Will alloy become obsolete for frames?

Been thinking, with carbon frames becoming more popular and now downhill/all mountain carbon frames on the rise, will alloy ones be around for much longer? The cheaper price and longevity must nearly be the main if only attractions to it?

No

yes

Cheaper price
Longevity

Two of my favourite reasons for buying something

Maybe

yes because alloy geometry only works for 26″ which have a best before date of this May

Only the ones with 26″ wheels 😉

Nah…

…some of us still buy steel frames.

For the foreseeable future, a carbon frame will take far longer to build than an alloy or steel frame, that’s before the cost of materials etc.

steel, is alloy?

michaelmcc
Do less thinking and more riding.

Nope. I like that I can hit my alu frame with big rocks and don’t need to buy a new one.

Alloy is pretty cheap and light. I hope is hangs around a bit longer.

michaelmcc
Do less thinking and more riding.

But I do most of my thinking while I’m riding… 😉

My titanium frames are alloy and are BIEKS FOR LIF!1onE!

steel frames are still being built – all depends on the longterm prices of the metal vs the oil to make the plastic

well made alloy frames are good, probably better than cheap carbon ones

Just was reading the other day of a possible shortage of carbon.

It’s used in wind turbine blades and many other industrial uses, never mind F1 and Aerospace.

There is no way there is enough available, not to mention the cost, to replace alloy on bikes.

Aluminium is very plentiful and it’s does not get borked if you clamp it too tight in your bike rack !

I like that I can hit my alu frame with big rocks and don’t need to buy a new one.

I like that I can hit my carbon frame with big rocks and don’t need to buy a new one.

But no, because there are people like Onzadog 😉

Carbon has no soul

But I do most of my thinking while I’m riding…

Me too 🙂

Naaaaa, but unlike steel it’ll be used because it’s cheep whereas steel exists because it’s tough as old boots and a bit different/quirky. Carbon is better in pretty much every way compared to aluminium, except tooling costs, you can buy a road frame and fork off ebay for <£250 and it be every bit as well made as a £2500 frame, try finding a comparably priced aluminum frame and they’re disappointingly dull.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

Naaaaa, but unlike steel it’ll be used because it’s cheep.

Unlike steel? Mostly steel is used because it’s cheap- how many Inbreds and 456s are there rolling around to each Soul or other premium steel frame?

No because carbon supposedly kills feel. I do reckon I get more feedback now I’ve gone back to aluminium bars, less of a dead quality to the ride. They flexed more as well….much more compliance – my new 777s are on par or perhaps a bit stiffer than my old mans carbon havocs.

Giant felt no reason to build the Glory out of carbon btw

Unlike steel? Mostly steel is used because it’s cheap- how many Inbreds and 456s are there rolling around to each Soul or other premium steel frame?

True, but scandals are the same price.

And you see more £1k steel hardtail frames than you do £1k aluminum hardtail frames (or I reckon I do anyway). You can pick steel frames at any price points, because some people want a steel frame. Alu/Carbon seems to be much more about how much money you have to burn.

As for ‘feel’, I reckon that’s more a function of design than the material, I’ve had crap carbon, brilliant aluminium and crap aluminium bars. I’m sure there are better carbon bars than my WCS evocurves, but superlogic’s are £200 more!

Perhaps it’s harder to get good feel out of carbon…or it’s just a different feel and some of us don’t get on with it…..my Syntace Vector Carbons were just to comfortable and dull…..having said that the Carbon Havocs seem pretty good. I still don’t like them quite as much as my 777’s….

I want to try a few more carbon bikes to make my mind up. An SB66c is the next on my list for a test ride.

If I could find a carbon frame that felt right to me (Nomad C and the Mojo’s do not) then I’d be willing to get one….not sure about wheels though (when they become cheaper) as I don’t fancy the idea of checking them for cracks before every ride. Pinch flats, burps or hard landings seem to result in fractures as opposed to dents or flat spots. I don’t like the idea of that.

No because carbon supposedly kills feel.

Just like steel frames go soft.

yes of course it will and water too…

I seriously doubt it, also the term obsolete has a bit too much finality to it, people thought steel was out, but it’s not.

People are focused on a fast moving development that drops last years stuff into oblivion never to be used again.