Doggonit

Seriously? What's up with that? Are you telling me that 10 years from now I will riding along merily when I hit a pothole large enough to trap an elephant (thank you, wealthy New Jersey taxpayers!) and the frame breaks in half and I get impaled on some jagged bits and pieces and eat some pavement to boot? Smells fishy to me. So what's the truth? Would I be unwise to buy an alu framed hybrid bike (Fisher, Trek, Kona etc.)? Those steel framed bikes are just so expensive (Jamis comes to mind) and in the Jamis's case you just don't get the same value (components are only equal or worse quality).

Oh yeah, it's called aluminium not aluminum!

dewaday

Beware the aluminium-
https://zapatopi.net/afdb/
u hv bn wrned

capejohn

I have yet to hear one of those stories.

late

Last year, a guy I used to chat with on the internet had his headtube fall off during a fast descent. He died from complications a couple days later. It does not happen often, but it does happen.

georgiaboy

I am a little leary of threads that can be divisive to the commuting forum. I have commuted on steel and aluminum and have found both materials were adequate enough to get the job done.

dobber

Things happen, sometimes.

All this talk of aluminum frame failures, but stems, cranks and handlebars are made of aluminum too and we don't seem to be having the same "Alert Level" with those components.

wahoonc

I have seen failure of all forms of frame material at one point or another including Ti Many of these metals have undergone transformations over the years that have improved the reliability of them. If you ignore the warning signs of frame stress (strange sounds, visual inspection revealing cracks or stress) you are setting yourself up for possible catastrophic failure. Different metals have different fatigue rates so you have to inspect them. My personal preference is steel for a variety of reasons but not because it is less likely to fail. As long as you buy a decent quality bike with a warranty and backed by a reputable store you shouldn't have too much to worry about. If you buy used, obviously you are on your own. FWIW the last frame I broke under warranty was in 1976 and it was a Schwinn Heavy Duty the frame was replaced under the life time warranty. I ride a variety of vintage bikes and have yet to have a broken frame and I don't particularly baby them.

Aaron

filtersweep

I agree with that aluminium bit...

Most of the horror stories seem to be regarding carbon fiber--- like the friend of a friend's friend that's bike melted when it was left in the back of a car on a hot day.... or the frame dissolved when riding in the rain.... or it was so cold outside that it shattered when he hit a bump.

I like AL mountain bikes because they don't rust. My road bike is full carbon. My commuters are steel and will eventually rust into nothingness.

BigDaddyPete

I broke my AL frame roadie several weeks ago. Yet I just bought another one. Why? Because I know there were other stresses to that frame than just me riding it. It got hit while at a bike rack, both wheels were destroyed, but we didn't look at the frame. I'd bet big there were small cracks that we could have seen if we'd looked.


That said, AL is pretty strong. I love my heavy steel Mt bike, but I also love my light roadies. Ride what makes you feel comfortable, and periodically look it over for signs of stress, fatigue or damage. Just like you would with a car. After all, we are talking about man made machines, they do give out eventually.

cyccommute 

Only if you English and say it al-u-min-i-um. The American Chemical Society adopted aluminum in 1927 and that's the way we Yanks say it The bloody Red Coats can stick their al-u-min-i-um in their bloody damned ear!

On the other hand, I've broken both steel and aluminum frames in equal numbers. The steel ones failed like aluminum is supposed to...they went 'ping' and broke. The aluminum ones were slow failures that cracked and creaked and moaned for quite a while before I discovered the break.

The more I think about the two materials - steel and aluminum - I'm not sure that the 'catastrophic' failure of aluminum isn't a myth. Aluminum is pretty soft and yields when stressed. Steel would tend to resist until you get to a certain point and then it would be more likely to release that energy suddenly, i.e. go "ping!" and break.

I'm not saying that aluminum frames can't, or don't, fail but that catastrophic failures are pretty rare...as it is for most frame materials.

charles vail

Thats exactly what could happen! If you are lucky and observant you may find the crack starting before it spreads. With steel, cracks migrate much slower and that feature gives you more time to notice. Most aluminum parts on a bike are worn out before they fatigue out with the exception of the seatpost stem and handle bar. After twenty years of riding they should be tossed too. Parts that are thicker like crank arms and stems will last longer since they can't flex enough to fatigue. This is precisely why aluminum frames use oversize tubing to limit flex and why they ride so stiff compaired to steel which has a more springy ride. Every engineer knows the fatigue life of aluminum is way less that steel but depending on how its formed it can be a good material for bicycle frames. I just wouldn't want to ride one steady for 20 years. In America the average bicycle is ridden 1000 miles and left in the garage. For a serious cyclist that is way too low of mileage and most riders will have multiple bikes and spread their use over many years so the argument over steel vs. Aluminum is kind of moot. I like steel bikes and have a few restored ones here:
https://www.myspace.com/eccentriccyclistcharlie

ECDkeys

I think if you hit a pothole that large, frame failure---whether aluminum, steel, or other---will be the least of your worries.

It seems most material failures I hear about come from extreme conditions and use. Most of us simply don't ride like that. My overriding concern about all else in my daily commute is the inconvenience of a flat tire. Now THAT'S a failure you can count on not being a myth.

cyccommute 

So you only fly on iron airplanes? World War II era planes are still flying and none of them were made of steel. Most of the commercial air fleet is much older than 20 years. Heck, most of the private fleet is way older than 20 years. Or do you only fly on new airplanes?

