148 mile ride on an aluminum bike and I'm not in the hospital

[PeterF]

I took part in a ride this past weekend from Boston to Vermont (148 miles). I have heard tales of how distances this long should never be attempted with an aluminum bike. Maybe if it the bike had carbon stays, post, and bar it could be done, but never on a bike with no carbon beyond the fork. I didn't think it could be done, but I finished and I'm not in traction. something must be wrong. I shouldn't still be able to walk after riding a CAAD8 with a Thomson post and standard Ritchey WCS alloy bars that far. What gives?

 

[daveornee]

I took part in a ride this past weekend from Boston to Vermont (148 miles). I have heard tales of how distances this long should never be attempted with an aluminum bike. Maybe if it the bike had carbon stays, post, and bar it could be done, but never on a bike with no carbon beyond the fork. I didn't think it could be done, but I finished and I'm not in traction. something must be wrong. I shouldn't still be able to walk after riding a CAAD8 with a Thomson post and standard Ritchey WCS alloy bars that far. What gives?

my answer: A rider in good shape with a bicycle that can handle the ride.
I hope you weren't the only one riding some non-miracle material.
Maybe if we look around we would find another rider that rode all steel... including the fork.
I have ridden either all steel or all aluminum with a steel fork for over 700,000 miles. I will admit to owning other bicycles that use other materials including a tandem with all titanium except for a steel fork and a titanium touring bicycle with a steel fork + a real Serotta titanium road bicycle with a carbon fiber fork. The total miles on those bicycles adds up to 60,000 miles so less than 10% of my riding on anything other than steel & aluminum.

 

[PeterF]

my answer: A rider in good shape with a bicycle that can handle the ride.
I hope you weren't the only one riding some non-miracle material.
Maybe if we look around we would find another rider that rode all steel... including the fork.
I have ridden either all steel or all aluminum with a steel fork for over 700,000 miles. I will admit to owning other bicycles that use other materials including a tandem with all titanium except for a steel fork and a titanium touring bicycle with a steel fork + a real Serotta titanium road bicycle with a carbon fiber fork. The total miles on those bicycles adds up to 60,000 miles so less than 10% of my riding on anything other than steel & aluminum.

I wasn't the only one on a Cannondale, but lots of other materials too, including steel. The wheels you built helped too. I ran a little less pressure than I normally do (100psi front 105psi rear). I was expecting to at least have a few fillings knocked out by the frame though..

 

[swampy1970]

I think people make too much of an issue over the whole oversized aluminium frames being too stiff blah blah blah....

Try riding a bike with a pair of disk wheels in and then report back on the state of your little "furry plums"

 

[PeterF]

I think people make too much of an issue over the whole oversized aluminium frames being too stiff blah blah blah....

Try riding a bike with a pair of disk wheels in and then report back on the state of your little "furry plums"

All take your word on that

 

[daveornee]

I wasn't the only one on a Cannondale, but lots of other materials too, including steel. The wheels you built helped too. I ran a little less pressure than I normally do (100psi front 105psi rear). I was expecting to at least have a few fillings knocked out by the frame though..

I rode two Cannondales; one road and one touring. I always heard about how unforgiving they were over varying pavements(or lack thereof). I loved the touring and had loads of great rides on the Cannondale road. There were good enough that I wanted a Cannondale tandem when I found out my wife was serious about tandem riding.
I haven't ridden a current Cannondale but I see plenty of them around, including racers who zip by me on their training rides. I am glad to see them.
I don't think I own anything Cannondale except a 25 year old handlebar bag, but I think think they have a great heritage.
Tires and tire pressure are key to a good ride.
I am glad you are liking the wheels... as another Peter would say conventional wheels well built... or something like that.

 

[PeterF]

I rode two Cannondales; one road and one touring. I always heard about how unforgiving they were over varying pavements(or lack thereof). I loved the touring and had loads of great rides on the Cannondale road. There were good enough that I wanted a Cannondale tandem when I found out my wife was serious about tandem riding.
I haven't ridden a current Cannondale but I see plenty of them around, including racers who zip by me on their training rides. I am glad to see them.
I don't think I own anything Cannondale except a 25 year old handlebar bag, but I think think they have a great heritage.
Tires and tire pressure are key to a good ride.
I am glad you are liking the wheels... as another Peter would say conventional wheels well built... or something like that.

I had one of the early cannondales ('87) and that was a fast but harsh ride compared to the lugged steel frames of the time. Currently I have a Pinarello Opera which is steel but very stiff and the Cannondale. The Cannondale is slightly stiffer in the rear and it corners noticeably better, but both bikes ride well. The handbuilts on the Opera make it feel like a cadillac. I also hit my fastest speed of the year on the handbuilts. Rock solid and the 32 non bladed spokes didn't slow me down the way they are supposed to.

 

[alienator]

I took part in a ride this past weekend from Boston to Vermont (148 miles). I have heard tales of how distances this long should never be attempted with an aluminum bike. Maybe if it the bike had carbon stays, post, and bar it could be done, but never on a bike with no carbon beyond the fork. I didn't think it could be done, but I finished and I'm not in traction. something must be wrong. I shouldn't still be able to walk after riding a CAAD8 with a Thomson post and standard Ritchey WCS alloy bars that far. What gives?

