) that steel frames have a more compliant ride.

Aluminum frames tend to be stiffer at the bottom bracket, resulting in less flex under hard pedalling.

Aluminum frames tend to be stiffer, resulting in more solid handling at high speeds/when loaded (or so I have heard).

Steel will
-dampen vibration
-survive forever and a day, including welds
-be marginally heavier
-rust if you don't take care of it

Aluminum will
-allow you to name your bike fun things like "A$$hammer"
-never rust, even if left out in PNW rains all winter
-be marginally lighter

I don't weld, but I am a manufacturing engineer. I can tell you that the advancements in aluminum machining have come a long way in the last 10 years. There's no more worries about frames snapping like pretzel sticks at some epoxy bonded lug. Welded aluminum frames are pretty darned strong.
I prefer steel because I'm 260 pounds, put some massive hurt on a bike, and there's a longer engineering history behind steel as a load-bearing component. I've ridden a CF-on-aluminum-lugs Trek 2100 as a racer in the past, and I had no problems with it.
Go for what you're comfortable riding.

If you tweak an aluminum part in any way, it loses much of its strength. The same is not true of steel. They're both good, and I doubt you'd notice a difference between them. My steel bike feels more stable and forgiving than my aluminum bike. Both are road bikes, the steelie is a racing bike. What probably makes the difference is geometry. The steel bike has a flat top tube while the aluminum bike is sloping.

I think the preceding posts summarize it. Also, steel is arguably more environmentally friendly since less energy goes into manufacturing it, but perhaps more energy goes into shipping it.

I personally like the stiff "feel" of aluminum frames, YMMV. Very few custom builders work in aluminum because it's a very difficult material to form and weld. That's why only lately have automakers even started using it widely.

I like my steel frames over my Al frames. To me steel has a softer ride, and for commuting that's what I prefer.
One nice thing about steel; I'm building up a new off road bike and am brazing on some eyelets for racks and fenders. Not something that can be done nearly as easily with Al.

--A

I prefer Aluminum to steel. FWIW the aluminum frames do tend to be stiffer because they can use larger diameter tubes. Larger diameter tubes are stiffer than smaller diameter tubes(as a general rule) and therefore people tend to think Aluminum rides stiffer.

I ride both, and both are good. Realistically, I think letting frame material be the deciding factor on what bikes you look at is a mistake. Steel and AL can be very plush or very stiff depending on how the frame is designed. Bigger tires are better at vibration dampening than either steel or AL anyway.

I think barba got it right - for commuting, the frame material probably isn't a big issue. I have a Cannondale (aluminum) and really like it - but steel would probably be fine too.

A search on steel vs. aluminum [vs. titanium vs carbon vs. whatever] will turn up a gazillion threads on this subject, particularly in the road forum. It's almost a daily occurence.

Regardless, ride what you like, and be aware that wheels and tires can make a huge difference to ride comfort. 28C tires on 32 spokes will turn even the harshest frame into an all-day cruiser. AMHIK!

I can just respond as far as road bikes. I have an steel Raleigh Super Course from the early 80's and an aluminum bike from last year. And as far as comfort and ride they feel very similar. I ride both of them over the same route on occasion. The aluminum frame has carbon seat stays and fork to dampen the ride. However the aluminum frame is stiffer in the head tube and BB and and more responsive when I "put the metal to the petals". I think the reputation for aluminum frames was earned about 20 years ago when they first came out and were very stiff. They are very different today.

I get no detectable difference I can attribute to material between my steel-framed bike and al-frame+carbon fork bike. I think my longest day on either has been <40 miles.

I ride both. All my steelies have a nice ride and I enjoy cruising for hours on end on them. My aluminum framed racing machine is an unforgivingly stiff, ultralight hammerfest tool with a very hard ride but the razor sharp handling and super efficient transmission of my power into forward motion is far superior to the steelies. They are both fantastic frame building mediums, just very different. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

The paint color is probably more important.

Speedo

Regardless of ride quality (since it's already been mentioned that generally wheels and geometry are more important than material), I just like the look of skinny tubes. Steel wins my style points.

