Ride quality of a modern aluminum frame with 700x32 tires?

[SlackMan]

Thanks for all the replies. So, it seems the consensus might be that 32 wide tires tame aluminum's harshness (while acknowledging that some aluminum frames may not be harsh). This raises the natural question: Besides aesthetics and repairability, is there a compelling reason to choose steel over aluminum given that aluminum doesn't corrode and is lighter?

[dave thompson]

Aluminum bikes aren't inherently harsh, it's how they are made. Steel can be harsh too, as can carbon.

[Gordito]

With 30+mm gummies, I'm pretty sure you can't tell the difference in comfort due to frame material. Frame design is sth else but yet again, with so much air under your wheels, will be hard to tell.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by SlackMan

Thanks for all the replies. So, it seems the consensus might be that 32 wide tires tame aluminum's harshness (while acknowledging that some aluminum frames may not be harsh). This raises the natural question: Besides aesthetics and repairability, is there a compelling reason to choose steel over aluminum given that aluminum doesn't corrode and is lighter?

To the extent you can generalize about fame material, think it comes down to ride quality and preference. My alu derosa is quite comfy, just not the liveliness of my nicer steel. The steel bikes definitely put a smile on my face. But I love the derosa, it's light, fast, responsive, etc... this is why we need multiple bikes

[gavingould]

i've been riding a Gaulzetti Cabron for just over a year, with a mix of tires.

27mm Vittoria Pave clinchers
33mm FMB tubulars (cross)
33mm Clement LAX file tread clinchers
30mm Challenge Strada Bianca clinchers

all have been fine on and off-road. and this is a stiff, seatmast bike.
coming from 2 carbon bikes (a Felt F3x and a Focus Cayo) the ride quality is comparable, maybe a bit stiffer/harsher, but not enough for me to want to go back.

[martl]

Originally Posted by SlackMan

Has anyone ridden a modern aluminum frame with 700x32 tires (or similar)? I am thinking something like a Zanconato Road32 in aluminum. I am wondering what the ride quality is like compared to a steel bike with otherwise identical geometry. Does the flex in the wider tires pretty much completely offset any additional stiffness the aluminum frame might have on rough pavement? My last experience with aluminum frames was decades ago when they were often times very bone rattling.

The laws of physics say: yes, (chaining of springs), but as we all know, those don't apply to bicycles.

[benb]

I don't think the frame material matters much here.. It is all about the fork here.. are you using a steel fork on this hypothetical bike or a carbon fork, and how much weight is it going to be designed for... ? Likewise how much weight will the frame be designed for?

I have a steel fork on my all city space horse.. with the 35c tires the bike came with it is pretty plush.. but I am noticing with 28c tires after a certain # of hours the front end seems to start feeling harsh.. I don't think it has anything to do with steel but with the fact that the fork is designed for carrying a front rack & 20-30lbs of weight IIRC.

[zap]

A steel I beam will ride well with 32 tires.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by zap

A steel I beam will ride well with 32 tires.

Pretty much this. You're going to have a hard time finding a bike that feels harsh with that much squish in your rubber.

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by dave thompson

Aluminum bikes aren't inherently harsh, it's how they are made. Steel can be harsh too, as can carbon.

Quite true.
I recently picked up an aluminum bike, a 2009ish Cannondale cx9 cyclocross.
It came with 23c Michelin tires, a kickstand and an Azonic Loveseat saddle.
I figured the oversize downhill type saddle was there to take the edge off the frame. Well turns out it sure did not need the king size saddle, it's a very nice riding frame. Not harsh or tooth rattling at all.

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by Fatty

It came with 23c Michelin tires, a kickstand and an Azonic Loveseat saddle.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by zap

A steel I beam will ride well with 32 tires.

^^^^^ This.

I had a friend that claimed that an aluminum frame on a mountain bike was too stiff and would give a too harsh a ride, so an MTB needed to be made from steel or titanium. He was unpersuaded by the argument that his 2 1/2" tires inflated to 20 psi provided so much cushioning that it didn't matter how stiff the frame was, in terms of comfort. I guess he had read too many bike magazines, and based his perceptions on what he had read, instead of how the bike actually felt.

[martl]

I offered several advocates of "comfy frames", including writers for well known magazines, that I could turn their most comfortable frame of choice into a back torturer and their most "unrideable" harsh frame into a sofa with my choice of off-the-shelf parts. No one took the bet yet.