Originally Posted by
bigbossman
The flip side of a stiff aluminum frame is the ride quality.
I had a early 90's all aluminum Trek 1500. It was a fantastic riding bike, up to about 30 miles or so. Past that, it got very uncomfortable to ride. I couldn't imagine spending the day on it.
Newer aluminum frames ride significantly better - partly because the construction/geometry has evolved and has been refined, and partly because of the use of CF stays and forks.
I'll not ride a "vintage" all aluminum bike again, if I have a choice about it.
I agree about the feel of aluminum- it feels less comfortable to me than steel. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I just could never grow to like the ride of the aluminum bikes I've ridden. I keep coming back to the basic Raleigh or Schwinn steel frames- they're heavy, but seem to have a nice ride to them.