Originally Posted by
SlimRider
Back in 1973, an MIT student by the name of Gary Klein got the idea that bicycles could be made successfully out of aluminum. In 1994 Klein Bicycles launched the first Quantum Pro, a mass produced aluminum bicycle, with an integrated headset.
Mass produced aluminum bicycles have been available since at least the mid 1930s:
Klein's innovation was to make a welded aluminum frame, using oversize tubing (both to increase stiffness and to provide a larger weld area for the joint), and heat treatment of the frame after welding to mitigate the loss of strength the welding process causes at the joints.