Originally Posted by
Thor29
I have a degree in mechanical engineering and I am amazed at the ignorance being spouted on here as if it were fact. Aluminum is a great material for mountain bike frames and is not likely to fail during the life time of most riders. That's why it is used for the vast majority of mountain bike frames. If you are afraid of aluminum, you should not ride a bike, given that the handlebars, cranks, rims, stem and other vital components are most likely made out of it. (Imagine what would happen if your stem or handlebars were to break suddenly).
There is a lot of confusion about fatigue limit. It is true that steel is better in this regard than aluminum, but it still doesn't make steel superior to aluminum in every application. Steel is not indestructible and many steel frames have broken in the past. So a picture of a broken aluminum frame proves nothing. I like steel frames (5 of my 6 bikes are steel) but I wouldn't hesitate to ride an aluminum frame if it were built by a real bike company (like Trek) and not bought from a department store.
PS - It is especially telling that the "The ARS", who is spouting so much nonsense, doesn't know that almost every airplane out there is made of aluminum. Please Mr ARS, go to an airport and find me just one steel airplane. Just one. I'm waiting...
Thanks for that post. There seems to be an theme that some have spread that Trek, Giant, Specialized, Jamis, Haro, Raliegh and Lapierre decided to design MTBs strictly by marketing without the help of engineers, pro riders and testing facilities. Then they disreguard the experience of multitudes of riders and customers that have successfully bought and used the machines developed by those same companies. About a month ago I was looking for a back up bike and started hunting for a more classic or vintage bike that I could at least put STI shifters on and a 130 rear spacing. I happened upon a 91 Klein pre-Trek. This bike was like new even after 22 years. Gary Klein was from MIT and should know something about frame material and the result was a classic Quantum with full Dura Ace 7403 front to rear. I was a bit worried about how the ride would be but with hand built wheels and 32 spokes it is just fine. Klein was right a quality long lasting bike not only could be built from Aluminum he built several. I still smile when I ride the Klein on weekends.