SlimRider

I'm a mature cyclist. I watched Klein and Cannondale introduced aluminum-framed bicycles to world cyclists, many years ago. At first, I was enthusiastic about the introduction of a new light weight material used for bikes. However, back in the 80's, I soon began to hear of the frequent development of frame cracks. I also heard that frames could not be repaired as easily as steel frames. Next, I began to hear about aluminum giving cyclists rough rides.

However, each year either Klein or Cannondale were announcing new advances in aluminum bike frame technology. Each year seemed to offer a better frame with more properties that would rival that of steel.

Finally, Cannondale would introduce their CAAD series of bikes. They began to sell their CAAD framed bikes like hotcakes! Cannondale had a banner year in 1996. They even developed a cult of CAAD fans, soon afterwards! Next thing you know, most other bike manufacturers began to produce their own aluminum version of various bikes.

Suddenly it began to appear as though aluminum was beginning to supplant steel in bicycle frames. Later, carbon would begin to command on a sizeable place in percent bike sales within the United States.

So why did these changes take place within the bicycle industry? Did bicycle industrialists intend to offer the world cyclist a better ride or product? I think not!
I think that what started out as the development of a lighter bike frame for racing, soon became a industrialist plot for profit. Of course, the venerable pioneers of the aluminum bike frame were not involved this conspiracy. I believe that they had genuine altruistic cycling goals in mind. On the other hand, the bicycle profiteering industrialists couldn't care any less about the comfort and riding efficiency of bicycles. Their primary concern was the bottomline, profit.

IMHO the bicycle industry has played a hoax upon the world cyclist. Aluminum requires less energy to produce the final bicycle product, thanks to its recycling process. More energy is required to extract aluminum from its bauxite ore, than that of iron. However, the production of steel requires more labor intensive steps in its recycling process and is more cost prohibitive than aluminum, overall. Additionally, steel weighs more than aluminum and therefore, costs more to transport.

The most logical and versatile material for bicycle frames for the world cyclist has always been steel. Unless you're racing and weight is of essence, a steel frame and fork will give you a much better ride and feel of the road, than aluminum. Steel will also outlast aluminum, in terms of the longevity of operational service. It therefore, becomes more of an investment than a disposable cycling machine. Aluminum should never have been able to displace steel as the primary material for bicycle frames.

While carbon shows much promise and is most probably the future frame of cycling, it does not overshadow the virtues of a steel bicycle frame. This is primarily due to its lack of multi-directional strength factors which are clearly exhibited in steel. This weakness in carbon accounts for its quirky propensity to fail in unexpected areas. This is the reason that carbon had not been present in DH MTN racing or DJ MTN biking for decades. It has just recently made progress in DH MTN racing this past year. Santa Cruz, one of the world's foremost leaders in DH MTN racing, produced the V-10. Only the first half of its frame is made of carbon. Most racing DH MTN bikes are made of aluminum. It would appear that the problem lies in the subtlety of frame damage with carbon. It's often times, impossible to actually detect frame damage with carbon without the use of high tech instrumentation.

Therefore with carbon, your last jump ever, just might be due to catastrophic failure!

In this regard, even aluminum would be a better choice for jumping, than carbon.

Subsequently, if you're not racing, steel should remain the all 'round favored material for bicycles. This fact has been proven time and time again in scientific laboratories using stress tests. The tests always conclude that aluminum has a much lower stress threshold than that of steel. The same is true for all of its alloys. Why? Because the alloys of aluminum, contain aluminum. A low threshold for stress is just one of its identifying properties.

Could this be the reason that Cannondale has a frame exchange program?

Whatever the case may be, when one assesses the inventory of the world's junkyards, you can plainly see why most bicycles of today are the reincarnations of their forefathers, thanks to the advent of recycling.

What ever happened to steel?

PS.

