Alloy Or Aluminum Bike Frame Lighter

It s possible to build very light and capable bikes out of either aluminum or carbon.

Alloy or aluminum bike frame lighter. For the best bike for your dollar see if an aluminum bike will satisfy your need for speed. Ride quality is more noticeable on road frames than mountain frames with vibrations being damped by carbon more so than aluminum. Mid to high end steel frame bikes can weigh less than 25 lbs while a low end alloy frame bike might weigh 35 lbs. In its raw state aluminum weighs one third as much as steel of the same volume.

Because aluminum isn t quite as strong as steel more material must be used to make the frame strong and durable enough. Titanium has a distinct silver appearance very much the material of the boutique custom frame builder the best titanium is lighter and stiffer than steel with a a spring in its step it s. To make aluminum frames strong enough builders often make the tubes larger and thicker than steel tubes. There s a misconception that steel bike frames are heavy and aluminum frames are light.

Butting means making the aluminum larger and thicker than steel. Aluminum frames are lighter aluminum has about a third of the density of steel. Quality aluminum frames are butted. Different factors like frame size manufacturer components and wheels have a big effect on weight but most aluminum bikes come in at around 18 pounds or lighter while still costing far less than a carbon fiber bike.

A well made alloy frame may weigh less than a steel frame but this is not always the case. It entails adding extra material and this extra material adds on weight and quickly an aluminum bike can weigh as much more or more than a steel bike. Aluminum frames can be as light as or slightly lighter than steel but a department store steel frame may weigh 10 lbs and a dept store aluminum frame may weigh 8. The primary difference between carbon and aluminum comes down to weight and ride quality.

A carbon frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminum equivalent. Not surprising we make bridges out of one and soda cans out of the other. Carbon frames are usually a bit lighter than aluminum up to a pound for mountain frames and up to a half pound on road frames. When it comes to the strength to weight ratio few materials can come close to carbon fiber.

That means that aluminum is lighter by volume. Carbon however rules supreme in this area. And while it s true aluminum is lighter by volume as a metal that property doesn t tell us the whole story.