I would consider aluminium for a TT or trail bike, but for any road bike/cx or xc, I'd go for carbon. Also, my alu commuter bike cost more than my car at the time, which was a 1997 Golf mkIII. €1000 for the bike, and €700 for the car.
Neither the one, nor the other. STEEL. Retromodern steel, in fact. (Columbus Gilco and Brain). After having two aluminium alloy frames and a seatpost broken on me, there is no turning back. Shiny Alloy for peripherals and wheels only.
As an 80kg guy that wanted to buy a fatbike for the 20km average speed and the capability of carrying backpacks (my usual load of 5-10kg depending on would I buy grocery or not) when commuting back home from dormitory near University, the 200dollar worth starter all stock one is enough for me. Well atleast enough until graduation and finding a stable enough job during this pandemic. I don't need to be a sophisticated guy that aims for a carbon bike. I just needed a good enough bike.
@@stuvademakaroner9607 then I guess you're even more broke than me if that's what you got. I'm pretty sure I bought an aluminium one and it costed me 200USD if I convert our poor currency to your almighty one.
I'm a realist. I ride fot fun and exercise. I get all that from my old aluminum Cannondale that didn't cost a king's ransom. I'm also cheap and broke. As for that 1 pound or so weight difference, I can do myself a favor by losing about 10 pounds anf come out way ahead!
As I stated in another thread, it's rich that the Bri'ish are getting upset that North Americans don't pronounce the I in aluminium. Except, over here we spell it aluminum. 🤔 Later in the video he told the camera man to "Shu' up." It's "Shut up" thank you very much. 😄
Finally! I knew it all along! I’ve put 12,000 miles on my aluminum road bike and love it. It handles great. It’s just not worth the extra thousand bucks for about a pound and a half. The components make the bike and if you aren’t going to be racing up mountains that little bit isn’t going to make a difference. If we are riding for fitness, maybe heavier is better in the long run.
I know this vid is a year old, but had to offer this. A friend on his Canyon had a simple low-speed crash and snapped his seat stay in half. A few days ago, I was struck by a car while riding my Caad 12. ( Car passed me and then turned across my wheel) I straightened the bars and rode home. I might need some new bar-tape. Even my Hunt Alloy wheels are still straight! If that's not enough, the Caad12 is currently 15.5 lbs! Ultegra mech, rim brake, carbon bars & post. 10,000 miles on it and counting.
great review !. in my opinion the carbon frame is light to ride but "heavy" on the mind (you can imagine while riding, jumping but your mind was worried about cracking). otherwise the aluminum frame is a bit heavy to ride, but "light" on mind...(no worry about anything) 😁 so i choosed aluminum series 7.
@@cloak057 Allez Elite with rim brakes at list price $1,500 USD (no mark up) then I installed a Shimano 105 crankset for about $250. It shifts better than the Specialized crankset, plus I needed a short crank arm anyway. Luckily my local store had one in stock. Looks nice in green.
I have a 10.5 kg aluminum B'twin Triban 3. The one with the carbon fork. I picked it from decathlon about 5-6 years ago for £300 quid and it's still going strong. I've had a reletivly big crash on it and I just picked it up and put the chain back on and used some t-cut on the scratches. I dont race so I don't need a 4-5 grand bike, I ride for fitness so I'm ok with the 8 gears as it puts my body out the comfort zone on the many climbs I have here in Scotland and I can certainly keep up with someone on a much more expensive bike through sheer fitness. Half the reason a lot of cyclist are still overweight in my opinion is that they are trying to make their exercise too easy. If it wasn't for this bike I could never have afforded to get into road riding enjoyably
TRUE STORY ALUM vs CARBON: Father was sent from France for two years to Microsoft in Seattle. Father bought son a Fuji alum gravel type bike w/mech disc brks. They became good customers and son became president of his hi-school cycle club. One day he came to my shop and told me he was in the top 5 in his class racing the local week race at Seward Park. I asked him, that I would like to see his race bike so I can fine tune it and hopefully be in the top 3. I went into shock when he told me he was racing his aluminum gravel FUJI with full fenders and a rear rack!!! His excuse for not being able to podium was that everyone else bikes were expensive, name brand carbon bikes.... I explained to him, that his alum bike is better for racing because its stiff, and all his pedaling forces go into moving forward, where as a carbon frame flexes just a bit giving his aluminum bike an edge. I then told him I will sponsor him if he allowed me to set up his FUJI with Lt/Wt tires & tubes, as he had heavy wire bead city tires. We removed the fenders, and I decided to leave the rear rack on as it helps aerodynamically. As an ex Cat-1 racer I gave him racing advise and told him never to break away unless he sees one or more of the top 3 guys in the break. A week later he came to my shop all excited telling me he WON! And he went on to win the entire Seward Park series along with all the top prizes and cash. And he did it all with an Aluminum bike! The funny part was his Fuji bike with a rack being photographed in front of the podium next to 2nd & 3rd place Pinnerello and Cervelo. Cheers ( :
I love how Ollie is an actual phD in Chemistry! He may not be the fastest presenter but I love how geeky he can be and by far my favourite one. Cheers from Mexico!
