Retro Grouch 

That's a pretty strongly held opinion for someone who claims to have never ridden an aluminum framed bike.

Nightshade

My opinion is based on a weekend with an aluminum framed trek hybrid and many years
of factory machining experience. Steel has properties that aluminum simply can't match
for bicycles to my mind.

phoebeisis

badger1,I have had to make some compromises since I can back to bikes-4 years ago-after being gone maybe 20 years.1st I got a very heavy dual suspension sporting goods store bike-the wide tires and the somewhat upright seating position made me figure I could ride again.The skinny high pressure tires,and bent over position of the road bikes(60's-70's) just killed my gimpy neck.I raised the bar on the cheapo sus bike(extensions) and it worked fine.I then bought a Y-50 carbon frame off ebay,and had a lighter dual sus bike;raised HB etc.
A couple of weeks ago I pulled the old road bike off the hook in the ceiling,and updated it for my gimpy body.I managed to stuff 38mm tires under it(had to shave the front one).It looks really odd ( almost a sacrilege),but it rides great.I still use the MTB more,but it is nice to get a lightweight-fast fix once in a while.Thanks.Charlie
PS It is hard to beat steel for taking the shock out of an unsuspended bike with smallish tires.Maybe carbon can??Aluminum is great on suspended bikes,or big tire bikes(does dent very easily however).

bkaapcke

I ride an EZ Sport recumbent. The reason; why have painif you don't need to.

Raketmensch

Road bike, road bike, road bike. Wouldn't touch a MTB unless forced to. But that's only what's right for me. What's right for everybody else is what's right for everybody else.

JT52

I'm virtually all road (though I have a nice mountain bike), and until a couple of years ago rode my titanium road bike nearly exclusively. Then I bought I cyclocross bike which I've found capable of taking me just about anywhere I point it. Now I ride my Cross-check all the time. I love the go anywhere feeling, and with its beefier tires, I'm not concerned everytime a see a little gravel on the road like I was when I rode on 23mm tires.

Of course, now I've signed up for a fairly intense three-day mountain bike trip, so I guess it's back to riding that bike for at least a while...

babysaph

Man I am glad it not just me. I am finding I like riding my mtn bike more. I have smoother tires than the real knobby ones but if I want to hit a field or go off road I can. Exercise is exercise. In fact I can get a better workout pushing the heavier mtn bike. You know it is possible to go slower and still get a better workout.

Grand Bois

My rides:

1971 Gitane Tour de France with Northroad bars .

1974 Peugeot PX10 with Moustache bars.

1988 Bridgestone MB-2 with 1.3 slicks.

1993 Trek 930 mtb with 1.5 slicks converted to a single speed.

It's nice to have a variety to choose from. I've been riding nothing but the recently completed single speed lately, but I'm sure I'll go back to the others when the novelty wears off.

All of my bikes are lugged steel, but I can't say that I like steel better than aluminum, because I've never ridden an aluminum bike.

My 58th birthday was yesterday. I told my wife that I'd rather buy my own present from her. I got a Brooks saddle and a wonderful vintage Mavic wheelset instead of clothes I'll never wear.

John E

I have 4 working road bikes (see my signature; the 1960 Capo Sieger is a completely disassembled work-in-progress "project") and 1 mountain bike.

My favorite all-purpose "beater" ride for general transportation, in the rain, at night, for shopping or carrying anything, or anywhere security is an issue, is the 1970 Peugeot UO-8. With its 70PSI 27x1-3/8" knobbies, barcons, and 43-93 12-speed gearing (45-42/13-26), it's great in traffic.

For commuting to work, general recreation, and unladen transportation where parking security is not an issue, my current favorite is the 1959 Capo, which is a traditional Reynolds 531 long-wheelbased road bike. The 55cm C-T frame fits me perfectly, and the 700Cx28 tires give me a some security on real roads with potholes and debris. It looks great and rides great, and my 18-speed 47-104 "half-step-plus-overdrive" gearing (50-42-39 / 13-15-17-19-21-23) covers all but the very steepest hills I encounter. (I plan to replace the 23T low-gear cog with a 24 or perhaps a 25.)

My 1981 Bianchi is my fastest bike, particularly on sprints and climbs, and it is a blast to ride, but its 23mm tires, twitchiness, and harsh ride make it strictly a fair weather friend. I feel much more secure on something with slightly wider tires and a more forgiving frame geometry.

I do like my 1988 "old school" mountain bike, but I dislike having only two hand positions (grips and short end extensions), so I tend to use it mainly offroad.

