Originally Posted by cyccommute

No, you can't "rest assured". One of the aluminum bikes both broke at welds. One of the steel bikes broke at the steer tube/fork crown junction (a weld area), at the chainstay bridge (another weld area) and, finally, in the middle of the dropout as did the other steel bike. The dropout isn't a weld area.

As for 'quality' steel frames being easily and readily repaired, this a is a total myth. I had to have one of the steel bikes repaired because the company decided that it wouldn't cover the warranty...a company no longer in business and with which I wouldn't do business afterwards. The guy who did the repair is a cyclist and a master machinist/welder. He was amazed at how thin the steel was and how hard it was to weld the metal without burning through it. You might be able to get a steel bike repaired by someone skilled in welding bicycles but it's a myth that just any old welder with moderate...or even advanced...skills can do it.

Oh, and the other aluminum bike? I broke off the seatpost mast on it. The same guy who did the welding on the steel frame welded the mast back in place without issue.




Then how about you get off the "aluminum is so horrible that if you buy a bike made of you, you are going to die" soap box.