Alu Vs. Steel

Not wishing to kick up too much of a hornets' nest (well maybe a little bit), is steel really that much more 'real' than alu?
And how hardcore is this '5-10 year lifespan' bit?

I've been offered a well priced, well used aluminium track frame? It's got no real dents, though the paint work is scratched to fuckery and I reckon it's seen about 5 years of street/track warfare. Whilst I'm happy to get a respray, am I completely stupid to consider this, since getting a new frame will probably mean shedding one of my others (now on the dreaded "one in, one out" rule)?

http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/3342/whats-the-lifespan-of-your-average-aluminium-frame

Yes alu frames have a fatigue life, no I don't know how long your frame might last.

hm i guess it depends on the build and the tubing used......i had my alloy fort 7005 second hand, the guy worked on it..........i worked on it every day for a year, crashed it twice and then sold it to a guy in warsaw and it still rides like the day it was made......so there....and all of the people on the circuit who have the 7005 frames still ride them .......and they have them for couple years as well.....eveyday usde.....so
the verdict......get what you like:-)

Winston has an old alu Fort I think. Says it has lasted him well.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/dp/0262731541

read that book - it will dispel a few myths.

i had an old pace rc100 from 1991, rode it solidly, got nicked last year, rode the same as day 1, no probs at all.

The whole aluminium thing being short lived stems from the early MTB days when mainstream manufacturers were going over to alu' from steel - For the vast majority of users fatigue was/is never an issue - I would really not worry about it. Lots of steel frames crack too...

If you just want a bike to ride then alu' is fine - aesthetics wise though (if it bothers you) a fat tubed alu frame is fine for an MTB but on a street fixie it's a million miles from the lovely classic svelte steel 'look' that most of us crave.

Thanks for all that.

As ever Sheldon was there with help, but I fancied a bit of first-hand experience.

The main reason I'm interested is 1) it's pretty cheap, and 2) it's a GT track frame, and I really dig that triple-triangle malarky.
But I've never ridden anything alu, and I'm always unsure about well-worn frames: you never know…

i fuckin' love those frames, been lookin' for a 54 for a while now, no luck :(

same here, but all i can ever find are ones for tall people 58-62ish. they are soo nice though.