One nice thing about steel; I'm building up a new off road bike and am brazing on some eyelets for racks and fenders. Not something that can be done nearly as easily with Al.
--A

This is more than "nice". It is quite normal practice amounst touring cyclists to specify various brazeons and alter them as new needs arise.
You can add rack mounts, dynamo and lamp mounts, cable guides, extra bottle mounts etc etc.
Horizontal dropouts are easier to do with steel and Rohlof sliding vertical dropouts are only available in steel.

Regardless of ride quality (since it's already been mentioned that generally wheels and geometry are more important than material), I just like the look of skinny tubes. Steel wins my style points.

I am the opposite, I prefer the larger tubes of Aluminum bikes. I fell in love with them the first time I saw a Cannondale back in '85. I've been riding Aluminum bikes for well over a decade, and really like them... Aluminum forks, though, are another issue. Too stiff.

Check out Sheldon Brown's essay: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

Bottom line, you can make a dream ride or a brick out of anything.

Personally, I prefer steel for commuting. I think steel is more resilient. It is less likely to bend permanently or crease and crack if the bike leans awkwardly on a bike rack, or bends the derailleur hanger in a fall. Aluminum frames usually come with admonitions not to attach anything to the frame except at the braz- ons and official mount points - i.e. no kick stands or extra battery packs. Aluminum won't rust, but it does corrode where it meets steel components, unless you are very careful to keep the interfaces greased.

I don't know whether I can happily compare them.

I have a 25 year old steel bike, and a 6 year old Aluminum bike (touring frame, so super stiff). The steel frame definitely has more flex around the bottom bracket, but I don't think there's much of a difference in the ride. There might be a big difference in new steel frame, but there's also been a bunch of improvement in the techniques used to make a happy compromise in aluminum (those swanky CAAD 9s look way different than my Cannondale :))

My preference is for old lugged steel road bikes. In addition to all that has been mentioned pro and con by others, I think that lugged steel frames have something that perhaps isn't important for commuting, but is an advantage all the same - they have class. ;)

This is more than "nice". It is quite normal practice amounst touring cyclists to specify various brazeons and alter them as new needs arise.
You can add rack mounts, dynamo and lamp mounts, cable guides, extra bottle mounts etc etc.
Horizontal dropouts are easier to do with steel and Rohlof sliding vertical dropouts are only available in steel.
I picked the frame I did because it is steel and has a sliding dropout. From your side of the pond, an On-One 29er.

Check out Sheldon Brown's essay: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

Bottom line, you can make a dream ride or a brick out of anything.

Personally, I prefer steel for commuting. I think steel is more resilient. It is less likely to bend permanently or crease and crack if the bike leans awkwardly on a bike rack, or bends the derailleur hanger in a fall. Aluminum frames usually come with admonitions not to attach anything to the frame except at the braz- ons and official mount points - i.e. no kick stands or extra battery packs. Aluminum won't rust, but it does corrode where it meets steel components, unless you are very careful to keep the interfaces greased.

That's a new one on me! I've seen all kinds of misinformation on aluminum but I've never seen one that claims the bikes are so fragile that they will bend and break in a bike rack! If they had to be treated that gently, why would you ever trust your life to one on the road?

Aluminum bikes are just as strong as a steel bike. Some of them are stiffer, some aren't. Some ride like trucks, some ride like Cadillacs. Sometimes the same bike will ride both ways. I have a Cannondale T800 that is the harshest ride I've ever had, including the Cannondale 2.8 frame from 1989 that was shorter than any bike I've ever owned, when it doesn't have a touring load on it. Load it with 60 lbs of gear and the bike is the most mellow bike I've ever ridden. And the bike is stong enough to carry that load over dirt roads and rough trails.

I've had 3 different Specialized Stumpjumpers, 2 hardtails and one fully. All of them are great rides but they all take what my 220 lbs of flying flab can dish out! (I like to occasionally jump them:D )

And finally, I have a Salsa Las Cruces. The bike is wonderfully smooth and far less harsh then the touring bike. It takes potholes and rough roads in stride.

I wouldn't be afraid to put any of them in a bike rack...at least not from the standpoint of having them bent...stolen maybe...but not bent.

My 'dale is a t800 as well. It's either a 2000, or 2001 bike. Not light by a long shot, but I've been okay with it for general use.

