Originally Posted by
79pmooney
My point (after that long digression) is that steel, when it breaks, fails in a manner that rarely causes injury (barring non-heat treated nickle-plating and other known no-no's). Aluminum (and carbon fiber) do not share that, Yes, both can be made very well and strong and go a long ways, but as I said before, I ride frames I love until they break. I want them to die gently - for my health.Ben
So you had a series of steel frames and forks that failed, and you've convinced yourself that aluminum is the failure-prone material. I know a guy who convinced himself that eating raw garlic is keeping him from coming down with COVID-19.
cyccommute, who has ridden more miles on more different frames than almost anyone posting here, has pointed out that all his steel frame failures happened without warning and that his few aluminum failures took quite a bit longer to manifest, as one would expect, given that steel is far harder and thus more brittle than aluminum.
I spent over 35 years riding and racing the best steel frames available, but one ride on a good aluminum racing bike was enough to get me to switch. I've kept a couple of steel bikes (a Reynolds 853 bike and a 531 bike) for nostalgia, but I haven't ridden them in 15 years. I love everything about my aluminum bikes, but especially the way they handle on fast descents, with the stiffness of the frame ensuring that the rear wheel tracks the front wheel perfectly. Even my Bianchi Specialissima never handled as well as my aluminum bikes do.
I have to admit that another thing I love about riding aluminum bikes is that they represent yet another confirmation of the benefits of going though life as an open-minded skeptic.
By the way, I do have a good carbon bike, which I bought mostly to see whether carbon frames are as great as the BF hoopla represents them to be. Conclusion: it's okay.