Originally Posted by
dminor
Ding! For the record, I found this quote:
"The alloy used for the M4 frame is a perfect example of how far the aluminum technology has gone lately. It contains silicon and magnesium as main components apart from aluminum, and there are also little percentages of Cu, Mn and Zn. All this means a 6000-series alloy that is very resistant to high temperatures the way few millimeters far from the welds the tube reaches its highest mechanical alloys. After a complete cycle of heat treatments, the result is a extremely resistant matter, so it is possible to lighten the tubes although they have to suffer welding processes to be a part of a frame."
— David Díaz Blanco, from totalbike.com
I stand corrected!
That article is really a pretty interesting read, The use of ceramics in their metal matrix compound frames
was a bold idea. Too bad it didn't work! KInda like the Trek ZR 9000 frames that seem to be a little too hard.