This is not to say that aluminum does not deserve a place in the bicycle market for the world's cyclists. All that I ask, is for the bicycle industry to admit the truth about aluminum and sell its aluminum-framed bicycles at a much reduced price and pass some of their savings in production (profits), to the world cycling consumer. This goes exponentially for all carbon frames!

- Slim

Machka 

I have a ...

-- tandem that is steel.
-- long distance bicycle that is titanium with steel forks
-- touring bicycle that is steel.
-- racing bicycle that is aluminum.

And some others.

I'm not sure why you think steel has disappeared.

But you know what ... I think you should take your post and post it into the Road forum. The responses there would be .... interesting.

StephenH

What is missing from your post is a statement that says "I regularly buy steel bikes!" It may come as a shock, but manufacturers and stores sell what people will buy, and if very few people want steel bikes, there will be very few available. But they ARE available, and the last three bikes I've bought new were all steel.

MNBikeCommuter

I gave up on my steel frame after 14k miles and four breaks. My summer aluminum Cannondale frame has 84k miles on it. My winter aluminum Cannondale has 17k miles on it, and no rust. You'll have to work a little harder convincing me.

bradtx

Slim, Cannondale isn't the only manufacturer with a frame exchange program nor alone providing a lifetime frame warranty.

If it makes you feel better steel is the number one material choice for a touring frame.

Brad

Tundra_Man 

Want a steel bike? Buy a steel bike.
Want an aluminum bike? Buy an aluminum bike.
Want a carbon bike? Buy a carbon bike.
Want a titanium bike? Buy a titanium bike.

Not sure what the alleged controversy is.

2manybikes

"Interesting' yeah, that's a good word for it!

Hippiebrian

Bad luck! I don't know what bike you had, but it (or they?) was or were a lemon. I have never had a steel frame break or bend on me. That said, I haven't ridden any aluminium bikes, as I just don't have the confidence in the material. I have no evidence to prove it, and freely admit I'm probably wrong, but the feeling is still there, and I like the ride of steel, so that's what I buy. I have ridden a couple of friends' aluminum bikes, and they just transmitted too much road vibration for me. One could probably negate that with larger tires, I suppose.

Brennan

I've had a preference for steel frames for a while now. In my experience, steel frames seemed to be woefully lacking around 5 or 6 years ago, but have made somewhat of a comeback in recent years. It just seems like there are more options available now. As the major manufacturers migrated to aluminum frames, I wonder if they noticed small upstart companies like Surly doing a brisk business selling those steel frames that "nobody wanted anymore."

catmandew52

Major manufacturers are going to produce mass products that will return the greatest profit margin. They still may procuce products with a slimmer profit margin down to a certain point. If they are unable to make x amount of profit or volume drops to where the machinery isn't running at least x number of hours per quarter, they either drop that product or repackage it as something new.
Direct feedback from suppliers/high volume dealers and indirect feedback from small dealers also factor into product line decisions.
Cost of materials, production machinery and labor hours all figure into factory costs.
Distributors and shipping costs add more cost.
Last price markups are at the dealer level.
If dealer A sells 100 steel frame bikes, 100 alloy frame bikes but only but only 15 CF framed bikes per year, you are not going to see a lot of CF bikes sitting on the showroom floor.
If dealer B wants to create a new customer base because his sales are flat or because he sees an untapped market for CF bikes, dealer B, may take a huge gamble and order a large quanity of CF bikes at a volume discount, undercutting dealer A's price considerably, which in turn takes secondary sales away from Dealer A.
Secondary sales are where the real profit base is, so dealer A must counter by offering more CF bikes, and cutting down on the steel and alloy bike inventory.
Dealer C may have a solid customer base, offers a service that A & B do not and makes enough money per year to be comfortable. That's where you will still find the steel bikes, albeit at a higher price than A or B were selling
them.


It can get knuckle pounding intense at first of the year sales meetings, because thats's when the decsions are made for the entire years sales.

commo_soulja

I'll tell you what happened. I bought em all!

