icepick_trotsky 

I will say that I'm really impressed with how far aluminum has come. The manufacturers haven't just been sitting on their hands as carbon took over the pro peloton. I recently rode a friend's CAAD10, and the ride was really nice. Miles above the older and cheaper Al bikes I've ridden.

gomango

Agreed.

They ride great and are a real value for junior racers with a 105 build.

I've seen some descriptions online of the CAAD12 and it really looks nice as well.

iab

I think Steve was referring to this. Which I also don't understand.

gomango

Simple.

I just don't have the legs to push the capabilities of the frameset.

After multiple knee surgeries I'll leave it to the younger guys at the shop.

FWIW I sold my EPS to a fellow that raced it in the Nature Valley Grand Prix series for two summers.

He did it justice. imho

icepick_trotsky 

This one was the "Black Inc." model w/SRAM Red. Va-va-voom.

gomango

This one?

Fun for sure.

iab

If that is the case, I am way too fat for any bike.

TickDoc

The caad12 is the one that uses hydro forming? Opens up some neat possibilities for frame design.

Steve Whitlatch 

The way you described it made it sound as if you did. Sorry. I thought that maybe all I need is a good cf bike and I can go back to eating donuts.

crank_addict

+1
Admit to enjoying a late model Giant with ALUXX whatever hydroformed tubes. Carbon fork. Have two pairs of mediocre wheels (prepped for cross and other for road) but its childs play climbing with it. Don't know why its not ridden much but really is an amazing bike for the money. The quality and workmanship is near perfect. Probably robot made. Paint and graphics perfect. Joints look perfect and smooth. It is a bit rough after 100+ mile days but I have the stock saddle on plus avg. tires. I'm sure if I changed those two items, it would be a long haul machine.

icepick_trotsky 

The caliper version. I think it's a good looking ride. Pretty classic lines.

Steve Whitlatch 

I went out for the LBS Saturday morning ride two weeks ago. It is a drop ride and it's basically the LBS racing team training ride. The owner was supposed to be there to hang back with me but was unable to make it. So I figured I would give it a shot anyway. I kept up with the pace line for about 2 1/2 miles then we hit the first hill. I watched that perfect pace line pull away from me until they disappeared. Then I turned around and did a solo ride on a route I knew. I would love to be able to blame it on my bike. Lol.

rgver

A Cannondale R900(cf fork), Trek 1200 and 1220, Raleigh Technium 440 and a Giant OCR2(cf fork). All aluminum, all great bikes IMO. Moved on due to size or money issues, not for any dislike of the bike.
No carbon and no titanium.
The rest have been steel. Lemond has cf fork and my viscount had AL fork

pcb 

I kind of followed the market and employers for a while, exclusively steel till '84, Klein/C'dale fat welded aluminum till '90, Trek aluminum and OCLV carbon till '00. I wasn't very happy with how the aluminum frames rode, my warranty claim experience left me doubting whether CF was a sensible lifetime bicycle frame material, and I was falling under the Svengalian spell of Grant Petersen. My first lunchtime ride on an '00 Fuji Roubaix Pro, built with lightweight tig'd Reynolds 853 tubing, was the best ride I had in 15yrs. Everything about it felt "right." Fast, smooth, lively, speed when I needed it, less jarring over rough surfaces. I realized I hadn't felt that way since I last rode the Proteus frame I built at their framebuilding course in '82. So I got rid of all my non-ferrous frames and reconnected with steel. Other than an aluminum Giant Bowery fixed-gear frame I bought for rollers and winter, and which I've never actually ridden yet, it's all steel here.

There's materials and there's craftsmanship and aesthetics. With the advances in aluminum/cf materials and frame design, and with the advent of wider, supple tires, I don't doubt that there are alum/cf frames available today that ride as nicely as my favorite steel frames. But whether it's because I've (even only briefly) filed lugs and brazed steel, or because I've seen carbon bits assembled into frames with only bristle brushes and epoxy, none of the newer non-ferrous frames that might ride as nice fire my neurons, or make me smile, like well-built steel. I don't see the builder's hands at work. I don't think about all the decisions that had to be made about tube types, weight, butting profiles, and geometry, and tire clearance, etc. I don't see the little details that were sweat over. I don't see a brass fill or bilam that took hours to get right, and was put there just because it looks awesome.

1976 DiNucci/Strawberry seat lug:


2013 Chris Bishop seat lug:

crank_addict

OP- What's so important about this anyways?

All aside, you can make any great frame ride like crap with poor wheels and vice versa, a gaspipe ride well with decent handling on good wheel / tire setup.

I would think the question of importance should be where one rides and preferred frame, etc..

A heavier bike with light wheels on the smooth flats doesn't bother me and very acceptable. Get yourself very aero deep on a heavy gaspipe, use low rolling resistant rubber and you might be surprised. For the routes with climbs, of course prefer the lighter weight but torsional stiff. Doesn't matter what frame material.

ncrnelson

I've got 3 bikes, all aluminum. Aluminum is definitely real.

That said, my next bike will probably be steel, aluminum is all I've had since my Gary Fisher mountain bike when I was a kid. I gotta see what all this hype is about.

TickDoc

Just curiosity.

Partly because I wondered if there are any tried-and-true died-in the-wool c&v ers here who have yet to even dabble in anything other than steel.

Partly because I am constantly going between carbon and steel and my mind finds it a confusing thing:

Comfort v speed
sounds v silence
spinup v letdown
climbing v descending
twitchy-ness v solidity
heavy v light
aero v brick
complicated v simple
mechanical v electric
longevity v fragility

I love 'em both, but for very different reasons.

pcb 

I'd say that, depending on how you define the terms, the 5 contrasts below are the only ones that are dependent on materials, at least within the constraints of practicality and safety. CF and steel sound resonance is different, can't build a safe steel frame as light as a safe CF frame, CF will always have more complex construction, CF can be built more aero, and CF will be more fragile.

The others can, realistically, be rendered the same in steel or CF.

brianinc-ville

I've never owned anything other than steel, and I've also never paid more than $150 for a bike -- for myself, anyway. I once paid $500 for an aluminum Breezer Uptown 8 for my wife, but after a few years she figured out that she didn't like the geometry, and is now much happier with a steel Motobecane mixte (price before upgrades: $50).

88prelude

steel (14)
Aluminum (3)
Titanium (0)
Carbon (1)

Started with heavy steel (given to me). My first bike I bought was aluminum as were the next two. Thought I'd try out Carbon- I'd still own it if I wasn't forced to sell it due to moving overseas. Came back to nice quality steel bikes and have appreciated the feel ever since.

Bianchigirll 

I've had Cannondale frames, both the original and the newer 3.0 w/ cantilever dropouts. I never cared for them. They were lightish and accelerated well but I never liked the ride quality.

My first Ti bike was a '99 Bianchi MegaProXL Ti. and while it was a nice bike something about it never felt right to me. I tried different wheels and almost pulled the carbon fork but ended up selling it.

My second Ti bike a '97 MegaTube Ti with a huge "coffin shaped" aerofoil DT and it was a much better feeling bike for me.

I bought a NOS K2 Mainframe 6.0 carbon frame a few years ago a built it up with a mix Chorus and 7spd 600 index RD and never liked the ride. Despoite the frame being the correct size, the saddle to pedal height, saddle to bar reach being correct and very approximate to my Bianchis it always felt funny, like the back end was much lower than the front sort of like the rear had a 650c rim or something. I sol the frame off.

I also had a Trek 1200 rebuilt with some older friction Chorus and it was OK but nothing special so it was passed along. I might try one of these again but I just needed to clean house a bit.