Lightest mainstream aluminum frames

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ultyguy
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

I've crash cracked 3 carbon frames, and not massive crashes and also 'good' quality carbon. I've crashed a Ridley Scandium and my steel Hustle, very similar crashes, slight dents, totally rideable. If you're riding unsupported amateur racing or sportive, there's value in not having to replace stuff all the time.

I need to crash less :-(


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Delorre
Posts: 967
Joined: Sat May 24, 2014 12:09 pm

by Delorre

Devon wrote:I'd say something like the CAAD would be a far better bike than a low-end Willier or Felt etc. Consider that it has all the research from the Supersix put into it's geometry, paired with cutting-edge materials and heavy development. A lower-end carbon bike is a basic design smashed out to flog to inexperienced riders who think that carbon is the be-all and end-all. No doubt they will come with either a Sora or Tiagra groupset too :lol:

From my own experience, having owned a Scott CR1 and a BMC SLR02, my aluminium Kinesis is a much more interesting bike to ride. Yeah, the BMC was like riding a pillow; but if you're looking into Aluminium frames, comfort isn't a priority anyway. And really, I've experienced no discomfort on mine to date, and I still don't know what this mythical road buzz is all about. Just get good tyres :wink:

The only difference between my current Aluminium frame and my previous mid-end carbon models is it hasn't spontaneously fallen apart like the other two.


I went through 2 alu bikes (Carrera and hi end Orbea) before owning my first carbon one (very first gen CR1 sl). The first 2 turned into noodles within 2 seasons (back in time 5000 miles/ season). My CR1 has lasted 8 seasons with increasing miles without any trouble (incl some nasty crashes). Unfortunately, I cracked that frame trying to loose the rear brake bolt after several years without unbolting :cry: Never, ever would I buy an alu frame again! Metal fatigue on alu's is (or was??) a real problem.

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

Hi end alu Orbeas were very light (also used in pro level racing) but not really rideable for more than one or two seasons.

MikeyBE
Posts: 244
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:59 pm

by MikeyBE

Love my kinesis aithein. Light and stiff :)

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mythical
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by mythical

A friend of mine bought 1 of 2 special Orbea climb bike prototypes in existence as ridden in the Tour de France by only 2 riders: Iban Mayo and Roberto Laiseka. He had Laiseka's frame. I built up the bike for him but riding it didn't inspire confidence. I think he got rid of it before it could ever become a problem.

Image

Meanwhile, I too had different experiences with carbon and aluminum frames. Before 2000 I exclusively rode mountainbikes. That year I built myself my first road bike, a UCI-legal 6815g '01 Giant TCR Limited frameset with full Dura-Ace 7700, Ksyrium SSC tubular wheels and Coombe pedals. As it turned out, the frame was a bit of a noodle but that didn't deter me from having fun with it and riding the crap out of it.

One day, upon returning from Bergschenhoek (famous MTB track in Holland), I was about to pass a parked car on the left when it suddenly turned left into a driveway on the other side of the street, thus cutting me off. I steered with the car and finally managed dropped myself on a patch of grass. When I checked the damaged, my left shoe was heavily scuffed and the non-drive side chainstay near the dropout heavily damaged. It looked terrifying actually, as there seemed to be barely enough material left. After that, I still rode the frame for many years until I grew tired of it and simply gave it away to a mechanic friend who used it for a messenger bike project.

Another time, I stopped because a driver nearly ran me over and a guy in another car was a potential witness. That was on my Scott Addict frame that developed a cracked top tube after the wind blew it over straight into a sharp and pointy edge of his open car door. The crack was about three quarters of the diameter of the top tube right behind the rear brake cable boss nearest to the head tube. I rode it for another 6 months or so and had it repaired by a Raoul Luescher, carbon specialist extraordinaire! Tired of the bike, I left the frameset in Australia and Raoul sold the frame.

Though it was light and rode ok, I was never a fan of that Addict. After that Scott, I eventually got a Spooky Skeletor, which I like much more. It sustained quite a few dents and scratches from everything I threw at it (not literally), and I don't ride lightly or slowly either. Too bad they don't make 'em anymore.

prebsy wrote:So the Rose xeon RS (mentioned on page 2), sub 1000g? Can anyone confirm that?
No one can, coz that's for the smallest frame size, whereas the other manufacturer specify the weight for a 56cm frame.
“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

Devon
Posts: 782
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

As to aluminium fatigue, who keeps a race frame longer than a few seasons nowadays anyway? If you want a trusty old steed to smash out millions of training miles on, surely you'd get Steel or Ti, and not a race-geometry alu/carbon model. Or is that just me?

Oh, I just found myself on the Jaegher website again...


To summarise, the way I see it;

Training/Epic rides: Steel/Ti
Amateur Racing/Crits: Good Aluminium
Sportives/Pro level racing and sunday club rides in the summer: Carbon

When it comes down to it, the roads around me are simply too poor for carbon. You can hear it cracking as you ride :mrgreen:
I guess it doesn't help I smash my bikes along gravel when I get bored of muddy, wet winter farm lanes.

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vejnemojnen
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Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:11 pm

by vejnemojnen

Image

Image
Just some pixs of typical hungarian roads.

I prefer carbon. FLoats over these potholes, whereas my former alloy frame was quite harsh. NB: I do ride with lower tyre pressure, wider tyres, BUT I still appreciate the comfort given by the pencil-thin stays of a C'dale SS frameset. Smoothens the little imperfections, and turns harsher roads into tolerable experience for me.

I'd like to ride a modern, comfort oriented alloy frame though. My plan would be: get a frame with thin stays, sloping top tube, to get at least 25cm seatpost exposed. 27.2mm crabon sp (I used this for my former frame, made a huge difference in comfort) and 27mm tyres with 6.5 bar inflation pressure, and a good handlebar tape, 140mm stem.

You can make an alloy frame ride very compliantly, you just have to cvhoose parts senisbly. One day, I'll build it and see, what difference can it make to combine parts carefully. :thumbup:

Devon
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Location: Sydney, Australia

by Devon

About on par!

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