"Jim Flom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:Are aluminum frames "still" "bad?" This LBS guy that I am gravitating to
(by
Quoted message said:virtue of geography and I bought my good bike there) will flat out NOT
sell me
Quoted message said:an aluminum frame. This would not be for my main ride. This is a
back-up,
Quoted message said:wet-weather, preeminently affordable yet raceable frame I am looking for.
I'm
Quoted message said:looking for a great deal on a new alu frame for my backup bike. Aside
from my
Quoted message said:good bike, I ride a '98 Raleigh R 500 frame that I want to replace because
it
Quoted message said:feels cumbersome. It has been mostly upgraded to an Ultegra drivetrain,
and it
Quoted message said:still has cheaper Mavic wheels. If I got a good frame I could borrow
(hehe) my
Quoted message said:wife's Rolf Sestrierre wheels if I felt like I "needed" them. LBS guy
won't
Quoted message said:sell me an aluminum frame though. He says they are all too stiff,
something
Quoted message said:bad about the dropouts, and break too easily. Mind you, I just got my
wife a
Quoted message said:Cannondale CAAD 5 R3000si (used). I just want a good, light frame I can
put
Quoted message said:miles on, race if I feel like it, and not worry about rust, without buying stinking titanium for
stinking Ultegra. Thanks much.
Jim
Sounds like somebody had a bad experience with an aluminum frame.
For all those people that say titanium is too stiff, go look at a castellano fango - it actually
uses aluminum plates as its pivot mechanism, similar to how cannondale scalpels use carbon fiber. My
point? Design has FAR more to do with how a bike rides, how strong the bike is, and if the bike
feels stiff or not. You can make a whippy aluminum frame or a steel frame that feels harsh. If
you're going to be riding it a lot in the rain and nastiness, then either go with steel and make
sure you put framesaver in there and deal with any scratches and dings quickly, or get a sturdy
aluminum one.
The store I work.. well, worked, I stopped yesterday 'cause I'm going back to school - anyway, we
sell tons of cannondale road bikes. If it says anything to you, three of the guys who work there
just ordered new bikes (an R6000, and R5000, and an R2000). One is switching from an R1000, one is
switching from a Gunnar steel bike, and one is switching from an Aegis Carbon bike that was just a
bit rich for his blood, I think.
Of the broken frames I've seen in the shop, one was mine (aluminum entry level hardtail, small crack
at a fairly nasty looking dropout weld), one was a triathlon bike that was too small, so it had huge
amounts of steerer tube sticking out (it was a trainer only bike, so it worked for quite a while
like that), a couple older steel frames that rusted through, one new steel frame that pulled apart
at the head tube/top tube after a crash, a couple aluminum mountain bikes that were just abused, and
one aluminum one that got run over by a car. There are a very few frames out there that seem to
break a lot, but they're 100% attributable to bad design, and I personally don't know of any
aluminum road bikes on that list.
Get whatever feels best. If you feel a difference between steel and aluminum, and like the steel,
then by all means get it. But don't let the salesman decide for you.
Jon Bond
