Poll: Carbon, Alloy or Bamboo? Which Material For Mountain Bikes?

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by November 15, 2018 2:10 pm16

Ok, imagine this. You’re in the market for a new mountain bike, but rather than simply choosing which wheel size, groupset, or brand you want, you also get the option of any material too.

Yes, some bike available in both alloy and carbon, sometimes steel or alloy, but what if you had more options to choose from?

the bamboo bastard
Wil made a bamboo bike last year, and we’ll never let him forget it.

It’s not likely that you’ll be able to wander into a shop and choose a bamboo full suspension bike, or carbon fibre unicycle, but if you were given that option what would you choose?

Would you like the latest Orange Alpine 6 E but made from titanium? Or how about a Canyon Spectral built from Bamboo? Or even a 3D printed Pole Stamina? We would love to hear what material you want your mountain bikes made from, so please take part in our poll below and feel free to join the discussion in the comments section below.

What Material Would You Choose For A Mountain Bike?

  • Steel (29%, 152 Votes)
  • Aluminum (24%, 128 Votes)
  • Carbon Fibre (21%, 111 Votes)
  • Titanium (16%, 87 Votes)
  • Graphene (4%, 20 Votes)
  • Beryllium (3%, 14 Votes)
  • Bamboo (2%, 9 Votes)
  • Wood (1%, 4 Votes)
  • Magnesium (0%, 2 Votes)
  • Plastic (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 528

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Comments (16)

  1. one_bad_mofo November 15, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    No option for titanium?

  2. singletrackandi November 15, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    Titanium added

  3. Yak November 15, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Um, I hit beryllium by mistake. I trust it’s an awesome material for building bikes from and not something really nasty…

  4. fahzure November 15, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    For the high-end mass market, hybrid construction using a carbon fiber (or graphene/carbon) base structure combined with aluminum or titanium impact plates is probably the future.

  5. uberpod November 15, 2018 at 3:41 pm

    It seems a bit pointless without knowing *why*.
    Choice based on:
    Cost
    Ride quality
    Aesthetics
    Weight
    Environmental friendliness

  6. Mark November 15, 2018 at 3:48 pm

    You are overthinking it uberpod 🙂

  7. andybrad November 15, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    tbh i think alu is hard to beat. (i own a carbon bike)

    all the others are way down the list

  8. curvature November 15, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    As uberpod

    My bikes –

    FS – Carbon – This manufacturer only make carbon frames.
    HT – Aluminium – This manufacturer only make aluminium frames.
    Road – Carbon – This manufacture make both carbon and aluminium but this bike was on offer hence getting the carbon version.

  9. stevemcqueen November 15, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    Carbon fibre for full suspension
    Titanium for hardtail

    … and an understanding bank manager please

  10. Trailrider Jim November 15, 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Aluminium. Light, strong, cheap. Steel is over-rated, carbon is not strong enough.

  11. reinswood November 15, 2018 at 7:00 pm

    I have aluminium, steel, have had carbon dident see any real advantage over the alloy , I voted titanium, have titanium parts on a 12 year old motorcycle as good now as the day they were new, not a hint of corrosion nice and light look good and anyway i would just like a titanium bike.

  12. jackuhoo November 16, 2018 at 5:12 am

    Having completed the transalps MTB race back in 2011 on the Brookes Bamboo Bike I would recommend it even just for the fun of seeing the other competitors disbelief. Great fun and excellent smooth ride. Still riding it today regularly..

  13. desmith475 November 16, 2018 at 7:03 am

    @ Yak Beryllium is an unbelievably nasty element. It’s very toxic because it displaces magnesium from the enzymes that run your body’s chemical reaction, more specifically the enzymes that control DNA replication. It’s more expensive than titanium to boot. Inside a metal tube it should be fine, but as soon as a good rock hits your paint and leaves bare metal, you leave a bit of beryllium dust somehwere.

  14. Mr Agreeable November 16, 2018 at 8:37 am

    No option for unobtainium?

  15. darrenhowe November 16, 2018 at 12:33 pm

    Full Suss: Carbon Fibre. But for everything else, Bamboo, it’s a truly awesome material. And build it yourself, there’s no better feeling than riding a bike made by your own hand.

  16. ninjichor November 17, 2018 at 9:28 am

    What about Allite Super Magnesium?

    If it doesn’t fail at fatigue life, it could be quite appealing.

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