therealsybarite

looking for a new bike and one that seems a good fit and at a reasonable price has an all aluminum frame. at the LBS they told me that's a bad idea (and then proceeded to push a CF bike that's $500 more). he said aluminum frame will not last that long (2 to 5 years max) and it is really tough on the body and should thereby only be used by racers.
the 2 to 5 year thing worries me as i'm hoping for a bike that will last a while. the guy mentioned the alu frame will first lose it's feeling (whatever that means) and eventually cracks will form. is this really true? i realize aluminum is more brittle but would they still be selling them if they broke after 2 years.

right now i have an all steel bike. i do 100-200km rides a couple of times a week. i guess being comfortable on the longer rides is important but i don't think i'll mind feeling the bumps a BIT more. Is the difference between steel and aluminum frames THAT drastic? i've found a lot of posts where people say that yes, they try aluminum and it is WAY to tough and they go back to steel or CF. But then the same people say that they switch to CF bottle holders and they feel the wight saving so i'm not sure if i should take them seriously.

any objective advice from anyone that's done a few longer rides on all aluminum would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

ps.
the bike i'm thinking of is 2006 Motobecane Le Champion SL

msheron

I have never heard that before but I have been known to be wrong a time or two. I think your LBS is full of "bleeeep" ( that last word was censored for the weak at heart ).

Portlandonian

I have had an aluminum bike w/ carbon fork for 3 years that has many miles and has been raced and crashed. It feels fine to me, I have a teammate who had an all aluminum bike for about 6 years that he still rides as his beater.

I recently upgraded and got a Giant TCR carbon bike and it feels smoother. It isn't quite as stiff in sprints but I don't sprint too hard anyway. Aluminum is definitely more harsh, I don't have problems with it but it might affect you more because I'm a junior racer.

Your LBS sounds ****ty, who sells motobecane? Have you tried other shops or tried looking for more steel bikes?

therealsybarite

the LBS wasn't selling the Motobecane

55/Rad

If I were in my 20's (again) I'd be all over aluminum. Light and stiff and certainly, a good frame will last a lot longer than 2-5 years. As for comfort...well, let's just say that I was far more willing to put up with discomfort 20 years ago.

Today, I have an aluminum bike - it's not my pleasure ride but it is the bike I reach for most often as I use it for my 20 mile commutes. It's a great bike but I won't take it out if I plan to go more than 40.

This is only my opinion - that of a 45 year old serious rec rider who can still put up with quite a bit when it comes to comfort, or lack thereof. The pros outweigh the cons.

My suggestion would be to gather as much info as possible and get out for some test rides before you make the ultimate decision.

Oh, and find a different shop to work with - this one is feeding you a pile.

55/Rad

MacMan

Your LBS is full of crap. A badly fitted CF bike - even a top end one - will beat you up way worse than a well fitted Alu bike. Plus, not all Alu is the same. I've done centuries on my E5 and raced the crap out of it and never felt any "harshness". CF is the soup de jour ... tell your LBS to shove it and go find one that knows bikes.

ultraman6970

All depends of the brand thou... but nowadays AL frames are very reliable and super stiff. The problem with AL bikes is that the frame must be passed throug out a process after welding, so that makes a difference between a good AL frame and a Bad AL frame, That explains why some AL frames are so expensive too.

AL isnt just weld as steel... the problem is that just where u welt the material gets too hard so u have to (cant remember the name of the process) basically return all its propierties to the AL frame again. Thats why some frames dont last too much, and that what makes a difference between a De Rosa, Colnago, ridley AL frame and a 80 bucks one, that for sure will last 1 year or 2 at most.

UM

531Aussie

maybe carbon is what you want, but it's likely to cost you more.

I ride both steel and alu -- mostly alu actually, even though I'm really a steel guy

Your bike shop guy was obviously generalizing. If you buy alu there's a slightly higher probability that the bike will be uncomfortable, but alu is getting better and better all the time, and you should be able to have a test ride. I've had 7 alu frames, and 4 of them were comfortable enough (2 fantastic). I've had about 10 steel frames, and 9 of them were comfortable, but this is obviosly just anecdotal.

The only thing I don't like about my steel bikes is having to keep them clean and dry to prevent rust. I like riding through puddles on alu bikes and not worrying about it

As far as busting a frame, it depends on how light the frame is, how heavy you are, and how you ride. If you're over, say, 185lbs, and you ride like a big masher, doing lots of sprint-like efforts out of the saddle, the bike will get stressed heaps. I'm about 190 to 200lbs, I ride like a bit of a masher, and I've managed to crack 2 alu frames in just under 2 years. They weren't super-light frames, but they were cheap. If you're very heavy, you'd be crazy to buy an 1100g Columbus Airplane frame

ultraman6970

I think there is a key question here... how much this dude wants to spend... Im an steel guy but i have used carbon, al and TI aswell... al depends on what the he wants from a bike... he can get a cheappo giant 0cr1 or some like that from CraigList like for 400 bucks maybe even less and die riding it. Or get a super dupper colnago all campy stuff for like 7 grands... so all depends on him now I think.

