aluminum frames? -- not a troll

[cannonf00]

Are aluminum frames "still" "bad?" This LBS guy that I am gravitating to (by virtue of geography and I bought my good bike there) will flat out NOT sell me an aluminum frame. This would not be for my main ride. This is a back-up, wet-weather, preeminently affordable yet raceable frame I am looking for. I'm looking for a great deal on a new alu frame for my backup bike. Aside from my good bike, I ride a '98 Raleigh R 500 frame that I want to replace because it feels cumbersome. It has been mostly upgraded to an Ultegra drivetrain, and it still has cheaper Mavic wheels. If I got a good frame I could borrow (hehe) my wife's Rolf Sestrierre wheels if I felt like I "needed" them. LBS guy won't sell me an aluminum frame though. He says they are all too stiff, something bad about the dropouts, and break too easily. Mind you, I just got my wife a
Cannondale CAAD 5 R3000si (used). I just want a good, light frame I can put miles on, race if I feel like it, and not worry about rust, without buying stinking titanium for stinking Ultegra. Thanks much.

[Meerrettich]

Sounds like somebody had a bad experience with an aluminum frame.

For all those people that say titanium is too stiff, go look at a castellano fango - it actually uses aluminum plates as its pivot mechanism, similar to how cannondale scalpels use carbon fiber. My point? Design has FAR more to do with how a bike rides, how strong the bike is, and if the bike feels stiff or not. You can make a whippy aluminum frame or a steel frame that feels harsh. If you're going to be riding it a lot in the rain and nastiness, then either go with steel and make sure you put framesaver in there and deal with any scratches and dings quickly, or get a sturdy aluminum one.

The store I work.. well, worked, I stopped yesterday 'cause I'm going back to school - anyway, we sell tons of cannondale road bikes. If it says anything to you, three of the guys who work there just ordered new bikes (an
R6000, and R5000, and an R2000). One is switching from an R1000, one is switching from a Gunnar steel bike, and one is switching from an Aegis
Carbon bike that was just a bit rich for his blood, I think.

Of the broken frames I've seen in the shop, one was mine (aluminum entry level hardtail, small crack at a fairly nasty looking dropout weld), one was a triathlon bike that was too small, so it had huge amounts of steerer tube sticking out (it was a trainer only bike, so it worked for quite a while like that), a couple older steel frames that rusted through, one new steel frame that pulled apart at the head tube/top tube after a crash, a couple aluminum mountain bikes that were just abused, and one aluminum one that got run over by a car. There are a very few frames out there that seem to break a lot, but they're 100% attributable to bad design, and I personally don't know of any aluminum road bikes on that list.

Get whatever feels best. If you feel a difference between steel and aluminum, and like the steel, then by all means get it. But don't let the salesman decide for you.

[cannonf00]

I thought you were dropping aol. This is the same guy who hates Campy.
Apparently he doesn't sell aluminum, period. He's got every kind of high end bike -- well, no Cannondales or Treks and so forth -- but even though he sells
Serotta, apparently he won't sell an alu Serotta (if they still make one).