Currently ride with an alumunium frame from Mosso taiwan. Mosso 792pro. 7046 alu, frame weight 1,25kg. The Stiffness & Ride quality is spot on. Better choice than Chinese low end carbon frame.
Very true. I shed 100 pounds in the last year. My CAAD10 is more bike than I'd ever need, especially at 18 lb with c24 wheels. That said, I have a hankering for a carbon aero bike with deep section wheels
I have Emonda ALR 5 over 5 years now and I wouldn't change it. Just upgraded to full Ultegra R8000 and new wheels (from racing quattro's to Vision Trimax 35 after just over 15000km)
Very interesting video. I love my aluminium frames Orro Terra G. Have to admit that I didn’t set out to buy an aluminium frame, it just suited my budget and the bike fitted perfectly but now I have had it two years it suit my requirements perfectly.
I'm considering the same bike. What kind of bottom bracket does the aluminum Orro Terra G come with? I can't find that listed anywhere online. I'm hoping it's threaded
Aluminium is not impervious to overtorquing damage, either. And creaks... well, aluminium can and sometimes does seize. Or creak, for that matter. It all depends.
My carbon mtn bike frame (3 yrs old) broke in two places last Oct. I was not even going crazy downhill. I went with Aluminium frame with all upgrade components. So far so good!
Everything still working fine a year later I'm willing to bet!.. I love my carbon components, but they're kinda replaceable, the frame though?...I want that to take a beating and bounce back.. road bikes I'd have a carbon frame gravel too anything else I want 'loominum.
Probably a hairline crack that got worse over time. That’s the problem with carbon, the cracks manifests. Metal alloy doesn’t die to different chemical structure
great video! another valid point regarding weight savings would be if you looked first at losing weight personally instead of buying a lighter bike -- ie if you could lose 3 pounds would be the same as buying a bike that is 3 pounds lighter.
Removing the front wheel before loading into the trunk of a car can also remove a couple of pounds off the lift. I am thinking of how much easier it is to load the Specialized Crossroads 2.0 into our 2010 Prius with the rear seats folded down by first removing its front wheel so only about 29.5lbs to lift, then put the front wheel and tire in with it, vs the 38lbs mountain bike it replaced. So about 6.5lbs lower lifting mass but very noticeably easier to lift off angle. Going poo & pee before riding can remove your GVW while riding by a few pounds. Wearing low mass tight aero clothing can reduce body inducing aero drag by 15% & clothing mass by 50%, improving performance way more than a slightly low mass bike. Aluminum bikes are more durable, more resilient, tougher, fault tolerant, crashworthy, less fragile, more useful, more practical and less expensive than carbon bikes. Aluminum also highly recyclable, where carbon fiber is not!
bmc alr one of the most underrated bike at the moment... Best alloys : Caad 12/Caad 10/Caad 13/Specialized Allez Sprint/Trek Emonda Alr,Bmc Alr and some others :)
Those bikes may be or are built in China in factories that make the same frames for other, "lesser" brands. "Open" frames relate to Al as well as carbon. What it comes down to is what was totally missing from the video: the snobbery of name brands/frame material. Some people like to think because they're paying more for a frame due to brand/material, they're getting a better product. Not the case. I have a Al frame that is high end alloy, heat treated, butted and multi-shaped, smooth welds and built in the same factory using the same methods as some of the "top end" Al bikes you mention. My bike also has a combination of Ultegra and 105 components, not Sora and Claris because I didn't pay the marketing tax of popular brands. Know your frames, not brand. And besides, it seems it always needs repeating...it's not the bike!
