Options for custom Alu

[sandyrs]

I'm vaguely toying with the idea of getting a custom Alu road frame built. At this point, it's still just a matter of figuring out who the builders to seek out are. So far I'm aware of:

- Rock Lobster
- Gaulzetti
- Stoemper (not sure if they do full custom)
- Tsunami
- De Rosa Black Label ($$$)
- Legend ($$$)
- Commonwealth
- Pegoretti (Love #3)

What other builders should I be looking into?

[buldogge]

FTW (Frank The Welder) ???

Just "up the road" in Vermont…

-Mark in St. Louis

[El Chaba]

The DeRosa is nothing short of spectacular.....
You might also look into Cyfac....

[texbike]

Primus Mootry makes incredible stuff but I had heard that they may not be taking new orders right now.

Another option that gets tossed around a bit is Tsunami bikes in AZ.

Texbike

[EDS]

Co-Motion

[roguedog]

Isn't Zanc doing ALU these days?

Though rock lobster and gauzetti and peg are hard to beat. Yes primus has a hold on new orders as of early sept. Who knows might be open again.

[jmoore]

Stoemper will do full custom.

What about Galuzetti?

[Ryun]

Zanconato is doing aluminum these days. Mike is great to work with and designs a great bike.

Gaulzetti is a solid bike although I have no experience since the fabricator has changed. I put them in the semi custom category in the sense that if you are looking for a race bike and need fit changes they will do custom. They are not custom in the sense that the corsa would never be a gravel bike, travel etc.

I cant imagine how long it would take to get a custom peg...

[Ssalmon]

Doesn't Spooky do custom aluminum, what about Geek House?

[Lionel]

- Rock Lobster
- <cut>


Went thru this last year, ended up with the first name on your list. Great bike.

[sandyrs]

Thanks for all the replies! I had forgotten about FTW but he really is nearby.

[Nooch]

Gaulzetti is a solid bike although I have no experience since the fabricator has changed. I put them in the semi custom category in the sense that if you are looking for a race bike and need fit changes they will do custom. They are not custom in the sense that the corsa would never be a gravel bike, travel etc.


Kelly Bedford is fab'ing the Gaulzetti's right now... so, nothing to worry about there.

[RedRider]

Kelly Bedford is also working in aluminum
Pegoretti is no longer offering the Love#3.

[Ryun]

Kelly Bedford is fab'ing the Gaulzetti's right now... so, nothing to worry about there.

Yeah thats what I figured, just didnt want to speak to something I dont have experience with.

[zap]

Give a Paceline advertiser a call………Kelly Bedford. Click on KB Customs at the top of the page.

[Nooch]

As far as I know Kelly won't build an aluminum road bike -- just a tri/tt bike, so as not to be competing with the work he's doing for Craig.

[dave thompson]

Tsunami builds an excellent bike at a price that's an absolute steal. That said, my buying experience with Tsunami while not bad was, uh, interesting. The bike is one of the best I've had however.

[Drmojo]

Went thru this last year, ended up with the first name on your list. Great bike.

Awaiting my Al RL....
Purchased here from Steve

[merlincustom1]

According to their website, Peg still offers the Love #3.

[StephenCL]

Both Ryun and I have inbound Zanconato Aluminum's inbound...

Mine should land in the next week or so. Full custom and affordable by custom standards. I cant wait.

Stephen

[sandyrs]

Both Ryun and I have inbound Zanconato Aluminum's inbound...

Mine should land in the next week or so. Full custom and affordable by custom standards. I cant wait.

Stephen

How was the lead time? Looking forward to seeing them built up and hearing about the ride!

[Ryun]

I think the que is pretty short although he is juggling a couple different materials and Im not sure what his overall wait time is.
Once I get it in hand, I can tell more.
I have had my steel zank for a couple of years which is a lifetime for me and couldnt be happier

[abalone]

I was also thinking of getting a custom aluminum frame someday also. I had a Cannondale way back in the day. It was fairly stiff and harsh to ride. I like the weight of aluminum, but how can I get one that tends more towards the "less-stiff" side of things? Are there certain aluminum tubesets that are smaller diameter or less stiff than others?

[El Chaba]

I was also thinking of getting a custom aluminum frame someday also. I had a Cannondale way back in the day. It was fairly stiff and harsh to ride. I like the weight of aluminum, but how can I get one that tends more towards the "less-stiff" side of things? Are there certain aluminum tubesets that are smaller diameter or less stiff than others?

Yes...but.....Aluminum has a rather short fatigue life, so if it is thin-walled and flexible, it will crack in relatively short order. The good aluminum frames last as long as they do by being stiff. Fortunately, aluminum seems to absorb vibration pretty well. I think that a carbon fork is also a help with an aluminum frame, but I think nice tubulars (or at least open tubulars) really work wonders on the feel of a relatively stiff aluminum frame.

[Louis]

I was going to recommend Carl Strong, but going to his web site it looks like he's only doing steel and Ti.