Or do you ride on steel rims? Lots of people have aluminum hubbed and rimmed wheels that are over 20 years old (I wouldn't but there a plenty of examples on these forums). Ever had an aluminum wheel fail catastrophically?

I'd bet, based on my own experience with failure of frames and parts, that aluminum frames that fail "catastrophically" were giving their owners lots of notice before they failed. People just didn't know what to listen for or pay attention to. The only parts or frames I've ever had fail catastrophically without warning were steel parts...frames, steel axles, pedal spindles, etc. All the aluminum parts that failed gave ample warning...not that I heeded it...with lots of creaking and groaning.

cerewa

It's also why if it's realiable commuting you're after, tires light enough to be good in a race are crazy.

unkchunk

I stand corrected. We tend to hear more second hand stories of catastrophic aluminium not aluminum frame failure than first hand stories, do to the catastrophic nature of catastrophic failure. I found this link in the mechanics forum a while ago showing some aluminium not aluminum component failures. The sequence of events starts with a small crack followed by further cracks that develop each time stress is applied to the aluminium not aluminum part. Each successive crack will leave a ring pattern that radiate away from the initial crack. This process continues until the aluminium not aluminum component is weakened enough for the last application of stress to cause complete separation.

It is important to consider that the failure does not usually occur in one single instance. Small cracks and fissures will appear before the material completely fails. Therefore it is recommended that one avoid dark color frames and/or black anodized aluminium not aluminum as they will make detecting fissures rather difficult. Instead, use "silver" components and/or lightly coloured frames which provide better contrast to aid in detecting these fissures.

CB HI

Around 1994, cannondale warned dealers to inspect their Al bikes for microfractures at the 3 year point. I did have a Al handlebar break in half on me. Obviously I was not doing frequent enough inspections. I had a full suspention Y bike, CF main body and Al rear triangle, the Al rear triangle failed at 9.5 years and the CF main body was still good. I have also have a steel bike fail at the 10 year point. Both the frame failures were at weld points.

Bottom line, inspect the bike at reasonable intervals for small fractures. Pay particular attention to weld areas.

cyccommute 

The steel bikes I broke did so before they were 3 years old. The aluminum ones were about the same. One of the aluminum bikes I broke was my fault for using an extreme setback seat post but the other one broke a the welds...as did the steel bikes. One of those steel ones actually broke 3 separate times. Once at the steer tube, once at the rear dropout and finally at the bottom bracket bridge on both sides of the chainstay.

Yes, it is a good idea to check the frame periodically...and listen for noises out of the ordinary.

Doggonit

I suppose there won't be any catastrophic failures for me then... I am the paranoid type who stops instantly whenever I hear anything out of the ordinary, usually it's just a leaf stuck somewhere scratching against the tire or something like that. I suppose I would find any major cracks when I do the monthly cleaning thing, although I will have to more careful with that now that I am going to get disc brakes which, as I hear it, rust like the dickens and do not like the ol' WD40, but as I will be getting an alu frame now, I won't have to whip out ol' WD much anymore...

splytz1

This is not right.

https://www.63xc.com/scotn/metal.htm

wethepeople

Pfff, aluminum doesnt brake, especially Kona's.

dobber

Correct, by itself Aluminum has very little stopping power.

donnamb 

Does anyone have any pictures of what to look for that would indicate an aluminum frame may be damaged?

charles vail

I don't fly......especially since 9/11. Planes are inspected and repaired on a regular basis and are somewhat redundant or overbuilt in their construction. There are cracks on airplanes and when they get too many hours on them they ground them. Age and flight time are two different things.

I do use aluminum rims and will replace them alot sooner than my frame. I figure I will ride the same steel frames for the rest of my life and go through several sets of wheels and other parts. I remember the early days of aluminum frames, bonded aluminum and aluminum fork failures and don't trust aluminum for my frame which I intend to ride for a lifetime especially when I am able to afford a high end lugged steel work of art that will fit me perfectly. Rims have a usefull service life and if one rides them in bad weather
I can't see them lasting for more than five years or 15,000-20,000 miles. Frames on the other hand are the heart of a bike and a good one that fits is something I want to hang onto and not replace every five years as has been reccomended by some.

There have been a few cracked steel frames especially at weld points but I'm talking old school lugged and brazed steel frames which are better made than some of the earlier tig welded framesets before the advent of air hardening tubesets. Now that these tubesets are available lugged frame builders are building some of the best frames ever. Light, strong and beautifull to look at. I don't know about the rest of the cycling world but I prefer to grow old with a favorite bike and enjoy looking at it in the process. I enjoy the classic older bikes something about the newer stuff doesn't appeal to me , probably because it has no artistry, just a welded joint like you'd see on a farm tractor! Check out Vanilla bikes and you'll see what I am taking about.

ax0n

All your minium are belong to us.

Frames fail, especially when abused. It's not specific to the material so much as it's specific to poor craftsmanship or negligence of the rider.

bmclaughlin807

My commuter is a 19 year old Raleigh Technium Aluminum frame. I've put it through hell in the year I've had it (Ask the other people in the group ride a couple weeks ago about me bombing down the path, across the grass, hop the curb and fly into the parking lot yelling "WAIT FOR MEEEEEE!!!!!" )

It's got 5,000 hard miles on it since I bought it, and regularly carries 80+ pounds of groceries back from the store. Seems to be holding up just fine.