I'm on the other end of the spectrum: If Sean Kelley can win several Tour de France green jerseys, World Championship medals, and several cobbled classics while riding a bonded, lugged standard diameter tubed aluminum frame, then they are ok by me. While I'll admit to having once had a similar fear of them potentially lacking durability, the sheer number of them that I've seen as survivors and that have been ridden HARD has put away my old fears.
I've never seen photos or known anyone to have broken an Alan or Vitus bonded aluminum frame, but I'm willing to be educated on this.
And, in fact, I'm actively looking for the "right" vitus 979 to add to my stable. I rode a friend of mine's bike back in the 1980s and was very surprised how great it road and I didn't find it whippy at all. Reason would have it that the Alan, which is not just glued like the Vitus but also threaded together, is a much better construction. I recall Alan also making cyclocross versions of their bonded aluminum frames.
As for bonded lugged frames: Trek built an EMPIRE on bonded and lugged aluminum (and carbon) frames. I would actually argue that true monocoque carbon frames are the ones that have fallen out of favor because quality is poop. And most major car manufacturers nowadays actually use bonded body panels. I cant say that yester-years' bonding agents are as good as today's bonding agents, but I have little concern for a bonded aluminum frame failing under my body weight.
Last edited by spank226; 09-24-20 at 03:23 PM.