Steel vs. Aluminium

When it comes to frames...peoples opinions.

Its all personal preference in the end. There's hundreds of both out there to say one is better that the other is pointless.
I've got steel. Never ridden aluminium (not for any reason).

I have both and I find the steel frame far more forgiving in absorbing shocks, etc.,. Both bikes are of a similar set up.

i have aluminium frame - it is less forgiving in absorbing shocks riding on the roads. But it is less daunting to handle than steel. if you ride frequently in london, often you have to pick up the bike and take it up the stairs for example when crossing bridges over canals. it is so much easier.

Yeah, but is that really a consideration: how easy it is to carry a bike up some stairs? And how is that 'daunting' exactly?

All my best riding bikes have been aluminium, but then I'm not some 70kg featherweight, so ymmv.

This is mad, yes aluminium is lighter but not usually by that much. I doubt you're mash weighs much if any less than the dave russell I had.

I own both aluminium and steel, I generally prefer steel for it's nice ride and repairability.

It varies from frame to frame but in the past I'd found aluminium a bit harsher than I wanted but my pista concept is just perfect.

Not all frames and tubes are created equally.

"I generally prefer steel for it's nice ride and repairability."

Loooooool

gotta be real innit

you know that time when you are coming back from asda with lots of shopping in back pack and the last thing you wanna do is carry a bike on your shoulders to cross the canal. would you not find it daunting, especially if you have to do it every evening.

You must be trolling.

really not. just trying to give practical reasons for having alu. but as you say different alu tubes have different weight.

Practical reasons for alu=you want a stiffer and slightly lighter frame for less than carbon or you've fallen in love with a frame that's aluminium.

it is true, had to settle for alu and had to like it, but you know there is this one frame on the tinternet that is alu and carbon it is this Guerciotti. oh would love to have that:

what do you think of it?

There are quite a few frames like that about, the guerciotti is definitely one of the most pretty I've seen.

Are you serious? You'd let something like this determine the material of your bike?? And how heavy do you think steel really is?

Maybe you could think of it as an opportunity to work on your upper-body strength?

They're different! Alu is stiffer and therefore more efficient, often a sharper ride, probably lighter for an 'average' bike. Steel feels more alive, more comfortable, infinitely fixable, very light at the top end. Aesthetically I'd say steel, but others disagree. Have both.

Alu is stiffer

In fact, it is not. Aluminium bicycle frames are stiffer than steel frames because they are thicker. They have to be thicker because Alu is more fragile and brittle and they can afford to be thicker because Alu is lighter. The rigidity is the bonus side effect of a design necessity (to avoid creating bicycle frames which shatter).

especially if you have to do it every evening.

Buy more than one day worth of shopping?

I have steel and alu frames, the weight difference is negligible and in fact my steel dyna tech track is the lightest of the lot.

Steel is real yo!

I had Aluminium MTBs, then got some steel dirtjump bikes, ending with a single speed steel jump bike. That experience turned me onto both steel and riding singlespeed, and I haven't bought an aluminum bike since. And as everyone is pointing out, aluminum does not necessarily equal lighter.

lol @ this thread

pick a frame that fits you, make sure you've got decent-fitting cycling shoes and a saddle that suits. Tyre pressure will have more of an impact on comfort than any perceived 'stiffness' if you're just pootling about town.

anything else is preference for preferences sake, to be honest.

Steel is always better, the old handmade steel frames with lugs are always nicer than these aluminium OTPs that are everywhere

What a load of shit. All of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3LOHltBSM

It's like watching Iddie Izzard, you think something interesting might happen, but it never does..

Bamboo ftw