You need to get off the USA brand marketing train. The higher price you're paying is not for better products, you're paying for the brand name and their marketing budget
My current and previous bikes were both alloy, and they were, and are, absolutely brilliant. Carbon may be spectacular when it comes to stiffness and lightness, but it comes with an equally spectacular price premium. So while I may give an envious glance from time to time at carbon bikes with their electronic groupsets, I'm more than happy to gut it out on my alloy frames with the Groupset of the People.
Many modern AL frames are electronic compatible. In fact, Cannondale actually sold a CAAD10 Black Inc in 2013 with Ultegra Di2 and Specialized sold an Allez S-Works with Dura Ace Di2 a few years later. You're running 105...excellent groupset that can deliver the goods as well as any of the costlier groupset.
This is why automakers starter using aluminum long before carbon fiber in BMW i3 and i8 as the first examples of carbon fiber in medium volume production automotive vehicles sold worldwide. The aluminum intensive Ford F150 more than 600lbs lower mass than the mostly steel conventional F150 and gets way better fuel economy.
I prefer steel... because, well, probably because I’m a twat as it turns out ... BUT I love the idea of a resurgence in Aluminium, given the tidal wave towards carbon. In saying that, one of my favourite bikes in one of the first Giant CADEX frames. My deal breaker is horizontal top tube. Has to be horizontal.
My steel bike is a hand-me-down from my dad, it's over 20 years old now and the frame is still kicking with regular maintenance and switching worn out parts steel frames are for an eternity compared to some other materials It's not the lightest yes, but the best durability you can find imo.
I used to own a cheapo Reynolds 520 frame and it was awesome. Mind you, it was chromoly (sp?) but still on the steel side of things and it was great. I now ride a Triban (aluminium) and it rides great. I also owned a Chinese no name aluminum frame for a while and it was so harsh I thought alu was like that. Aluminium can be quite comfortable if the frame is done right.
I have a Ridley carbon bike but previously had an aluminium frame which met my needs totally - so this is a good topic ! What worries me about Carbon is recycling ( pardon the pun ) so you are correct -once again a great point ! Maybe you could explore the ecological impact of carbon frames in some future video ?
I love how you backed up absolutely everything 😆👍 I'm happy with my Trek Domane AL5. Yes it weighs 10.4kg, but it handles the UK's destroyed roads beautifully! 32mm tires for the win.
Got the emonda alr5. My first bike. Great machine. Yeah I’ll probably get a ridiculously expensive carbon bike one day. But for now the emonda alr5 suits me just great
@@theRealDavidn I also have a trek alr, that i have built up from the frameset, it have a ultegra groubset, 50mm deep wheels and weighs just 7.5 kg. No need for carbon.
@@StevenHartono ride feel gotta be great on those 5k frames. But I just dont like worrying about rub marks and scratches. All depends on your style of life I guess.
Love my 2017 CAAD12. Got to where it weighs 17.5 lbs with pedals. It's a beast. The frame is a timeless beauty and truly something to admire and marvel at.
I got my 2009 Cannodale CAAD 9, weighs less than 7.5kg with carbon wheels, seat and post. White with red labels, it is a head turner, as it is the last of its kind.
Thank you for this. I bought a Trek Domane AL5 last summer for under $2000 USD and I couldn't be happier. Aluminum frame, 105 groups...it's the bike of the people! The tires are 700x32 and at 70-75 psi it's quite a comfortable ride!
Liking the feel of your bike is #1, price and materials shape geometry #2...the bike you like is the bike you ride!! All the rest is just word theory into a hurricane!!
@@Tendertroll1 I great rode the Emonda in carbon. And I've ridden other carbon bikes over the past few years. Clearly it's a subjective thing, but I just don't like the experience. And I've never heard or read anyone else identify a certain "sound" of metal vs non-metal bikes, but: carbon bikes "sound funny". Plus I think they feel "dead" or "flat". I don't know how else to explain it. When I ride steel - I just feel like I'm more "part of the bike" . I'm not sure I can accurately describe the feelings any more than that. And for the money - it's not worth it to spend maybe 2x the $ to enjoy my ride less. And if money were no option, I'd just have a frame builder make me a steel bike - which they can do for less kg than carbon.
