tedi k wardhana

okay,
let us all be honest.
can you really feel the difference between a steel foldingbike and and aluminum one?

why am I asking this?
because I really want to know whether this is scientific, or just a 'hype'.

many here, at our local community, praise the steel dahon (chromoly, you guess yourself which type) as if this type is the ultimate 'must have' rather than the alu dahons..
kind of becoming a 'cult'.

so for those who have ridden both the (chromoly) steel and aluminum, please tell me:
do you really prefer the ride of steel over alu, because YOU REALLY CAN FEEL THE DIFFERENCE??

tedi k wardhana
-vehicle, not toy-
-transport, not sport-

pibach

I think it is obvious that the difference in frame material has negligible influence when it comes to riding. Also aluminum is stronger per weight.

Also have a read what Sheldon says about it here.

TrekJapan

I have both Alum and Steel Dahons. Yes I can feel the difference.

Steel rules.

John

wahoonc

Dunno only folders I have are steel. But yes I can tell the difference between an aluminum and steel bike ride.

Aaron

jur

The various components attached to a frame have a much greater influence on riding quality than the frame material. It's only when you have 2 otherwise identical frames, and fitted out with identical componentry, that you can legitimately say one is different.

Bike experts/frame builders have actually done such experiments and shown that frame material is not recognised while riding a bike. Can post a link tomorrow.

So I think it is more hype than real. Steel is real. So is aluminium. And titanium.

OldiesONfoldies

I have posted this before, there is a certainly a big difference in feel between a Dahon Helio 2007 (alu) vs a Speed 8 (steel) & Speed Pro (steel). The steel frame has much less vibration and is more comfy over rough surfaces.

The Helios was so uncomfortable that I sold it for a Speed Pro & added another steel bike, the Speed 8. So yes, it may be a case of design difference etc but for the case of Dahon bikes, their steel models ride much better in my opinion but are heavier.

Trakhak

Those who believe they can feel a difference will. Those who don't won't.

For what it's worth, as a member of the latter, frame material-agnostic category, over the years I've demoted all of my steel bikes to commuter status and replaced them with aluminum bikes for my long rides. Those have included several 7-hour rides on an aluminum track bike without pining for the supposedly superior ride of a steel frame.

The folding bikes subforum seems to be one of the last where this topic is still debated. Ironic, given that the thick tubing required for the miniaturized hinged folding bike frame makes the whole discussion moot. But then, we all have any number of prejudices in various areas that cause us to see differences where there are none.

Note that the replies posted so far have been 50% "no difference" and 50% "of course there's a difference!" Any ideas what conclusion can be drawn from this?

Bacciagalupe

I've been able to detect differences resulting solely from frame material, but it's a fairly subtle change that can be easily overshadowed by other design factors.

I.e. it's largely irrelevant that the Dahon Jetstream is made of aluminum, as it has both front and rear suspension. Or, given the same frame, using wider and lower PSI tires on an alloy frame will very likely result in a cushier ride.

Distance traveled is also a consideration. If you're doing a 10 mile ride, it's highly unlikely that frame material will make a noticeable difference. If you're doing a double century (200 miles), it's likely that even a relatively small increase in road buzz will start adding up over time, and cause fatigue and distress that impacts your performance.


That's because all the roadies are busy comparing aluminum to carbon fiber.

Discussion of the merits of various frame materials is quite common. It's just that most of the talk focuses on carbon fiber, which is not used for folding bikes.

caotropheus

I am forced to agree with Jur and Trakhak. No dough the differences one might feel are mostly suggestion. Anyhow and because I am strongly affected by suggestion, steel is real and titanium maybe, but aluminum and carbon fiber definitely not!

longlong14

i was glad that the r20 was made of steel when i had to cold set the frame.
and steel just sounds more badass! =p have you heard of balls of aluminum? yaa!

wahoonc

Originally Posted by krazygluon FWIW I work with metals for a living, there are many differences between aluminum, steel, titanium and CF (plastic) IF a bike is properly designed there is unlikely to be a noticeable difference between aluminum or steel. However if you used identical frame geometries and built one of aluminum and one of steel you will notice a difference. I prefer steel for a multitude of reasons. But I get more for a trashed aluminum frame when I haul it off to be recycled.

Aaron

alhedges

I have never been able to feel the difference, not that I've conducted careful comparisons. However, if you look at the fork tips on this bike[posted by Sammyboy in the English 3-spd thread:

it's easy to believe that *this* steel bike might have a more forgiving ride than either an aluminum bike *or* a modern steel bike, since neither AFAIK use that style of fork anymore. In fact, that might operate as a proto-suspension fork.

puppypilgrim

On identically configured bikes whose only variation is frame material, 99.9% of the riding population would not be able to tell the difference.

There is more perceived rider difference in changing tires, changing tire pressure, seat or handlebars for comfort and performance than comparing the difference between steel and alu. The reason hand made bikes by custom builders tend to be made of steel is that steel is easier to weld and is more forgiving in the welding process than aluminum. A crappy weld on a steel bike can be fixed. A crappy weld on aluminum which passes quality control will fail during a ride leading to the belief that aluminum is is inferior to steel when in actuality, it failed due to the poorness of the weld not the material.

ilovebicycling

STEEL IS REAL (tm) lives on.

norfolk bolt

I bought a nice condition R20 for $20 last week. It was a steel.

norfolk bolt

Ian Beale is Real

stevegor

Don't know about the difference between these two metals with folding bikes, but I can tell you from a road racing background there is, in my experience, a difference. Try kicking in a sprint at top speed or attacking on a climb when you are pushing yourself and your bike to the extreme or jumping out of a fast paced bunch to chase down a breakaway on a Aluminium frame and you can definately feel more flex than on a steel frame. In those situations you become accustomed to the slightest change in frame and tyre behaviour, gear and chain oddities, it becomes a 6th sense.
My current road bike is Alu with a carbon fibre rear, it doesn't flex.