Originally Posted by
Koyote
I would not expect these “advances” to have significant impacts on a frame’s longevity and ride quality. But I am happy to hear from people who are more informed on this.
By the way, I’m pretty sure that Hydroformed aluminum frames have been around for at least 20 years or so.
I wasn't speaking of longevity but overall ride and performance. According to this article, a major advancement was made in 2013 by Specialized and others followed suit. I wasn't riding then but I do spend a lot of time reading and looking at bike stuff online and I don't see many bikes more than 10 years old with formed aluminum tubing.
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...ter-than-ever/
Specialized’s Allez models have always been aluminum, but in 2013 the top-of-the-line bikes feature a new frame—the first one in seven years. The company has found a new way to hydroform tubes, called SmartWeld technology, that lets it strengthen joints and engineer more complex shapes to accommodate oversize head tubes for tapered steerers and oversize bottom brackets.
Specialized holds a patent on that process—and Giant and Cannondale also have developed exclusive methods for manipulating aluminum tubes. That means small builders who have traditionally purchased stock tubes have needed creative ways to incorporate these same features used by major companies.