Thanks for this vid Ollie. I was, as you know, in two minds as to which material was best for bike frames but you have swung me over to Aluminium........🤣🤣🤣. Seriously though, from a manufacturers' perspective, Ally frames can be replicated consistently and reliably and with far less staff training. Once the tooling is set up, and the initial operator training, you are good to go. The first frame made on a Monday morning will be as good quality as the last one made on a Friday afternoon. I would not want to pay £8000 for a carbon bike frame that was formed on a Friday afternoon lol. 'cos humans. 😁
Ollie just made a whole video about going 30 “miles” per hour, which I’ll bet doesn’t please the international scientific authorities. If I asked my neighbor to borrow some “aluminium” foil they’d stare at me as if I’d said the temperature in centigrade. Heck, it just took me three tries to get “aluminium” past the spellcheck on my tablet! 😂
It's not actually that simple, though. Though a Danish chemist was the first to successfully produce the metal, it had been named over a decade earlier by a British chemist, who initially referred to it as "alumium" in his early papers, but eventually settled on "aluminum" in his books. And while the IUPAC adopted aluminium as the standard spelling in 1990, it added aluminum as an acceptable variant in 1993.
A superbly produced video. The presenter is so eloquent. It appears as if he is not reading a script....or is he just really clever at making it appear that way.
I have two Trek Alpha Aluminum Bikes; One Road, one mountain. I have been riding them for 20 years. Love 'em. I also have an older Cervelo Soloist Team CSC Aero, last year of the Aluminum frames. Dura ace and also 20ish years old. Keep your Carbon, these are tough through all of my riding, all of my crashing.
An old Italiano here...who LOVES my 2008 Specialized AL/CF Roubaix. As much as Italia beating England tonight! :-) Tonight, all Italian cycling men will be riding a far-softer saddle than Fizik ever built. Oohhh yeaahhh.... Haaa
Nearly all the "for parts" frames sold cheap are carbon. Once it broke, its premium price suddenly vanishes. And I guess most folks don't want to ride a repaired CF frame. Its like buying a written off car that's been repaired: yes it's cheap, but can you trust it?
Carbon repairs, if done properly are even more solid than the original product. It's also so much more sustainable than trashing it, for some potential additional grams. It has been done for years in the nautic industry. Few years back I had a Canyon Strive CF frame fixed on the bottom bracket area. I've been racing it on Mountain of Hell, Enduro races and bike parks for 2 years then sold it. It's still riding strong 6 years later. So yeah; you can trust it, and no you can't fix an aluminium frame the same way.
@@BastienChanot I disagree. While carbon repair is magnificent in its own right, it can't and shouldn't be "more" solid than the original product. Depending on the carbon fiber's original structure, the repair should be of the same exact quality-- nothing more, nothing less. The reason being is if the structure on that surface area you patched is different from the original, there will be an inconsistency in stress distribution and may even weaken the component as a whole.
@@krugz_ I agree, on paper. Now in real life most cabon bikes, or components in general are rated for a 125kg system with aggressive use / acceleration / stress that most of us never reach. And in real life an imperfect - by nature - repair mostly allow for a full use of the component for many additional years; something that can't be said for aluminium. Of course AL has a LOT going for it like recycling that carbon don't. Just saying that it's THAT more important to consider carbon repair before trashing it because that shit is toxic as hell for the environment.
@@wjkkwjkf2980 i have a carbon frame, seatpost, handlebar, and seat, but still prefer aluminium fork. I hear waaaay more carbon fork failure stories than carbon frame failures, and you rarely hear about aluminium fork failures. Before people say that carbon fork failure risk is negligible if you use proper torque specs: yes, using my torque wrench i use proper torque specs on everything but i still prefer aluminium forks.
@Brother Paul define "better". Better at what, strength to weight ratio? I'd rather ride aluminium frames than steel frames. Been riding aluminium frames for 20 years, just a recent convert to carbon.
One crash and it will be gone. My Aluminum Bike weights less than most newer carbon bikes from canyon and a like, it also already survived 3 crashes with cars with only one shift eye being a little bent.
My commuter bike is aluminium, my good bike is carbon. The commuter is also used during the Irish winter in the wet. Works perfectly for me and I love both bikes (Canyon Endurace AL and Canyon Ultimate CF SLX). Big kudos for the aluminium clarification - I should tell my students to listen to the first minute of this video.
My bike may entry level, but 9.97 kg is plenty light for my purposes! Now, I adore hill climbing, but I’m not out to break records other than personal ones, so a good aluminum frame and carbon fork is quite enough for me! I’d probably only upgrade solely to get less jumps in between gears and thus smoother shifting, and even then, to an aluminum bike because I’m no spending the money to get a decent carbon bike.
