cruiserhead

Gweedo1

Yes, and I had to change my aluminum rims of my steel bike because they simply wore out. Had they been steel I wouldn't have had to do that. As for those other parts....they simple don't face a lot of stress or have steel at crucial areas like bearings and skewers. The frame otoh, never had a problem after 36,000 miles. How many pedal cycles is that? How many cobbled, potholed roads did I pound down? How many high speed descents? How many out of the saddle climbs? I don't know, but I can tell you, in the context of real world riding, and for a road bike, my Tommasini built, Columbus sl/sp tube set took a beating. The type that can't be simulated in a lab that *simply* flexes a frame 100,000 times or more. Not only is that article from 1997, i.e. 19 years old, but it does not do much to substantiate the better frame material for real world riding...no road shocks to the frame were produced, no UV rays were directed at the frames over 5-10 years, no exposure to moisture or road chemicals, no consideration of how a scratch on the frame from a slipped wrench could result in catastrophic damage.....I could go on, but why. That silly little test proves *nothing* in terms of how a bicycle will perform for you in the real world.

But, even though it falls woefully short of being the definitive test of frame materials like you would like it to be, it was an interesting little read nonetheless. I found some of the following interesting if not troubling statements made by the author who seems to contradict himself in his rush to dispel well founded fears or concerns regarding the weaknesses of c/f and Al. And who pays his bills? Oh yes, builders of c/f and Al frames...interesting.

"There is only one prediction which even this procedure cannot achieve: durability in kilometers of use…"

Ummm, yes, but that's thee most important prediction isn't it?

" The front of the frame is held rigidly by a special measuring front fork;…
In this way, conditions of pedaling out of the saddle which impose the greatest loading on the frame are simulated…."

Ummm, no it's not. When I'm out of the saddle jamming on the pedals, I rock my bike under me...the front is not locked into a rigid position. Nothing real world about that simulation.

"A positive feature of steel frames went unexamined in this test: steel is not so sensitive to stress raisers, and is more tolerant of minor damage. Also, surprisingly, steel frames have less of a problem with corrosion than many aluminum frames. Certainly, steel rusts, but only slowly. Some aluminum alloys commonly used in bicycle frames, on the other hand, are rather vulnerable to so-called “grain-boundary corrosion,” which can work its way quickly through the material and so, lead to failure…"

Ahhhh..finally some real world stuff...that wasn't tested!! lol...

Sorry, even though I bought an Al bike which is very good for me, well above what I need and I'm very happy with my purchase, and even though I am tempted by the beauty and technology and light weight of c/f and totally understand the appeal, I will always prefer an Italian steel framed bicycle.

Maelochs

Is this the "Which color is best" thread? I was told I could find that here.

bruce19

That's been settled. It's either a gray Masi or a blue Guru.

BillyD

Ahhh, I'm all set for the great debate.



You guys can argue till the cows come home, I don't care. Just keep it clean - no insults, no name-calling.

Have at it.

ridethecliche

You realize that engineering and designs can make certain parts of the frame more compliant right? So they can be rigid at, say the BB, and compliant at, say the rear seatstays etc. What you just said is factually incorrect, fyi.

dr_lha

I'm not qualified to argue with the results, but I will provide this link to a guy who does argue.

EFBe Frame Test: how NOT to test a Bicycle

indyfabz

I am going with slim and none so...****.

cruiserhead

I thought we established all of of this.
Carbon will explode. There needs to be a freshness date on all of it like food.
Don't worry. Just pick out your components from the carbon dust pile and rebuild a new bike.

aluminum will explode, when it touches carbon. It will explode out of nowhere but it's cleaner, since you don't have to clean up carbon dust.

steel will last forever, even with huge cracks and rust, it has no effect at all on it.
But if you put anything newer than 8 speed on it, a pot-bellied mamil sheds a tear.

bruce19

What is a mamil and where can I get one?

berner

Aluminum is a fine material suitable for many purposes and when properly designed and built will last a very long time as evidenced by the continued service of the good ole Gunney Bird. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3 This marvelous piece of engineering has been flying for 70-80 years. Further evidence comes to us from the fact that some of the finest beer and ale is available packaged in .... aluminum.

badger1

Beasts are everywhere.

cruiserhead

middle aged man in lycra and you can find them anywhere cruising mups.
They can mostly be found on the internet, being morally outraged on the A&S forum.

There are several mamil species but the ones I'm talking about are the retrogrouch mamils

indyfabz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamil

badger1

Ah; glad you clarified that. You were talking (post #59 ) about mamilius retrogrouchus specifically, as opposed to other sub-species such as mamilius carboniferous.

cruiserhead

actually, the scientific latin term is: lycrastretchedoutis urhairee badonkusis makinmevomitus

bruce19

Awesome. I don't need to get one. I am one!!

indyfabz

At 69, you are beyond middle aged.

sced

Love this. There should be a version that cover all ages with the same connotation.

bruce19

Damned kids.

dr_lha

Yeah, and when poorly designed aluminum can be a disaster due to metal fatigue.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet

exime

get off my lawn!

99Klein 

I had a 2013 CAAD 10 105 purchased the end of 2013 and traded in in 2014. Bought a Tarmac Comp. I bought a 1999 Klein Quantum in 1999 and still have it. The stiffness and ride of the CAAD never came close to my Klein. My Klein is still my fastest bike. As stiff as my Tarmac and rides as smooth as my carbon Foundry Thresher. I don't think you can simply lump all aluminum frames together anymore than you can dump all carbon frames together. There were/are some manufactures out there who know what they are doing.

My Specialized Secture was one of the smoothest most comfortable bikes I have EVER ridden. It was not stiff, did not transfer road vibration... A joy to ride if you weren't in a hurry:-) ALL my bikes run on 25mm tires so no difference there.

NormanF

My alloy Schwinn Super Sport DBX is still going strong after owning it for almost a decade now so alloy can last a very long time with reasonable care.

Heck, airplane frames last long beyond their intended service life.

An alloy bike bought today will probably outlast us all.

cruiserhead

Let's break down and do a serious analysis here.
Aluminum


Carbon


Steel



A bike should really be made of Terminator bones because that stuff is solid