I was getting a little jealous of all the real steel lovers on here, so I thought I'd see if there were any aluminium-lovers lurking somewhere on here.

A couple pictures of the bikes I wish I owned: CAAD 12 Disc Dura Ace and the Felt TK3.

Fun fact: Before 1854, aluminum was the most precious metal in the world by weight, even more valuable than gold.


I love my old reliable '07 Cannondale F4. Thousands of miles and the frame shows no signs of quitting any time soon. Brushed aluminum with a clearcoat looks awesome in person. She's my around-town bike these days.

Count me in. My first proper bike was the 1992 Cannondale R400. A beautiful rocket. Those were the days when Cannondale's welding was so smooth it looked like they poured molten aluminum into a frame mold. These days, you're lucky if you get good-looking welds at the head tube and the top of the seat tube. I'm still a fan.

Not sure why there isn't way more love here for the Allez. $1800 for this 105 bike:

Those felts are a nightmare on the road. I've tried it - way way too stiff.
They belong on the track. They are kinda fun on the road if you don't mind getting beat up...

You are right though - Aluminum is under appreciated. I love how responsive and light it is, without being as expensive or fragile as carbon.

After a decade and change on Carbon, I'm back on Aluminum and couldn't be happier.

First off, sick rides! Thanks for sharing!

Considering how much we use aluminum in modern society, it doesn't surprise me AL was the gold of it's day. Interesting to learn!

It's nice to know I'm not alone!

On a different topic:
Can we talk about this?
How long did you ride it for?
What kind of roads are we talking about, cobblestone?
What are you comparing to?

I feel like this is the #1 misconception about aluminum.

Frame construction > frame material.

That Felt looks really stiff, based on the construction.

Reinforced seatube, toptube, downtube and rear triangle.

I gave up on my steel singlespeed CX bike after 4.5 years in a hilly town for an old Trek SU100. Aluminum, rigid, 26" tires, 3x7 drivetrain (which should be 3x8). Love it.
My first commuter was a 2000 Trek 4500, also aluminum.

Just those bikes in particular. Its not that they are aluminum, its that they are track bikes designed to be as stiff as possible. The fork and seat post exacerbate the stiffness of the frame. It makes them super responsive, and because they are stiff, they feel faster than they are on the road. Personally I’ll ride 23mm on the track, but on the road I’ll shoe horn as big a tire as I can fit on there (small 28mm on the front, large 28mm on the back).

Stiff track bikes are fun though. I like playing with them on the road. If you don’t mind riding the stiffest bike available, they can be a hoot – certainly different than you typical road bike. They are responsive, super short wheelbase, high center of gravity.

(My bike must be about 10 years old now. It is fast – I have to be careful not to spin the wheels when accelerating hard from 23 to 33mph on a smooth surface).



I have steel, aluminum, carbon. I love my Aluminum bikes for their responsiveness, lightness, and reasonable cost. As manufacturers start to form and mold aluminum into something other than a basic tube, the ride is getting better and better too. Salsa claims their V3 Aluminum warbird is more compliant than their V2 Titanium Warbird!





This answer:

Good points. I learned something.

I guess I like the stiff and responsive rides.

Sorry for the side track, back to pretty pictures.

My old trusty commuter.

+1. That is my ride (albeit in silver). Got one when my mountain bike derailer exploded on a commute and I didn't like to be off the trails while I fixed it.
With Fixed Gear, there is pretty much nothing to break. $600 new for a 19lb bike, that is stiff and fast. What is there not to love (for flatland commuting?)

About 9 miles in to a 105 mile ride;



My commute to work;