Originally Posted by Scot Nicol

Magnesium

Imagine a metal with half the density of aluminum, strength better than 6061, and elongation around 10 to 11 percent. I'm describing a magnesium alloy here, currently being tested by Easton. While magnesium is not normally known for its ductility, Easton says the material looks promising with those 10 to 11 percent elongation numbers. Although the modulus is low, in the range of 6MSI, that really shouldn't be an insurmountable problem. Aluminum has a relatively low modulus, but it doesn't mean an aluminum frame can't be built stiff. The same will hold true for magnesium, in fact a lower modulus would be welcome in the eyes of many.

One issue that needs to be addressed with this metal is the extreme problem with corrosion. Leave a magnesium part out in the rain and it will disappear faster than just about anything except unpainted steel. This problem can be overcome with proper surface treatment, like painting or anodization.

One of the intangible benefits of magnesium is that if you need to start a fire for some reason, just scrape some flakes off your dropouts, and light them up. They'll easily burn. For the mini- Hindenburg effect, just add water. The oxygen and hydrogen in the water disassociate, and party down with help from the magnesium. By the way, titanium does the same thing, but it's a little harder to get it started.