I am a proud aluminum rider! I’ve crashed more times than I have ever hoped for and broke a lot of parts but the one thing that never failed me is my aluminium frame.
I use aluminum road bike frames. Not a problem for me. They're cheaper too to get. Its the fitness of the rider itself that makes these bikes go at the end of the day. I use a Cannondale CAAD10 road bike. Nice speeds I've been getting recently on it.
Love the way British commentators don't yell at you and are not cheesy like those on US videos. Precise, sensible and witty language without a lot of the US style hyperbole and "yee hahs". A breath of fresh, fragrant, air. Love GCN, smartest bike site eva!
Thanks Ollie...I learned about the fragility of Carbon the hard way ! A woman slammed a door into mine at a coffee shop , and broke the seat stay in 2 places . Yeah...I've had it repaired. It was expensive , and hard to find shops that do this . I've got 3 bikes , and only the one carbon , which I honestly don't ride that often . Peace...Aluminium is cool
Finally somebody explores the hype of carbon fiber bicycles. For your average rider aluminium is the perfect frame material. Steel ( my Breezer Venturi) & titanium also have their place in the world of cycling. For a lot of bike riders it is often a matter of price.
My Cannondale aluminum frame is 25 years old, with a few dents, scratches and gouges it's still going strong. I am utterly convinced the carbon equivalent would fail within the first 10 years
@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene you're right, but I'm not sure why you respond to my message, which was a not so serious correction of the usage of the name 'Aluminum'.
All frames fail with stress and mileage. Two steel and two aluminum bikes I pushed to far (too many miles) failed on the road, fortunately the frame though cracked was able to limp home. Now when a bike has 25,000 miles on it, I retire it, and buy a new one. Carbon I never tested because it is expensive and useless for a recreational rider. ( I ride a thousand miles a month, train intensely, and am a 200 pound body builder highly skilled at cycling, road professionally in the mid 1980s before full time weight lifting ).
Depends on how you treat your bikes. 2003 Aluminum Specialized - I broke it. 2005 Carbon Specialized Roubaix - still have and is now my daughters bike. 2011 Trek Madone 6.5 - still ride it and it has about 50k miles on it. I suppose if I was crashing or getting hit by cars all the time, none would last all that long.
@@vancelray Also depends on rider weight, skill level, strength/power, road conditions, terrain, level of training, whether sprint training is used. 25,000 miles is the most I have a gotten from a frame, aluminum or steel.
I admire this gentleman! The way he speaks is interesting but more intriguing is his interest in facts and the research he puts into achieving this information! I have heard ‘Aluminium’ spoken about, many times and I just thought ‘Aluminum’ was being mispronounced. So, being informed of the correct method to refer to this alloy is most appreciated! I love these videos! I presently own an Aluminum bike and a Carbon Fiber one. I was on the fence because to me, the Aluminium seemed more comfortable, whereas many people said the opposite, Carbon Fiber would be! Carbon seems stiff to me and I don’t know! I rode alloy bikes my whole life. I rode, mostly Aluminium and Titanium. I prefer the Aluminium bikes of today, as a colleague of mine pointed out that today’s technological advancements have created, thinner-walled, more compliant, comfortable Aluminium frames. I agree. My Cannondale R3000 was a beautiful but punishing frame to ride! My Specialized Aluminum frame is more comfortable, 20 years later. Carbon is nice, fast and light but I’m still unconvinced!
Allez Sprint for the win! Saw a video today about what would you build up for 8k to be a good race bike and one of the two specd an Allez Sprint frame, especially if you use rim brakes the weight difference is almost non existent from a carbon disc bike. Also the Sprint geometry is as aggressive as the Venge and is actually stiffer...
The discoverer of Al was Sir Humphry Davys, an Englishman who called it first Alumium and then Aluminum. The scientific establishment of the time chose to rename it to Aluminium. Oersted didn't discover Al, he was the first to figure out how to extract the metal from ore. "The IUPAC has determined either spelling is correct and acceptable. However, the accepted spelling in North America is aluminum, while the accepted spelling just about everywhere else is aluminium." - ThoughtCo
@@stephenwatkins7592 the story is even longer than that! Davy called it "alumium" first (used in an 1808 paper), then changed his mind to "alumine" in a lecture he gave in 1809, which was published in 1810. He created "aluminum" in 1812 but by then, another scientist, who has seen his lecture, had popularised aluminium which was widely accepted as the same naming format as other Davy discoveries like potassium and sodium. What seems to have happened is the use of aluminum went to the US (Webster has it in his first dictionary of 1828) rather than the commonly accepted aluminium. It only actually became a fixed standard in 1990 by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
@@Gobtik and it wouldn't be the only "um" rather than "ium". We have: Fe - Ferrum Sn - Stannum Pb - Plumbum He way have wanted to follow the pattern of those metals.