And when I want a new bike, it's usually gonna be steel. Just love the stuff.

fietsbob

are you comparing British made apples, to Asian Made Oranges?.

Consider: buy 2nd hand good stuff..

MNBikeCommuter

Yes, exactly--lots of variables you don't know about my situation. :-) And with any bike, the frame material is just a part of the bike's actual characteristics. But it gets brought up and debated to death over and over again. I'm not exactly sure what the OP's intentions were in bringing it up yet again. Boredom? Raining and can't ride? A troll? Doesn't know how to use the search function?

I'd personally like to try out a wood Renovo bike for my next ride, if and when my aluminum frames ever give out...

LesterOfPuppets

Dem 80s Cannondales and Treks were pretty harsh alright.

Yep, in 1993 you could sell aluminum frames for more than steel frames (of similar quality) yet they were cheaper to manufacture. By 1999 there were plenty of cheap aluminum choices and you had to pay a premium to get a boutique steel frame, so I guess the "plot" was over by then. I dunno where you get the "hoax" bit.

This steel bike weighs 14.07 pounds. Light steel is possible but you gotta pay for it.


As much as I LOVE steel frames, that whole "most logical and versatile material for bicycle frames" is a bunch of hooey. I think there are plenty of applications where aluminum works just fine and is cheaper (in raw materials cost and framebuilding costs) than similar quality steel.

I dunno if this multi-directional stuff is the reason I like steel, but...whatever.
I think there are a few raceable steel frames out there.

They already did that. There are TONS of bargain aluminum choices out there. For a while you had to pay a ton to get decent steel, but over the past 5 years or so there are more and more bargain steel choices showing up, which is awesome. I'm so glad steel isn't all boutique anymore. Case in point, Specialized Allez Steel:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...45678&eid=4350

Nightshade

Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances but for me it will always be steel.

SlimRider

Ah...Specialized discontinued the Allez Double Steel model....

-AND...They're DAMNED FOOLS for doing it!

- Slim

SlimRider

I salute you, my friend!

Slim

JanMM

I've had a couple of aluminum-framed bikes.
Currently riding three 4130 RANS bikes.
The only frame failure I have experienced was a 1979 Schwinn Super LeTour whose seat tube broke above the bottom bracket. Hi-tensile.

tagaproject6

It may mean that it is not selling, and they would be foolish if they continue to produce something that does not sell. They do not cater to the few who cannot sustain the business...believe it or not they are out to make money.

SlimRider

It's highly unfortunate that the bottomline is usually, profit. If they were to educate people more on the virtues and benefits of a steel-framed bike, they'd be able to sell more and possibly even develope a cult base, just like the CAAD fans of Cannondale. They could've used the Surly LHT design, as a model.

IMHO, they should have raised the quality of steel and components and increased the unit price by $300.

Therefore:

(1) Better Steel-Frame

(2) Deore and Alivio Derailleurs

(3) 9 Speed Shimano Brifters

(4) Touring Eyelets

* Give you a choice of 26" or 700 c

Develope a touring bike like the LHT from the Allez Double Steel model!

- Slim

LesterOfPuppets

Masi has steel for $900.



And Redline has a tourer in the Trek 520 / LHT vein, but upping the ante with disc brakes:



Yep, too bad cheap steel didn't work out for Specialized, but oh well.

LesterOfPuppets

I'm surprised there's not more aluminum in touring bikes. I think the fatter the tires you run the less a difference frame material makes.

SlimRider

Unfortunately, the stress thresholds of these two metals are irrelated to the buffering cushion effects of tire pressure and road friction.

It just doesn't matter, aluminum has a very low stress threshold when compared to steel...

-Slim

bobn

I think to lighten the frame weight by using aluminum and then to add fatter tires for comfort and thus more weight is counter productive. Just my opinion.

SlimRider

That's just gorgeous!

- Slim