Originally Posted by 12boy (Post 20780224)

Apart from handmade steel frames I understand most frames are made in Taiwan or the RPC these days. Most have large obvious welds which may seem ugly to some but should be stronger than theybwould be with the same weld filed down smooth. I have a 94 Cannondale which has no apparent welds at all but it alleges on a frame sticker it was made in the USA.. Being a Luddite I prefer steel frames but the two Al frames I have work well. Something I have heard a lot about is ride quality with steel being more lively,supple etc. And yet the the part of a bike that is subject to the most flex would seem to me to be handlebars but Al bars have been the norm for 50 years at least.

Originally Posted by 12boy (Post 20780224)

Apart from handmade steel frames I understand most frames are made in Taiwan or the RPC these days. Most have large obvious welds which may seem ugly to some but should be stronger than theybwould be with the same weld filed down smooth. I have a 94 Cannondale which has no apparent welds at all but it alleges on a frame sticker it was made in the USA.. Being a Luddite I prefer steel frames but the two Al frames I have work well. Something I have heard a lot about is ride quality with steel being more lively,supple etc. And yet the the part of a bike that is subject to the most flex would seem to me to be handlebars but Al bars have been the norm for 50 years at least.

Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart (Post 20780685)

And for more then 50 years it's suggested that Al bars are regularly be examined and replaced every few years to avoid the cracks and failures that happen often enough. So if you are good with also placing your frame into that same category, of being a limited life span component, then all is well. But if you insist on believing that your frame is a lifetime item Al isn't the best choice. Andy (who also knows a handle bar costs far less then a frame does)

Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart (Post 20781043)

My understanding that by increasing the stiffness of an AL frame you also extend the number of stress cycles before failure might be a concern. What would be interesting is to test a steel frame that equals the stiffness of those Al frames (tested how many years ago?). Andy

Originally Posted by dksix (Post 20776742)

According to this article, a major advancement was made in 2013 by Specialized...

Originally Posted by tcs (Post 20783697)

Cycling Plus magazine tested (02/14) a Specialized with one of those 'Smartweld' frames. They didn't know what it was about that bike, but they went on to describe what sounded like 'planing' to me.

Originally Posted by fietsbob (Post 20782439)

I saw in passing a few years ago the contemporary Japan Bridgestone company had shown what was like a Hydro-formed steel frame
so increasing diameters and shapes to best cope with the stresses they had at those joints..

So, would be a bit more of a level playing field, for comparing with Aluminum structures of same shape, just different materials....



....

Originally Posted by fietsbob (Post 20782439)

I saw in passing a few years ago the contemporary Japan Bridgestone company had shown what was like a Hydro-formed steel frame so increasing diameters and shapes to best cope with the stresses they had at those joints. So, would be a bit more of a level playing field, for comparing with Aluminum structures of same shape, just different materials.

Originally Posted by dksix (Post 20784264)

I don't understand what you mean with "planing", assuming you mean planing as is making something flat.