Originally Posted by
sced
Compared to steel, aluminum alloy frames can be made substantially lighter with much better control of directional stiffness. Carbon has the edge but quality aluminum frames are much cheaper to mass produce. Snobs are biased against aluminum because it relatively cheap, but it put men on the moon, fought the Cold War, and is still the mainstay of Dura Ace.
Sure, but about a quarter century ago they were rough, rough, riders, and that's the "aluminum era" I was talking about; oversized, straight guage, TIG welded, thin-wall tubing...those words send a painful chill down my spine even today!