My Dream bike is...Aluminum?
02-29-12, 11:24 AM
#26
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I make aluminum frames. They are certainly gaining popularity again recently. Most of my orders are from people who are big or strong. There is some really exciting things going on with high quality aluminum tubing in the near future. My riding buddy uses a Trek 1000 or something and it's a nice frame that was very inexpensive.
I like welding aluminum though. I welded my first aluminum frame in about 1989 or so. This was more recent. I think this one is now painted and can be seen on FB "spooky bikes". I am not Spooky, just the welder.
29 427 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
29 426 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
29 358 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
I like welding aluminum though. I welded my first aluminum frame in about 1989 or so. This was more recent. I think this one is now painted and can be seen on FB "spooky bikes". I am not Spooky, just the welder.
29 427 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
29 426 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
29 358 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
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02-29-12, 11:42 AM
#27
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Very good point. Don't race the bike you love. If you crash it, you'll cry. Worse yet, you'll hesitate to go all-out in fear of damaging it. Besides, if you crash it, you can always upgrade whatever components you break (including the frame).
02-29-12, 11:43 AM
#28
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I love that plain aluminum. I'd just clear coat it and put some nice decals on. Reminds me of the 1950s-60s Century Fighters.
02-29-12, 12:17 PM
#30
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Forgot about the Orbea Lobular. That was on my short list too when I got the Soloist.
02-29-12, 02:35 PM
#31
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My Principia Evolution and Klein Q Pro XV ride as nicely as my Colnago Extreme Power, BMC Race Master, Strong Hyalite or any of my other bikes. I never thought I would advocate for Al. The first 5 Al bikes I owned and rode were unimpressive rattle traps.
02-29-12, 02:44 PM
#32
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My first NSX had an aluminum body and very, very comfortable! 
02-29-12, 04:23 PM
#34
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02-29-12, 05:04 PM
#35
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https://www.tiemeyercycles.com
Dave bult me a tiemeyer road bike and i received it in Jan. a great riding bike and a wonderul individual to work with. comes in @ 17.4 # no different than my Felt carbon
Dave bult me a tiemeyer road bike and i received it in Jan. a great riding bike and a wonderul individual to work with. comes in @ 17.4 # no different than my Felt carbon
02-29-12, 05:26 PM
#37
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https://
seat post has been changed out for williams carbon with a 20mm setback
and the drop bars have been changed out to a williams carbon as well and a fizik allante saddle
seat post has been changed out for williams carbon with a 20mm setback
and the drop bars have been changed out to a williams carbon as well and a fizik allante saddle
Last edited by HAMMER MAN; 02-29-12 at 05:35 PM.
02-29-12, 06:23 PM
#38
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Keep the Trek, maybe spring for some better wheels, and use the rest of the budget for tires, tubes, other replaceables, entry fees and travel expenses. As a beginning racer, a carbon frame would add bling without a concurrent increase in speed. (I may be projecting here - when I got my super sweet Look 585 with an Ultegra/DA drivetrain and handbuilt wheels, I was just as slow as I was on my 2011 Allez frameset and mutt drivetrain.)
Another thought - I don't race, but the closest I come to it is to ride the gran fondo portion of a major local race, Rouge-Roubaix. Same distance, same course, we just leave an hour before the first wave of racers. It's 105 miles, a quarter of it gravel and much of the rest is bad, nasty road. I'm riding the Allez because I don't want to mess up the Look. A racer on a tight budget might ride without adequate aggression if he were worried about trashing an expensive carbon frame.
Another thought - I don't race, but the closest I come to it is to ride the gran fondo portion of a major local race, Rouge-Roubaix. Same distance, same course, we just leave an hour before the first wave of racers. It's 105 miles, a quarter of it gravel and much of the rest is bad, nasty road. I'm riding the Allez because I don't want to mess up the Look. A racer on a tight budget might ride without adequate aggression if he were worried about trashing an expensive carbon frame.
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Demain, on roule!
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03-01-12, 04:44 AM
#39
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Your bike is fine for racing. The geometry is not substantially different than any of the "race" bikes you are mentioning. Anyone who is telling you otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about.
Your bike is only marketed as "sport/entry level" bike because of the MSRP and components. It has nothing to do with whether the bicycle can be raced.
And you don't need to upgrade your bike to race. There is a reason why they say to race what you can afford to replace. I've broken two frames during race crashes - one aluminum, one carbon.
If you want to upgrade anything, adjust your fit to be more aggressive, assuming you are flexible enough to ride comfortably like that.
Your bike is only marketed as "sport/entry level" bike because of the MSRP and components. It has nothing to do with whether the bicycle can be raced.
