hookooekoo":2nuqotsd said:
Ebay seems to have a lot of steel-framed 1990s bikes for sale, and not so many aluminium-framed 1990s bikes. What does this mean?
A few possibilities:
1. Alu frames were an emerging technology in a world where steel frame production dominated. Most frame production was not setup for aluminium, and so not many Alu-framed bikes were produced and sold in the 1990s
2. Many of the 1990s Alu frames that were produced and sold did not last as long as steel frames
3. Those who bought Alu-framed bikes tended to be off-road enthusiasts who rode them hard and often (eventually leading to frame failure), whereas many steel framed MTBs spent a lot of time in sheds and garages not being ridden
4. Those who bought/own Alu-framed bikes like them a lot, and rarely put them up for sale
5. Steel-framed bikes sold more because they were generally seen by the buying public as better value for money, or a more reliable, proven, tried and tested, traditional construction method
Hardly any of that applies!
*the following is from the vaults, there are some good frame builders on here that can give you better information but I'll try and do my bestest*
Cannondale had been producing welded almniumuiumm frames from the early 80s, GT and many others from the late 80's. Prior to that it was 'glued & screwed' - lugs with tubing bonded or forced, these processes survived into the 90's with carbon & lugs using similar (Vitus, Alan, Peugeot carbon fibre/ alumnium, 'Pecheny Process' alumnium and Giant 'Cadex' carbon fibre tubed frames)
Claud Butler even had a few imported frames out in the very early 90's let alone all the other big brands such as Scott and Giant
Popular brands like Marin and Kona brought theirs out a little later and as already mentioned,
they would have been more expensive
Later models towards the early 2000's were sold more as jump bikes and dual slalom
Many high end DH models were alumniumnium as well as lightweight XC and higher end bikes such as Klein.
Aluminium was cheap to source and frames were even cheaper to have mass produced abroad but at first, they were only to be found in the higher range of available models.
The bigger tube diameters lent something of the industrial to the 'look' of the still relatively new 'Mountain bike' giving the opportunity for bigger and bolder designs no longer limited to a suppliers specific lugs and braze-ons that kept steel frames looking the same for so long.
There were generally two types of almumniumum used
6000 series - most commonly 6061-T6 (the T6 relates to its post weld heat treatment)
7000 series - most commonly 7005
6000 series needs to be heat treated and any subsequent repairs require a lot of post weld aftercare not usually provided by many places now let alone decades ago. Strong stuff though, plenty of Zaskars about, some about to enter their 4th decade
7000 series is easier to repair, its a mix of rods to get the same finished material
Extruded 7000 series was used early on by Gary Fisher, Manitou and a couple of others. The extrusion process was done incorrectly leaving oversize crystals of aluminium. These crystals would then leave the frame prone to cracks in stress areas such as bottom brackets, seat tubes and most commonly, the head tube. Head tubes can just go ping from a badly inserted headset or even a slightly out of spec headset (we're looking at you, Manitou / Chris King owners).
This would then spell the end for many many frames.
Then theres dents and accident damage; a steel frame can often be repaired whereas with alumnmmnmiummmmum its nowhere near as easy to replace a seat tube or a rear stay etc etc (headtubes aside).
Then then then! There are the early frames themselves, Gary Fisher frames tended to be 1 1/4 headtubes and pressfit BB bearings, Boss were 1 1/4, forks were not as easily sourced as the almost ubiquitous 1 1/8 size that was taking over from the 1"
And as the scene rapidly splintered into the mid 1990's with the downhill scene bringing gnarlier looking bikes and forks, the longer and longer suspension fork would be stuffed into the most innocent of almuniummmmmmmumumum frames quite literally trying to lever the head tube off after a few jumps or (whilst making a warranty claim in the bike shop) ''I was just riding along when....''
So, to sum up: weird sizes, weird materials, miss-use and initial purchase costs