@@Gobtik Both versions being officially recognized and fully accepted. I'm sure that throws ignorant twits into a tizzy. But both are inferior to ALUMIUM anyway. Shorter = superior.
Top-end aluminium frames: Smooth welds. Tube hydroforming. Sensible appearance (sloping top tube, etc.). Low-end aluminium frames: crude, ugly, obvious welds. Little or no hydroforming. Ugly, awkward overall shape. A hideous wedge, crudely welded under the head tube / down tube junction for extra "support", to compensate for the lack of budget for R&D.
A few examples of quality aluminium bikes: - LiteVille 4-ONE Mk1 - Trek Émonda ALR 5 Disc - KOGA Colmaro - Cannondale TopStone Al - Evans Cycles Pinnacle Arkose The most obvious examples of 💩 aluminium bikes are supermarket bikes.
Being of advanced years and having an engineering background, I couldn't agree more. Thought With the previzo that a top end Carbon bike something special to ride. My oldish Giant TCR is a hybrid is quite stiff and very responsive, while my S-Works Venge McLaren (also oldish now) is so much faster. It just is, and my time trial time proove it. My mtb is aluminum for the reasons you mentioned, and while I suffer a little more on the hills, I have witnessed the durability (reliability) first hand. Excellent explanation by the way.
I agree with this from experience. Try riding a Cannondale CAAD 10/12/13. It's an eye opener. I went from AL to carbon and back to AL. I only do Dura Ace builds, so cost isn't my reason for doing this.
@@Pablo_Coach I rode carbon for eleven years. My last carbon bike, before I switched to AL, was 2011 Felt F1. That bike set me back $12k. I rode CAAD10 and was amazed at how well it performed. In 2013, I was in a bike accident that had me off the bIke for almost a year. Once I was cleared, I had a 2014 CAAD10 frame built like the top level Black Inc model, but with Dura Ace 9000 and Mavic Cosmic SLS wheels. I loved it so much, I bought a second one in 2015. Similar build, but with Hollowgram SiSL2 crankset and Mavic Ultimate wheels. In 2020, I decided to buy a SS Evo HM Dura Ace- a carbon bike. I was not that impressed with disc brakes. It stopped me very well, but so do Dura Ace rim brakes. I live in So. Cal, and I rarely ride in the rain, plus we rarely get it. In fact most cyclists don't ride in the rain. As for descending, there is a technique for that. Or, go with alloy brake track rim brake wheels . Then you won't have an issue. Been doing it for years without issue to my carbon wheels.I sold the SS Evo and am currently building a CAAD12 Black Inc frameset I found NOS. Looking forward to riding it. The SS Evo HM didn't ride that much smoother than my CAAD10s. There was a noticeable difference on rough roads, but not that much. In fact, the CAADs felt more responsive IMO. As a seasoned crit racer, high end modern AL just works for me. High end carbon is exceptional, but most people aren't riding bikes with 5-figure price tags. More often than not, it's riding carbon for the sake of carbon. I race, do century rides, etc. My CAADs deliver and I don't feel any more tired than on carbon. The stigma the industry has given to AL is that it is inferior to carbon. That's just not the case. Most people who start with AL and move to carbon start with entry level bikes. That means.lower quality wheels and tires, plus entry level components elsewhere. Throw some higher end components on an AL frame and the difference is night and day. AL is still a great material.
@@Pablo_Coach Steel needs no intro. A performance steel bike is killer! You won't be disappointed. In 2016, a buddy of mine built a Fairdale Goodship frameset and built it with a Dura Ace 9000 and midlevel wheels. Bike weighed 16 lbs....for steel! The only carbon outside the Dura Ace parts were the Enve fork the frameset came with the seatpost and the midlevel wheels.