Go and test ride everything you can at several LBSs. Buy a decent bike with the knowledge that you will have opportunities to change or add bikes in the future as you learn from the practice of commuting or riding often. I started with an alumninum hybrid in '03 for mostly light recreation. Early '06 I rode alot and had problems with hands getting numb. I bought gloves and the problem mostly went away. I started to commute - 12 miles one way. At first I was saddle sore, but after a few weeks that went away. I wanted to go faster. I raised my seat and pushed it back to get into a more racing stance. I purchased narrower handlebars. My speed and handling improved. In the past month I sold the aluminum hybrid and bought a steel touring. I would not have enjoyed this bike unless I had first grown with the other. I used to be uncomfortable on bikes with drop down bars. I love my bike and think it will be a great commuter when I move back into the city. In the end it is a personal fit and that fit can change.

Is this a trick question, is there any material out there besides steel? Aluminum is for soda cans :D

That's a new one on me! I've seen all kinds of misinformation on aluminum but I've never seen one that claims the bikes are so fragile that they will bend and break in a bike rack! If they had to be treated that gently, why would you ever trust your life to one on the road?

Bike is on rack. Another cyclist careens into it, 200 lb. person stumbles into it, pransker flips it over, etc. Bike would like to fall away from rack but instead twists around on lock or chain. I think steel would fare better, IMO.

I remember reading somewhere that Aluminum has a fatigue lifespan that is something like 3 years. I'm usually pretty misinformed though.

Bike is on rack. Another cyclist careens into it, 200 lb. person stumbles into it, pransker flips it over, etc. Bike would like to fall away from rack but instead twists around on lock or chain. I think steel would fare better, IMO.

It would depend on the bike, not on the materials of construction. I'd doubt that either metal would fair any differently. If anything, the larger tubes of a modern aluminum bike would resist bending and twisting better than the smaller tubes of a steel bike. I doubt if either material would be damaged in those circumstances in any event.

I personally like the stiff "feel" of aluminum frames, YMMV. Very few custom builders work in aluminum because it's a very difficult material to form and weld. That's why only lately have automakers even started using it widely.

If alluminum is so difficult to work with then why are most alloy bike produced in factories overseas. I am sure the man hours put into a custom steel (or magnesium or titanium, carbon and even alluminum) is far greater than that in a factory bike. If they can do it I am sure a competent builder can do it. Marinoni is one example that builds custom alluminum bikes. SO why fo most builder choose steel? Well most people spending that kind of money on a frame are not competetors but recreational riders and entusiasts. They prefer steel because that is what they rode 20 years ago and less face it, lugs provide and excellent artistic addition to the bike. Steel as mentioned early will last indefinately. As for what someone mentioned earlier about alluminum frames lasting for 3 years, that is true of top alluminum racing frames. If raced hard you can expect them to fail in about 3 years, but most people aren't buying those, they are buying hybrids/MTB/Sport road bikes and not racing them hard, so they will lasy much longer. I know lots of C-dales have been used for a lot of loading touring and I hear about how they have stood the test of time. I will never tour on alluminum as it can fail. When alluminum fails it happens suddenly with no warning . when steel fails it happens slowly overtime and give you a chance to notice it. then you can weld it if you are on tour even (but that usually doesn't last). As someone mentioned earlier steel has a lot more room for flex before it reaches that point where it begins to be compromised. Typical use of a steel frame will not meet that point. Alluminum on the other hand has much less tolerance for flex... the more you flex it the harder and more brittle it gets and approaches that failure point. That is why i will not do loading touring on it. Give me a welded steel bruce gordon instead.
Just my $0.02

Steel is Real

and

Aluminum doesn't rhyme with anything

I think it all depends on how it's manufactured. I started with a Trek 1200 and after 6 months I thought I was going to quit biking. It beat me up horribly. I upgraded to a Trek Pilot 5.0 carbon fiber bike and had a new love for biking. Recently I purchased a old steel Trek 520 and like it as much or more than the carbon fiber frame.

<checks to see if this is the Road forum>
Nope
:rolleyes:

Steel is Real

and

Aluminum doesn't rhyme with anything

:roflmao:

what are the advantages of steel vs. aluminum? more specifically, for commuting? i hear that steel is better for dampening road vibration, but are there any other advantages?