[Louis]

Yes...but.....Aluminum has a rather short fatigue life

Not to be picky, but this is a potentially misleading statement. The fatigue life is function of the stress, which is a function of the amount of material, the geometry and the loads.

Saying that aluminum has a short fatigue life is oversimplifying the situation. Anything will fail quickly if it's thin enough, if the Kt is high enough and/or the loads are high enough, not just AL.

Edit: I do agree that at a given stress level the steel typically used in bike frames will have a longer life than the AL typically used in bike frames.

[christian]

Rock Lobster and Zanc would be the short list for me.

[RedRider]

According to their website, Peg still offers the Love #3.

As a dealer, I was offered "last call" for Love #3 orders a couple of months ago. Dario planned to use up his inventory and not reorder aluminum tubing. It might still be listed on the website but...

[Chris]

Yeah thats what I figured, just didnt want to speak to something I dont have experience with.

When that stops someone around here from opining, I will be impressed.

[Lionel]

As a dealer, I was offered "last call" for Love #3 orders a couple of months ago. Dario planned to use up his inventory and not reorder aluminum tubing. It might still be listed on the website but...

He is not planning to re-order because the XLR8R tubing used in the Love#3 is not produced any more.

[MadRocketSci]

in my view it's not so much the stiffness but how much material is used that determines fatigue life and ride quality. I have a Peg 8:30AM that rides really well....with some spring like steel but the zip of AL. I attribute that to the fact that my frame weighs maybe 1/2 lb less than a comparable steel frame, ie the marcelo, and that the extra material helps reduce high frequency vibration (buzz) and decreases stress in important areas, thus increasing fatigue life. AL bikes get into their reputation when they are made as light as possible, with large diameter and thin walled tubing. Just looking at the old beer can designs it seems obvious that you'd be getting a filling-rattling ride. But if you design without weight as the optimized parameter, you can get quite a good ride with AL with a small weight advantage over steel.

For reference, my peg 8:30AM in 55 weighs somewhere between 3-3.5 lbs. The Love #3 in the same size, weighed at Velotech in Palo Alto without seat post collar, weighed 3 lbs on the dot. Take away another 1/2 lb and you get something very different.

[FlashUNC]

in my view it's not so much the stiffness but how much material is used that determines fatigue life and ride quality. I have a Peg 8:30AM that rides really well....with some spring like steel but the zip of AL. I attribute that to the fact that my frame weighs maybe 1/2 lb less than a comparable steel frame, ie the marcelo, and that the extra material helps reduce high frequency vibration (buzz) and decreases stress in important areas, thus increasing fatigue life. AL bikes get into their reputation when they are made as light as possible, with large diameter and thin walled tubing. Just looking at the old beer can designs it seems obvious that you'd be getting a filling-rattling ride. But if you design without weight as the optimized parameter, you can get quite a good ride with AL with a small weight advantage over steel.

For reference, my peg 8:30AM in 55 weighs somewhere between 3-3.5 lbs. The Love #3 in the same size, weighed at Velotech in Palo Alto without seat post collar, weighed 3 lbs on the dot. Take away another 1/2 lb and you get something very different.

Fwiw, this was my approach with the builder on my next project which is custom aluminum. Ride quality and stiffness first and foremost, weight last. He made clear it'll be lighter than my steel bikes, but will be something I can beat on for years to come.

Its something of a zero sum game, imo. If you build for light weight above all else, other areas -- ride quality, longevity -- are going to suffer.

[chairmandave]

3D Racing deserves a mention whenever custom AL is discussed.

Chris Herting is an aluminum OG going all the way back to the Yeti glory days.
http://mmbhof.org/chris-herting/

<not my bike>
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/uploaded/thumbnails/db_file_img_10712_575xauto.jpg

[Peter P.]

I was also thinking of getting a custom aluminum frame someday also. I had a Cannondale way back in the day. It was fairly stiff and harsh to ride. I like the weight of aluminum, but how can I get one that tends more towards the "less-stiff" side of things? Are there certain aluminum tubesets that are smaller diameter or less stiff than others?

Rock Lobster offers a Team AL Carbon (http://www.rocklobstercycles.com/frames/road/) with carbon seat AND chainstays. That ought to take out some aluminum sting, and the price is silly cheap.

I own a steel Rock Lobster and will tell you you'll have a quality experience if you buy one.

[fogrider]

I have a scandium rock lobster road bike on the workstand...needing a new bottom bracket and cables. I also have an aluminum cross lobster and love the ride. I'm a big fan of how the lobsters ride and feel.

[majorpat]

A Rock Lobster is a killer ride from a man who knows his business. Photo and framebuild credit: Paul Sadoff

[93legendti]

I think Carl Strong does Aluminum...can't go wrong there...

Oops, just checked, looks like steel and ti only. Sorry...

[Lionel]

As I said above go for the Lobster, they rock :)

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14272273953_74e2e50890_b.jpg