Totally agree @fabianbv82. Two out of 5 bikes in my stable are titanium and I love them. One is designed for comfort and is like sitting on silk, the other is an out and out racer and is a joy of dartiness, comfort and power transfer. On two etapes, I left my compatriots on carbon bikes up the climbs and with zipp 303 wheel, aero handlebars and managing my body position on the bike, left them for dead on the descents and flats (managed to hit 96kph/60MPH)!!
From Canada ..and with 2000$ the cannondale topstone 105 was the best bike I could afford..I rode a more expensive bike as well..not much of a difference but also the fact that you become used to road your own bike..I really happy and agree with everything that was mentions in the video! Kudos to you if you have money for a carbon bike …
I have several carbon road bikes but just this week i took my aluminum caad9 out for a road ride because my carbon bikes needed some work. The caad9 has ultegra 11sp now and I was very surprised the bike felt more comfortable than my carbon bikes even despite having a poor set of wheels. Thinking I should upgrade the wheels and sell the carbon bikes.
I prefer aluminium. I am not a racer, i am a heavy American who enjoys recreational riding, touring and commuting by bicycle. I tend to prefer tough long lasting parts over light weight parts, but aluminium is BOTH.
Me too, been real fun as my fork, cassette, chain (of course), and rims/hubs have all worn out this past year, coinciding with the huge jump in prices. At least my frame will probably outlast me.
It depends on the type of bike and its use. I chose carbon super light for climbing road passes. I use aluminium with carbon fork for training on hills. Actually I find the best is steel and carbon fork. I have one for 8.2 kg
@@jamesmedina2062 good point. I actually have a Olmo, all steel, 9 kg max, including the spare tire etc. It behaves perfect in all conditions. I came down the Tourmalet pass at 96 kmh, although I am not one of those searching for adrenaline boost. I think this craze about all carbon will end one day. For one thing if you fall, who can assure the frame is still safe? All in all however, I think a steel frame with carbon fork is the best. yet again, it depends on what one does with the bike: daily commuting? weekend race with friends? solo touring?
@@fabiopunk1661 The steel fork will take bumps in the road better. What road are you on that does not have irregularities? When I was younger and on a mountain bike set up as a commuter bike, I rarely if ever fell. Now that I am older and do stupid things like ride at night, falling is a possibility, no matter how much I prefer it did not happen. I really have no idea how fragile the carbon bikes are but I don't like how sharp they are on the inside. You have no way of tracking flaws that will worsen. (voids) The bottom bracket is a nightmare to align compared to the threaded ones. Last but not least, steel transmits useful information while smoothing it while carbon tends to transmit at the 100% or even amplified level! Still I can survive carbon via the flex in my handlebars and saddle and shoes. But its more jittery compared to steel. Still, a road is a road. Cheers
@@jamesmedina2062 good point you raise, although I must say my all carbon Olmo (Kurva, 8.1 kg)) is stiff yet filters a lot road irregularities, and is very accurate in turns. It is more than 10 yr old now though, so I wonder .... I would not wonder if it was a steel frame!
If you are riding a bike, you are living life well. Doesn't matter if it's aluminium or carbon or steel (or wood, even). Personally, I like steel. It's even more robust in most situations, affordable, gives a good ride, and looks cool (esp with lugs and classic frame geometry!). My bike weighs a whopping 30 pounds. No light weight, for sure. But I go fast enough for my taste, and ride far and have a blast. And that's the point.
@@johnbuchan great choice. 120km and 1500m climbed on mine today at over 30km/h ave. I’m even thinking of chucking on some ultra light wheels, ultegra di2, and a fully integrated aero cockpit next, as an alternative to buying a carbon bike
I have a Ridley race bike, 9 kg, with the best equipment in it, which has to be renovated during the yearr, since I use my bike quite a lot - also for commuting 73 km/day. I had also considered carbon fiber, but with this bike, its more value for money keeping my alu bike and upgrading the equipment.
Carbon for comfort (and efficiency), aluminum for winter bikes. I hate the jarring and dead feel of aluminium, but no galvanic corrosion to components as happens to those same components attached to a carbon frame that came in contact with de-icing salts in winter.
I never really considered Al but after my first crash on Monday and a big chip on the carbon frame where the handle bar hit it... I'm thinking I would prefer a durable metal frame and maybe only a kilo more... Also it's easier to buy Al second hand and know its true condition
A kilo more? Only 400 grams more if all else remains the same. But before you buy a new frame, there should be lots of people that can fix that damage, handlebar to the top tube is so common that for less than $500 top it can be fixed and repainted to match.