My bottom line is that I still prefer traditional drop-bar steel-framed road bikes, just as I did in the 1960s.

ctyler

I ride a road bike (Cannondale Saeco CAD-3), a Fuji Touring bike, and a new Scott Sub30.

webist

Generally, I find that the best bike for me to ride on any given day is my bike. I see others as they ride their own bike. I prefer mine. I have fun. I get a good workout.

This is not to say that I don't have fantasies about other bikes. When it actually comes to riding though, I select the one that awaits me in my own garage.

dminor 

Although I race XC on a hardtail, I find that just a functional expediency. I really prefer riding my Yeti ASX FR/DH bike almost everywhere else. Even grinding up the hills - - just because I know that every other part of the trail is going to be more fun with big, forgiving squishy full suspension

crazyb

Utter BS

John E

Steel does have at least one property aluminum simply can't match: longevity.

crazyb

I have aluminum bikes that are 20 years old and going strong. how long does longevity need to be? I also have all steel bikes, steel and aluminum combo, and aluminum and carbon fiber: the ride and overall frame quality is dictated by design, not materials.

Trsnrtr

I agree. Worrying about the longevity of aluminum bikes is rediculous. I know of many many aluminum Treks, Kleins, and Cannondales from the mid-80s that are still on the road. I own an aluminum Trek (1989) that has been through Hades. It was my team bike as a Cat 2 racer in the late 80s and was crashed many times. It even spent some time later in an off-road cyclocross configuration and still exists today as a single speed grocery store runner.

Don't even ask how many steel bikes that I've owned with broken frames in that same period. Okay, six. (one cracked head tube lug, one cracked seat stay lug, one broken rear dropout, one cracked downtube, two cracked bottom bracket lugs...)

Steel vs. aluminum vs. carbon? I own them all!

dminor 

It has another that I don't think has been mentioned: If something breaks (or if you want to add anything), you can weld it or braze it back. Much more DIY-friendly.

bkaapcke

Dchiefransom has it right. LWB recumbents are the way to go. My choice was a Sun Easy Sport AX, which is cheaper than the rans stratus. All comfort & no pain anywhere. Who can argue with that. bk

DnvrFox

ARGUE, ARGUE, ARGUE, ARGUE!

dminor 

I didn't know you could get a recumbent in a LWB - - I'd only seen stepsides

boozergut

I can't see owning just one bike. If I want to get out into the country and see some pheasants, deer, etc (yesterday a bald eagle) I take the hybrid. If I want to really log some miles and burn a lot of calories I use the road bike. I'd like to try a cyclocross bike next to combine the two advantages......

michaelnel

56 here, and have just discovered my favorite bike is my new fixed gear bike. Major fun to ride!

GrannyGear

As Ezra Pound observed, "Everyone likes the smell of their own farts." In bicycling terms, steel owners often favor steel, and aluminum owners favor theirs, etc. I love my steel bikes. Were I able to afford a carbon, I would gladly love that one, too. And so on.

Personally, the one aluminum bike I've ridden regularly tended to go "klunk" over bumps whereas my steel went "twang". Personally, I much preferred the feeling of twang.

[Hasn't this frame material thing been debated ad infinitum over at Road Cycling section?

cyclezen

(so totally right-on)
+1

now I happen to have a penchant for roadies, but thats not to say I can't enjoy (and often do) a bimble on my own MTBs, on-road and off.
However, I will note that 'comfort' is high on my list of expectations from my machines, and that includes roadie racers as well as daily commuter. The most obvious thing that leads me to my roadies more than anything else are the bars. I find flat MTB bars mostly uncomfortable. With hands on the grips, my elbows are splayed outward and cause tightening and a great loss of comfort around the shoulders and neck.
On a roadie I find myself most often (95% of time) on the hoods which means my elbows are rolled under and comfortably angled, with the shoulders and neck relaxed. So much better.
I've just added those right-angle bar extenders (not sure what they're called) to one MTB, WHAT A RELIEF! Feels very much like riding the hoods on my roadies.
I'll be spending most of my time on them when riding the MTB - gonna add them to my daily ride/commuter as well. Not sure why I waited this long to do this. Only issue with them is the width is subtantially more than the same position on my roadie bars, but I think adapting to the width isn't going to be a big deal.

jcm

Update on an earlier post:
This is my old 830 commuting rig. It usually has huge fenders and flaps.
https://i2.tinypic.com/qswgm8.jpg