Steel or Aluminium

[hydorah]

My 64 Penneth worth:

As hard already been stated steel is strong and has good tensile and torsional properties - no surprise to find it's used for springs:-D

This makes it comfy! It also looks cool because it's strength for a given mass means you can have skinny elegant tubes

More advantages are when things go wrong a steel bike can be re-welded or have bent bits simply bent back again...

I love steel!

Aluminium on the other hand is hard but can be brittle Aluminium bikes with no suspension are sometimes criticised for being harsh, but I like this directness especially in a hardtail format

I also like the way you can have giant tube diameters with thin walls at sensible weights with aluminium

You can also mirror polish it Ohh Yaaah!

The big drawback with Aluminium is that if you damage it, fixing it will likely require heat, bend it cold and it'll probably snap, heat it and it will lose it's temper also any welding will necessitate re-heat treating

But Damn I love aluminium too, especially with a set of decent springer forks

I'm about even in my alloy vs iron count

 

[jonnymcenroe]

@ dyna-ti

When you saty steel is easier to repair...
Does this mean a 96' Kona Explosif i'm looking at with what seems to be a top-tube ding from a spun bar/bar end is easy to fix?

Should i buy it?
It's almost mint asides the ding :/ Not THAT big but is barend shaped...


Tube seems to be intact and still true... Will it be ok?!

should be directing this question at one of my best mates who is a talented smithy huh

 

[dyna-ti]

I meant as in its easier to find some to re weld a crack on steel as opposed to alloys.




I've seen a bike with the top half of the top tube sawn off and its been ridden for years, so i reckon it would be fine and ive also spun the bars and dinked a few top tubes over the years,all it is is annoying really,theres not much in the way of structural weakening :?

 

[jonnymcenroe]

I meant as in its easier to find some to re weld a crack on steel as opposed to alloys.




I've seen a bike with the top half of the top tube sawn off and its been ridden for years, so i reckon it would be fine and ive also spun the bars and dinked a few top tubes over the years,all it is is annoying really,theres not much in the way of structural weakening :?

good news indeed... may well have a 96' Explosif avec Judy xc's soon then
If i wann ause my Judy's will need to change the headset as it's a threaded one... bike had AMP F3 xc's on it... Could pick those up too. (know anyone who'd be interested in a pair? short threaeded steerer 1 1/

 

[Tad]

When you saty steel is easier to repair...
Does this mean a 96' Kona Explosif i'm looking at with what seems to be a top-tube ding from a spun bar/bar end is easy to fix?

It's that easy even I can get busy with a blow torch and brazing rod:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=155884

Filling dents with braze is easy enough too.

 

[Anthony]

When you saty steel is easier to repair...
Does this mean a 96' Kona Explosif i'm looking at with what seems to be a top-tube ding from a spun bar/bar end is easy to fix?

Should i buy it? It's almost mint asides the ding :/ Not THAT big but is barend shaped... Tube seems to be intact and still true... Will it be ok?!

You should bear in mind that the Columbus Max top tube gets its strength from being a fat, bi-ovalised shape, enabling it to have an exceptionally thin gauge - 0.7mm at the butts, down to only 0.4mm for the majority of its length. Assuming that the ding was caused by the brake lever, it will be at the point where the metal is exceptionally thin.

Nevertheless, I would say that the tube will not have lost any real structural integrity unless it is actually bent or distorted at that point. If it is a dead straight tube with a smallish dent in it, you are probably ok.

When you say 'repair' it, you won't be able to strengthen it. All you can do is improve it cosmetically and prevent rust from forming.

 

[dyna-ti]

Cannondale make superb frames theyve cracked the alloy frame technology[no pun intended ]


One day ill bump into the odd chap that cuts about on the bike with the sliced through top tube and get a pic for you all to marvel at.
Till then -Think , 24"x2" plant trough :shock:

 

[jonnymcenroe]

When you saty steel is easier to repair...
Does this mean a 96' Kona Explosif i'm looking at with what seems to be a top-tube ding from a spun bar/bar end is easy to fix?

Should i buy it? It's almost mint asides the ding :/ Not THAT big but is barend shaped... Tube seems to be intact and still true... Will it be ok?!

You should bear in mind that the Columbus Max top tube gets its strength from being a fat, bi-ovalised shape, enabling it to have an exceptionally thin gauge - 0.7mm at the butts, down to only 0.4mm for the majority of its length. Assuming that the ding was caused by the brake lever, it will be at the point where the metal is exceptionally thin.

Nevertheless, I would say that the tube will not have lost any real structural integrity unless it is actually bent or distorted at that point. If it is a dead straight tube with a smallish dent in it, you are probably ok.

When you say 'repair' it, you won't be able to strengthen it. All you can do is improve it cosmetically and prevent rust from forming.

Cool thanks, Anthony.

'Tis a big ding but yeah, tube seems straight, it's on the left hand side and is thus hidden by the cable routing when viewed from above; which gives you an indication of its depth. It does have a 'pinch' at either end of the ding at the top and bottom, the centre of the ding is oval with this pinch effect at the extremities. Safe for a 9 stone rider?
Some paint is missing and a wee bit surface rust.
Should i just wet and dry the area to remove rust and seal it again with some laquer and be done with it?
There's another few points on the stays that have slight corrosion...
Same again there or I am I best to strip the whole frame and powdercoat it?
that'd be a lot of work for a coupla small areas of minimal corrosion huh.
I'm only picking it up as a cheap (made cheaper still by the ding) hack, persay, while i finish my builds.

Seem to remember there being some kind of 'plaster-cast' frame-tape available, applied wet then it drys solid? Not immensely kind to the eyes but it does support the tube.

I'm not that heavy however i like to ride hard.

Thanks again for your input folks, apologies for the hi-jack.

 

[FluffyChicken]

The Explosif frame will be fine, I hammer mine every now and again and it's not collapsed and mine has some weird* damage to the top tube.
If you pick up the frame for cheap then nothing to worry about I would say.
Don't be paying the 150+ for a min frame price though












*Can't describe it, most likely either some fool clamped it in a bike vice or dinged it then filled it a bit before respray at Argos or somewhere unfortunately that makes it much harder to tell. But it rides fine and wasn't expensive.

 

[Harryburgundy]

The only aluminium hardtail I had ridden before was a 1999 Stumpjumper M2 that I bought and set up for a friend. He is very pleased with it, but I thought it was terrible - heavy and dead compared to my lighter steel bikes.

:shock: Eh? Oh course these things are subjective but an M2 'heavy and dead'? My experience is that they are fantastic frames. Light enough, comfortable, very fast and lively. Maybe yours had 'gone off'.
I only ride steel now though and prefer it over anything else.