In my oppinion anything will be fine as long as the store do not **** u off. and U r happy. If u are happy with an scattante go ahead get it. By the way those have nice paint job and better geometry, even look better than some specialized and raleigh models... But always think that if u get something that isnt as classic as an steel bike, it will have a life espectancy maybe short.. I mean all depends too u know. Depends on Lucky... nothing last forever but steel but even steel sometimes fail.

So get anything, use it. If it breakes.. get another one, after all frames are getting cheaper and cheaper everyday but expensive brands always be expensive.

cheg

Has it lost its LOVIN' feeling, Woh-oh-oh?
That's BS. The elasticity of the material DOES NOT CHANGE.

It think your LBS is full of cr@p. Aluminum has a finite fatigue life but it's going to tolerate crashes a lot better than CF frames. I think that's more likely than riding a frame until it fails from fatigue cracks.

I have an aluminum bke that I used to commute on but I never rode it more than 20 miles at a stretch. I did not notice it being uncomfortable. That said, I have a steel bike that is over 30 ears old that I ride several thousand miles per year. If longevity is what you want, steel is a good choice.

briscoelab

That Moto is a great bike! If it fits I wouldn't hesitate.

mcoine

I'll say it again, your lbs is full of 5hit. So all they sell is cf bikes then?

LA_Rider

Find a Cannondale dealer.

curt in denver

Suspicious post

Jake B

I always thought CF had a shorter lifespan than aluminum...by the way, I ride a Trek 2100(Trek's "ZR 9000" aluminum and carbon seat stays) and the ride is awesome! I like it better than the steel bike I rode, but cant compare it to full carbon because I have never ridden one.

Jake

therealsybarite

what the heck do you mean suspicious post?

ewitz

If you do 'do 100-200km rides a couple of times a week' then you are riding at least 10-15000 km a year. If that's the case you probably know the life span of components/frames better than the shop employee. With that type of mileage I would be happy to get 2 to 5 years out of anything.

JBar

I'm 51 and rode 6000 miles in my first year on a Cannondale R1000. Nice bike and a good value. Buy aluminum and spend some money on good shorts.

therealsybarite

i've been road biking for 2 years and have done about 8k both of them. the bike i'm using now i picked up for $100 and somewhat upgraded a couple of parts. i've never ridden an aluminum bike more then around a parking lot so i want to get an opinion from more experienced people before spending $1200 (what is a heck of a lot of money for me) it does sound like i know life span of components/frames better then the guy at the LBS i was talking with but that still isn't much.

big john

There's more to the ride quality than just the frame material. An old Vitus aluminum frame is very soft and even noodley, I have an all steel Tesch that is absolutely brutal-stiff, to the point that I bought a Cannondale because it's more comfortable. I have broken 3 steel frames (not from crashing) and my aluminum Cannondale has about 20k miles without problems. The point is buy what you like.

krazyderek

i have one of each, carbon and Alu from the same company, Alu will always be a bit more cold, you'll feel everything and a bit more of the road vibrations just the nature of the material compared to carbon and how it's layed up.

I don't think you have to change stores, if that's the closest one, do your homework, check prices online, and see what other people paid for the same bikes you're considering. Then go in and ask to test out 2 or 3 of the bikes, one carbon, one alu, etc.... and decide for yourself. Also make sure u get in at least 20-30 mins on the bikes to really get a feel for them. If you're serious about getting one of the bikes in the near future the shop shouldn't have a problem with this.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to take some seat and reach measurements off your current bikes, have them setup the new bikes the same ways so you're comparing apples to apples.

curt in denver

Don't take it personally, Sometimes people post a subject like this to start fights. The aluminum vs carbon vs steel argument is a highly debated one.

zonatandem

They bike shop salesman is full of beans!
Get the bike you want.
Alu will last as long as steel. Alu can be harsher riding than steel, but now most alu bikes have carbon forks, which mitigate some of the road shock through the bars.
Have ridden over a quarter million miles (am 73). Have ridden steel, alu, ti and carbon fiber.
My money, and butt, is on a carbon fiber (tandem and single) . . . my choice, my money, my buttt . . .
Find yourself another bike shop!

voltman

I think the Soloist Team is a decent bike, no?

MrCjolsen

My bike does not have a single ounce of carbon fiber. All aluminum Trek 1000c. It came with a suspension seatpost, and I ditched it because it really didn't make a difference. As far as I'm concerned, it rides just fine.