Originally Posted by
prathmann
I agree with this and feel that proper tubing choice and design can take care of differences in the material properties. Your concerns about the stiffness of the rear triangle of a Ti frame would seem to apply at least as much to Al frames, yet I don't hear any complaints about inadequate stiffness of Cannondales and Kleins when used by big strong riders.
I agree - you rarely hear people complaining about aluminum frames not being stiff enough. If you hear any complaints they concern ride comfort due to the very large tubing diameters most often used in aluminum bikes. If the OP asked what material, aluminum or steel, would be best for him based on his size I would have given much the same answer as I did with Ti. It all comes down to optimization. While there are many materials that will make for a very good bike that will make the rider happy for many years I still think that there are some materials that are a bit better for a given application and rider. This is not to say that if you are big that you should not like your Ti bike. If you have one and you like it what could be wrong? On the other hand if you go into this will a blank slate and ask what would be the absolute best for the big rider Ti might not end up being the ultimate choice.
Dave