Clearly the response of your nervous system is completely fubared. You need to get yourself to either an emergency room or a dealer of steel frames immediately.

Goodluck and Godspeed.

 

[swampy1970]

I had one of the early cannondales ('87) and that was a fast but harsh ride compared to the lugged steel frames of the time. Currently I have a Pinarello Opera which is steel but very stiff and the Cannondale. The Cannondale is slightly stiffer in the rear and it corners noticeably better, but both bikes ride well. The handbuilts on the Opera make it feel like a cadillac. I also hit my fastest speed of the year on the handbuilts. Rock solid and the 32 non bladed spokes didn't slow me down the way they are supposed to.

The riders position and lack of balls slow a rider down more than a set of wheels ever could. If you ever get to where you need more than 60mph or ceramic coating on the side of rims to add more friction to enhance braking THEN start worrying about spoke count in wheels on descents.

 

[PeterF]

Clearly the response of your nervous system is completely fubared. You need to get yourself to either an emergency room or a dealer of steel frames immediately.

Goodluck and Godspeed.

Almost as shocking is the fact that i didn't have several pinch flats by running lower tire pressure...

 

[paulmurphy]

my answer: A rider in good shape with a bicycle that can handle the ride.

I have ridden either all steel or all aluminum with a steel fork for over 700,000 miles.

So Dave, you've done 10,000 miles a year for 70 years!? Pretty good.

 

[gemship]

aluminum a bad touring material choice? According to Sheldon Brown myth busted. Here's a link to what he had to say about frame materials in general. probably nothing that hasn't been covered on this forum. Through my own limited experience I have found the bike factors are tire type,proper inflation, the saddle and frame/fork geometry.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

 

[Powerful Pete]

We all need to get over these misconceptions that a particular frame material automatically equates into a comfortable/harsh/whatever ride. That is baloney.

It all depends with the geometry, how the bike is set up... and of course, your wheels and tire pressure (which are what makes by far the most difference in comfort terms!).

 

[daveornee]

my answer: A rider in good shape with a bicycle that can handle the ride.

I have ridden either all steel or all aluminum with a steel fork for over 700,000 miles.

So Dave, you've done 10,000 miles a year for 70 years!? Pretty good.

You under under estimated my yearly milage by ~ 50% and over estimated my age by a bit.
I lived in California and rode around 15K miles per year.

 

[saintsfan342000]

I did 182 on a CAAD9. People who say "aluminum is harsh" are just plain ignorant. Your experience, my experience, and countless others have proven this stigma wrong, yet many people still buy the stereotype that you can't be comfortable on aluminum.

Sadly, I think LBS's who are trying to make a buck feed this garbage info to uneducated people and convince them carbon is more comfortable, and the myth lives on, and people think frame material, not design & construction, is what counts.

Well done on your ride!

 

[ScienceIsCool]

You under under estimated my yearly milage by ~ 50% and over estimated my age by a bit.
I lived in California and rode around 15K miles per year.

Still... that's 24,000 km per year. Every year. for 47 years. That works out to 16 hours of riding time per week (based on an avg speed of 30 km/hr), every week without fail for half a century. I'm sure you ride a lot, but those numbers are awfully hard to believe. Maybe you overestimated a bit?

John Swanson
www.bikephysics.com

 

[daveornee]

Still... that's 24,000 km per year. Every year. for 47 years. That works out to 16 hours of riding time per week (based on an avg speed of 30 km/hr), every week without fail for half a century. I'm sure you ride a lot, but those numbers are awfully hard to believe. Maybe you overestimated a bit?

John Swanson
www.bikephysics.com

Your math is sound.
I started recording miles at 12 years old.
I have ridden for over 50 years, and logged 15K+ miles per year for 47 of those years.
I turn 62 soon.
The point of my reply to PeterF, the OP, was that riding aluminum (or for that matter steel) many miles requires fitness among other things.

 

[Emp]

Still... that's 24,000 km per year. Every year. for 47 years. That works out to 16 hours of riding time per week (based on an avg speed of 30 km/hr), every week without fail for half a century. I'm sure you ride a lot, but those numbers are awfully hard to believe. Maybe you overestimated a bit?

John Swanson



totally agree....i started to wonder how much mileage do a national rider can do a year compared to u dave....

 

[alienator]

Still... that's 24,000 km per year. Every year. for 47 years. That works out to 16 hours of riding time per week (based on an avg speed of 30 km/hr), every week without fail for half a century. I'm sure you ride a lot, but those numbers are awfully hard to believe. Maybe you overestimated a bit?

John Swanson



totally agree....i started to wonder how much mileage do a national rider can do a year compared to u dave....

This whole doubt thing going on here is stupid. National riders? Who gives a ****. I don't think Dave said that he rides every ride at the intensity of a "national rider" training or racing. Besides, who said that "national" riders are King **** when it comes to piling on mileage, eh?

What's really going on, here, is there are a handful of people with small minds and very little concept of what humans can do; moreover the opinions/views of the doubters are seriously hobbled by their very limited perspective.

National riders my ass.

Remember: just because you can't do it or don't have the motivation or commitment to doing doesn't mean someone else can't or doesn't.

 

[PeterF]

And besides, Dave builds great wheels when he's not out riding.