And you don't need to upgrade your bike to race. There is a reason why they say to race what you can afford to replace. I've broken two frames during race crashes - one aluminum, one carbon.
If you want to upgrade anything, adjust your fit to be more aggressive, assuming you are flexible enough to ride comfortably like that.
I might even go on to argue that you may feel a bit more inspired racing on a more modest machine. I have raced many times and takes a bit of courage to take the process to completion. Riding a "long time friend" can be a benefit.
I ride a pretty "normal" Columbus Zona steel frame with .8/.6/.8 tube walls, TIG welded. I get nice parts to ride if I want them. As you can see, it's a mix of old and new parts as stuff comes and goes. I have since changed the stem for more drop and added better tires and I am shopping for a more modest set of wheels (I want these to last)
I have a small diameter tube kit like the nice black bike shown in the pics sitting on the shelf, ready to go. I am going to build that up, same geo as my Magneto (model name) and compare them directly. My roads here are junk and my tires are pretty small so it should be a good place to tell. I will have to make the chainstays a little longer or may be crimp the seat tube.
Here is an old pic of my current bike. It looks like a dirty pack mule right now.
27 203 by frankthewelder, on Flickr
I think poor wear is the biggest issue with cheap parts, not so much performance. Good wheels are awesome.
03-01-12, 07:16 AM
#40
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There was an article in Bicycling magazine this month (I know kind of a lame rag but it was given to me for Xmas) about how easy it is to repair carbon frames (Calfee and a couple other companies). They are even repairing frames that are broken into 2 separate pieces. They interviewed someone from Cervelo and he admitted that the repairs were just as strong as the original frame.
It seems foolish to buy a 2nd tier bike because you are afraid to break the better bike. There is a reason there are very few high end aluminum bikes anymore.
It seems foolish to buy a 2nd tier bike because you are afraid to break the better bike. There is a reason there are very few high end aluminum bikes anymore.
03-01-12, 10:15 AM
#41
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03-05-12, 11:21 PM
#42
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I just picked up this Aluminum '08 Soloist frame set, never used for rock bottom pricing...I'm beyond excited.
By dragstr4g61t at 2012-03-05
By dragstr4g61t at 2012-03-05
03-06-12, 12:02 AM
#44
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Ha - I ended up in a similar position. My Alu CAAD10 has become my go-to bike, while my CF '07 Roubaix is my easy day/wet weather ride. Funny how that worked out.
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03-06-12, 12:08 AM
#45
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I chatted with the Gaulzetti folks at NAHBS yesterday. Their aluminum frames are gorgeous.
Even more gorgeous in person.
Even more gorgeous in person.
03-06-12, 10:54 AM
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my main squeeze is a GT aluminium. i love the welds on it. so smooth.
no issues altho i tend to ride higher cadence, am 140lbs and don't have big legs so it's probably not under much stress or strain
no issues altho i tend to ride higher cadence, am 140lbs and don't have big legs so it's probably not under much stress or strain
03-06-12, 12:58 PM
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Marketing and bling factor.
I'll admit a top shelf CF frame is going to beat a top shelf Al frame in every way. However, for the price of a top shelf Al you'd be looking at a low to medium level CF ride, not a high end one. The Al bike will likely blow the pants off those.
I'll admit a top shelf CF frame is going to beat a top shelf Al frame in every way. However, for the price of a top shelf Al you'd be looking at a low to medium level CF ride, not a high end one. The Al bike will likely blow the pants off those.
03-06-12, 01:42 PM
#48
Senior Member
Incidentally (to OP) if you need an inexpensive Cat 3 kind of bike that you can beat up, the Tsunami is nice. Custom geometry bang around frame for $750 (no fork). This only applies if you need custom geometry, otherwise you can get something else.
Due to his limitations I'd suggest staying with a threaded BB (I have the BB30s on both my frames). Paint is not as durable as the big boys. Welding is spot on. Bikes handle great. And if you change your mind he can change things. I changed my mind on my orange bike and he modified it per my request for a modest fee. Frame weight was 1450g for the orange frame originally (longer stays, painted), so not uber light, but that's the frame that carried me to my Cat 2 upgrade.
03-06-12, 02:11 PM
#49
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I've been riding a carbon bike for about 3 years. I decided I wanted to switch to aluminum. I haven't looked back since. Absolutely love my Spooky Skeletor Rep. I built it with SRAM Red/Force components. I think it is actually lighter than my old carbon roadie plus handle 10x better
03-06-12, 02:35 PM
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Shutuplegs,
Do you ride it with that much seat to bar drop or was that just for the picture?
Do you ride it with that much seat to bar drop or was that just for the picture?