Steel soaks up butter better

All I know is that my steel Chro-Moly hybrid, the same size as my aluminum Breezer, weighs almost 6 pounds more and it has less equipment on it. That's a lot of weight.

since you asked...with respect to commuting, I will weigh in on why I prefer steel. Stoplight sensors. I have carbon, AL and steel bikes. Nothing sets off the sensors like a steel frame. So if you ride in places where you will be without much traffic but still have to activate stoplights, steel is they way to go...unless you want to just run lights, but as my 2 year old would say..."That's a bad choice Daddy!"

cut...unless you want to just run lights, but as my 2 year old would say..."That's a bad choice Daddy!"

:lol: :lol:

just test ride various bikes

all manufacturers i know of have lifetime warranties on their frames

I've been riding Cannondale since I bought my first one in '87. I still have it. So I am an aluminum fan. But it has gotten to be the material of choice, and on cheaper bikes doesn't seem to be much lighter since they just use more material.

Anyway, the upgrade way back when was from a Kmart Huffy 10 speed that weighed too much, rusted and had bad breaks that just squealed. So I guess it isn't any real contest. But now I would say is that you pay for what you get. You have to pay for quality irregardless of the frame material, steel or aluminum. You can get some pretty crummy aluminum bikes now a days.

since you asked...with respect to commuting, I will weigh in on why I prefer steel. Stoplight sensors. I have carbon, AL and steel bikes. Nothing sets off the sensors like a steel frame. So if you ride in places where you will be without much traffic but still have to activate stoplights, steel is they way to go...unless you want to just run lights, but as my 2 year old would say..."That's a bad choice Daddy!"

I can trip just about any light in the Metro area, as long as I know where the sensor wire is located. Doesn't matter if the metal is steel or aluminum or even CF. All you really need is a moving conductor through the most sensitive part of the induction coil.

If alluminum is so difficult to work with then why are most alloy bike produced in factories overseas. I am sure the man hours put into a custom steel (or magnesium or titanium, carbon and even alluminum) is far greater than that in a factory bike.
The difficulty with Al is that you either have to heat treat the entire frame once constructed or over build it. For a major production line heat treating is not difficult but is more expensive on a low volume basis.
The reason Al is actually perfered in factories for mid priced bikes is that Al tubes are thicker and can be more easily welded with machines or inexperienced welders. Good steel tubes are very thin and require more skill on the part of the welder.
The big three metals have nearly even tradeoffs in strength and weight and so bikes can be built in any of the three with very similar weights and strength. The only material that really allows some different properties is Carbon Fiber. However is does have some down sides as well.
Craig
My bikes are all steel but I would like a nice Ti or CF bike some time just not for commuting.

All my bikes are steel. I think it is a little better choice for ham fisted galoot home mechanics because the threading for bottom brackets, rack eyelets, and water bottle brazons are a little stronger. A guy who uses a pipe wrench needs a bike that is forgiving of cross threading or overtightening.

I "cold set" the chainstays on one of my older bikes to accept a modern standard 135mm hub. Wouldn't do that with aluminum.

The reason aluminum frames are stiffer than steel is because it fatigues and fails if flexed many times. They are designed with larger tubes to prevent flexing. Steel can flex repeatedly forever without fatigue.

Note: I don't think Aluminum is a bad material for a bike (especially if you want a stiff racing bike). I'm not completely opposed to owning one someday. My preference, however, would be to stick with either steel or carbon fiber.

For those who would rather dodge the whole debate:
http://www.bmeres.com/bambooframe.htm

Better tell Boeing and Airbus to start using steel instead of alloy on their planes. Might want to mention it to auto manufacturers as well. ;)

As another Clydesdale (6' 4", 240lbs) I worry a lot less about riding my steel bike over potholes, bunny hopping and loading it down with me and all of my gear. It seems to me that the focus with Alum. frames is lightness and I know with my 5lb Surly Frame that lightness really didn't enter into the process.

there was a decent thread in Mechanics about steel over the last week:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=249862

Better tell Boeing and Airbus to start using steel instead of alloy on their planes. Might want to mention it to auto manufacturers as well. ;)

Airplanes receive regular inspections and fatigued parts are replaced. I guess we cold do that with bicycles too.

Steel is Real

and

Aluminum doesn't rhyme with anything

It rhymes with "silver", "orange" and "purple". When you pronounce them wrong.