Yeah I know they are stiff, and they usually have fat down tubes, but I love the look. Right now I have a older C'dale conversion that has served me well for the last year, and now I have the opportunity to upgrade to a proper frame. I have been looking at Leader, and the C'dale Capo, but who else should I take a look at?

TIA

....on a side note, wis there really that big of a weight difference between a steel frame and aluminum? or is it all in my head?

Alum. will be lighter, but it varies. There are steel frames that weigh lighter than aluminum frames. It can also depend on the quality of the aluminum.

Aluminum is weaker than steel obviously. So therefore the tubes are larger in cross section to make up for this. However this adds weight. So it is lighter, but not as much lighter as you might think.

aluminum will be lighter most of the time. some examples from bikes i have weighed:

54cm capo - ~1325g
50cm sputnik (reynolds 631) - ~1800g

I wouldnt get the capo unless you were filthy rich. Personally i like the leader messenger frame b/c of the way it looks. You can build it up with better parts versus buying a stock capo.

the bianchi pista concept was pretty much the gold standard for aluminium bikes. they dont make it anymore and this year they replaced it with the "super pista" which is similar but somehow very weird and ugly looking, especially since it seems like they used a 175mm oversized headtube.

there's the motobecane team track, which is what i'm hoping to get, which is basically a aluminum track bike with a little bit of aero-ness to it.

there is the argon18 bike which is good if you're riding on the track only.

cinelli vigorelli is a really good frameset. quite expensive.

cinelli x mash is a really good frameset with pursuit geometry. not as expensive but still pretty expensive. i really want this.

giant omnium is a good frameset for the track only.

there's the felt TK2 and TK3. very good bikes.

also, the trek T1 which is equally aimed at street and velodrome riding.

Aluminum, unfortunately, is not real.

Steel is.

GT Gutterball. Lot of people on this forum dont like this frame, but take it for a test ride yourself. I love my GT. I think Performance is still selling their 09 stock at $499.

Dolan Precursa

Uh - Aluminum can be found on the periodic table. Steel can't. So which one is really real?

There's truth in what you say, but not enough to make it exactly right.

You don't ride on aluminum or on steel. You ride on a bike frame that's made with steel or aluminum tubeing. There are many factors that will affect it's weight and ride qualities. Picking out only one or two of those qualities and saying "that's why" doesn't cut it.

Please go back to school.

If you are really interested in the differences between aluminum and steel as bicycle frame materials, you aren't going to get any reliable information here. A lot of good reading on the topic can be found here...https://spokesmanbicycles.com/page.cfm?pageid=157 (and links within)

I have an 07 Felt TK2 that I picked up used without a wheelset for $800 and it is an awesome bike. It comes with great components and is a blast to ride. My complaints are that it is horrible for any sort of distances as I have a semi bad back and to change to a lower GI I have to buy a new chainring as adding a tooth on the cog end causes the tire to rub the frame.

the felt gridloc is aluminum and inexpensive. and cool lookin

Awesome read! Really made me think about the materials in a new light. I'm off to go lurk in the frame building forum now....

would highly recommend the Masi Coltello frame. been riding mine for a few months now and love it. the orange for 2010 looks nice as well.

thanks for putting everyone down

The one that rhymes better is clearly more real.

Aluminum is doomin 'em

EDIT: I just realized I proved mihlbach's point and I apologize.

and thanks for that link mihlbach.

Pista Concepts have had their popularity but if you want to say something was the gold standard of aluminum track frames (at least ones primarily ridden on the streets), it is probably the early 90s Cannondale track frames. 15 years later and people are still trying to find them. Plus, they paired the aluminum frame with a steel fork.

OP, if you still live in Jersey City, just head over to Continuum Cycles in Manhattan on Avenue B between 12 and 13th Streets. The shop owner designed his own aluminum frame (also paired with a steel fork). He also stocks or can get Moth frames, another aluminum track frame.

^Yeah as far as aluminum goes, those Cannondales are way more classy than Pista Concepts.

Aluminum or steel? It depends on the application, really. Aluminum has a fixed number of cycles before metal fatigue sets in that is far lower than steel. Steel has as far as the stress of a bike frame, nearly an unlimited number of times for the stress cycle to load/unload it. Aluminum is lighter, and will break easier.

Steel is easier to repair and work with than Aluminum. It's more a matter of personal taste, though.

aluminum won't break unless you ride it for 20 years or it's faulty or you have a wreck that would kill any other material just as hard. don't buy a cheap frame(get something that is well made) and don't wreck and it's just as durable as steel.

so ask yourself...


are you going to ride this frame more than 20 years?

are you going to repair this frame if it gets in an accident?(bent tubes, dings don't count)

ahhh that is so sick

i have an old caad 2 use as a beater still an awesome ride stiff as hell