Metieval

A 6061 (etc) bike frame (or bike part) is an alloy though. To be precise it is a "6061 aluminum alloy". Thus calling it alloy, or aluminum, or alloy aluminum, or 6061 aluminum, or a 6061 alloy are all correct. You don't want a pure aluminum bike frame!


the following information came from dictionary and Wikipedia. Also having worked in the industry producing 6061, 6063, 6063A, A383 etc, alloy is the correct term. Fe, Si, Cu, Mn, Mg, Cr, Zn etc.... are all parts of aluminum alloys. We mostly produced 383 for 2 huge manufactures for dye cast alloy parts.

Alloy =
al·loynounnoun: alloy; plural noun: alloys/ˈaˌloi/

1. a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion."an alloy of nickel, bronze, and zinc"

verbverb: alloy; 3rd person present: alloys; past tense: alloyed; past participle: alloyed; gerund or present participle: alloying/ˈaˌloi,əˈloi/

1. mix (metals) to make an alloy."alloying tin with copper to make bronze"
   
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   The International Alloy Designation System is the most widely accepted naming scheme for wrought alloys. Each alloy is given a four-digit number, where the first digit indicates the major alloying elements, the second — if different from 0 — indicates a variation of the alloy, and the third and fourth digits identify the specific alloy in the series. For example, in alloy 3105, the number 3 indicates the alloy is in the manganese series, 1 indicates the first modification of alloy 3005, and finally 05 identifies it in the 3000 series.[7]
   
   1000 series are essentially pure aluminium with a minimum 99% aluminium content by weight and can be work hardened. 2000 series are alloyed with copper, can be precipitation hardened to strengths comparable to steel. Formerly referred to as duralumin, they were once the most common aerospace alloys, but were susceptible to stress corrosion cracking and are increasingly replaced by 7000 series in new designs. 3000 series are alloyed with manganese, and can be work hardened. 4000 series are alloyed with silicon. Variations of aluminium-silicon alloys intended for casting (and therefore not included in 4000 series) are also known as silumin. 5000 series are alloyed with magnesium, and offer superb corrosion resistance, making them suitable for marine applications. Also, 5083 alloy has the highest strength of not heat-treated alloys. Most 5000 series alloys include manganese as well. 6000 series are alloyed with magnesium and silicon. They are easy to machine, are weldable, and can be precipitation hardened, but not to the high strengths that 2000 and 7000 can reach. 6061 alloy is one of the most commonly used general-purpose aluminium alloys. 7000 series are alloyed with zinc, and can be precipitation hardened to the highest strengths of any aluminium alloy (ultimate tensile strength up to 700 MPa for the 7068 alloy). Most 7000 series alloys include magnesium and copper as well. 8000 series are alloyed with other elements which are not covered by other series. Aluminium-lithium alloys are an example.
   
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