Long Live Aluminum Frames..................!

[GParkes]

My favorite bike is my custom Kirk, second favorite a custom built by myself (I have 15 frames under my belt). However, if I were to get back to road racing full time, I can't see why I would want to race on anything but aluminum. I just refinished and built up an aluminum frame I've had for about 8 years (low miles, scored a generic for my son back then). Rode it today with a carbon Ritchey fork, and a set of 40 MM deep carbon tubulars wheels - Veloflex Vlanderen tires, and the ride was perfect. Stiff, light, and the wheels make you forget you're on aluminum. Oh, and inexpensive too. Makes me think of calling Nate Zukas and ordering something up - almost inspiration to get fit.............

[thirdgenbird]

Put me in the aluminum fan club. I love my Yeti arc-x and lust for a pegoretti team.

[booglebug]

Caad 10 and Zanconato here, both great bikes

[R3awak3n]

AL is easily my favorite material right now. I would totally just have AL bikes and be very happy.

All the "they ride harsh" things are from people that have not been on a modern AL bike. My rock lobster rides better than most steel bikes I ever had if not better, and same with carbon.

Alum is cheap, can be made very light, I am not sure why its not a more popular material.

[avalonracing]

Been riding my aluminum Klein for 20 years. I've ridden it tens of thousands of miles and thrashed it in many races (thrashed not crashed). I can't say it is "smooth" but it is fast on the flats and the climbs and has been damn reliable.

[Spaghetti Legs]

My first road bike that I logged significant miles on was a circa 1990 aluminum Trek 1000. It was probably a little too big for me and I felt like I’d been beaten by a baseball bat after a long ride. I rode it for years (primarily a mountain biker around that time) thinking that was how road bikes were supposed to be. Unfortunately that soured me on aluminum frames. With that being said, fast forward a few years and my race bike was an aluminum Wilier which was and still is (still have it and ride it) a great riding and handling bike.

[coffeecherrypie]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

AL is easily my favorite material right now. I would totally just have AL bikes and be very happy.

All the "they ride harsh" things are from people that have not been on a modern AL bike. My rock lobster rides better than most steel bikes I ever had if not better, and same with carbon.

Alum is cheap, can be made very light, I am not sure why its not a more popular material.

Unfortunately I think it got associated with cheap bikes.

[jtbadge]

Also loving my aluminum Rock Lobster. Main bike for the last 4 years or so. Fast, light, comfortable.

[skiezo]

I had a Carrera AL bike for a few years and it was one of my favs for fast group rides. The ride was stiff but precise and was very responsive. Rode it with 27's in rear and 25's out front. Was a great ride with the CF rear.
Ended up cracking where the CF wishbone/ ST junction.

[El Chaba]

I got this Carrera Drago back in 1996. I consider it to be the best all around road/race bike that I have ever owned. I have steel bikes that are more comfortable for 100 miles, carbon bikes that are lighter, etc, but this one combines all of the high spots in perfect balance.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by coffeecherrypie

Unfortunately I think it got associated with cheap bikes.

Its true. All the lower end models of bikes are alum.

That said, plenty of nice higher end stuff still out there. Rock lobster for example. I love it because its not precious like some carbon/steel and ti bikes. People buy em and ride the crap out of them.

[skiezo]

Doubled up post

[AngryScientist]

aluminum, more than just for beer cans.

Replacing the 8:30 AM (another name inspried by a Zappa tune) in 2006, Pegoretti's Love #3 is an scandium rendering of the Marcelo. Being aluminium, Dario considers the Love #3 to be a mercenary frameset of sorts -- it's a "pure race bike" that "50% of the people want, and 70% of them don't need." The oversized chainstays (30mm) and large diameter main tubes of Columbus XLR8 are custom drawn to Dario's specifications. The tubes are relatively thick-walled, in deference to Dario's concern with the ride quality and longevity of his frames rather than with a mindless quest to shave grams (though, at 1225g in the 54cm frame, we were able to break the UCI's weight limit without breaking a sweat). As usual, the attention to detail is mind blowing. .


Beautiful as it is, the Love #3 is well suited for hard riding and racing. Owners report that, unlike any other alloy frame they have known, the Love #3 has a Marcelo-like ride: smooth, comfortable, predictable on descents and very fast. All exactly what you would expect in a race specific frame.


From his super-human welds and museum quality finish to the frame's aggressive stance everything is a bespoke reflection of the artist's vision. The Love #3 features a unique removable derailleur hanger bolted to oversized, hooded alloy dropouts. It uses an Italian threaded bottom bracket, a 30.0 seatpost and a standard 1 1/8" headset. The Love #3 comes with a Falz fork and is available by special order, only. This means a couple of things: first, expect delivery to take at least 7 to nine months and, second, the odds of one just "showing up" in your size are as near to zero as doesn't matter. If you have made the very sensible decision to own a Love #3 (or any Pegoretti other than a Marcelo or Duende), then place the order or plan on doing without.


Scandium (in this case) is Columbus' superb aluminium alloyed with zinc and magnesium, then "doped" with scandium and zirconium. This improves its weldability and its resistance to heat-induced fatigue. This results in a longer-lived frame since it minimizes the impact of the welding heat on the material. Columbus' XLR8R scandium allows Pegoretti to shave substantial weight: a size 54cm frame will come in at 1225g. Not exactly ethereal, but reasonably light. Columbus also went to great lengths to maximize XLR8R's vibration damping when compared to other aluminum alloys.

[ToonaBP]

My CAAD 9 is patiently waiting on the wall.

[DaveInATX]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

Been riding my aluminum Klein for 20 years. I've ridden it tens of thousands of miles and thrashed it in many races. I can't say it is "smooth" but it is fast on the flats and the climbs and has been damn reliable.

Same here. My 1997 Klein quantum race has been ridden many tens of thousands of miles over the years and it’s still going strong. It has a little patina, but I still enjoy riding it.