Had my first crash 3 weeks ago on an aluminum gravel bike. Scrapes on both me and the handlebars/shifters and a sufficient impact to knock the handlebars crooked, but zero damage to the frame. A carbon frame would probably have survived too - but I'm glad I didn't need to find out.
@@duxripae3826 To be fair, my bike does have a carbon fork and steerer, which I inspected *really* closely after the crash - but with no damage even to the surface finish I'm not too concerned. I think gravel bikes can take a bit more punishment than a lighter road frame.
Haven't tried an alum frame lately, but going from my 2004 Fuji Roubaix (AL) to 2016 Fuji SL (Carbon), was a huge difference in handling, acceleration and comfort. But still have special fondness for my very old Holdsworth 521 frame
Both aluminum and aluminium have a long history of use referring to the metallic element (commonly used as foil to cover food). They both date to the early 19th century, stemming from the word alumina. Aluminum became preferred in the United States and Canada, while aluminium became favored throughout the rest of the English-speaking world. Origins in 'Alumina' Although the substance aluminum (as we say in the U.S.) is the most abundant of all the metallic elements in the Earth's crust, it does not occur in metallic form in nature; instead it exists in compounds found in almost all rocks as well as in plants and animals. The word alumina, which refers to an oxide of aluminum, has been in use since as far back as 1790, but we didn't start referring to the element itself until a few years later. That's when a British chemist named Sir Humphry Davy came on the lexical scene. The following is from his Electrochemical Researches of the Decomposition of the Earths, read before the Royal Society on June 30, 1808: Had I been so fortunate as to have obtained more certain evidences on this subject, and to have procured the metallic substances I was in search of, I should have proposed for them the names silicium, alumium, zirconium, and glucium. That's right: Davy didn't call it by either of the names we use today. He instead used the term alumium (and only in the theoretical), a perfectly reasonable coinage from the Latin alumina with a nice -ium on the end. To '-ium' or Not to '-ium' In some other universe the story of the word ends there. But it seems that Davy had a change of heart-and perhaps right away. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that in a lecture he delivered in 1809 and published in 1810, Davy does not use the term alumium, but refers only to good old alumina as alumine. By 1812, Davy had revised his coinage, opting instead for aluminum. But the previous year another scientist, in a review of another Davy lecture, had coined aluminium, with the nice -ium that was so familiar in potassium and sodium (which, incidentally, Davy had also coined). Noah Webster, in his 1828 An American Dictionary of the English Language, defined aluminum as "The name given to the supposed metallic base of alumina." By the time of the 1909 Webster's New International Dictionary, both aluminum and aluminium were noted at the word's entry, and the following note was included: The word was first proposed by Davy in the form alumium, and changed by him to aluminum; but was finally made aluminium to conform to the analogy of sodium, potassium, etc. The form aluminum is in common use in mining, manufacturing, and the trade in the United States; the form aluminium is used with practical uniformity in Great Britain and generally by chemists in the United States. In the 1934 Webster's Second International Dictionary, aluminium was noted as being "especially British," and the last line of that note had been revised: The form aluminum is in common use in the United States; the form aluminium is used in Great Britain and by some chemists in the United States. The American Chemical Society (ACS) officially adopted aluminum in 1925, but in 1990 The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) accepted aluminium as the international standard. And so we land today: with aluminum used by the English speakers of North America, and aluminium used everywhere else. Wrap your food and protect your head accordingly.
This video was just enough to move me towards purchasing an aluminum bike. I was looking for a gravel bike with some average size wheels. At some point weight seemed to be the main factor between the 2 materials, considering the wheels would anyway absorb most vibrations... There's some very good quality aluminim bikes out there, that are simply more durable, easier to transport, more weatherproof and as good looking as some carbon bikes. I'm very happy with my hydroformed aluminium Bianchi Impulso Allroad, which weighs 9.6kg without pedals. Endurance saddle, redshift stem, 3bars pressure and it rides super smooth on and off road. I could have saved 1kg (maybe less) by spending 1500 more, definitely not worth it. Ah and I can fix it with basic tools in my garage, no need of torque wrenches. Also I can slam it on the bike holder and grab it on my shoulders without thinking I'll crack it...
I had a Klein Rascal aluminum bike (that's 25 years ago) and that was then state of the art and it drove fantastically. Today I have a high-end carbon enduro bike, Mondraker Foxy RR, which I also like very much. But I drove an aluminum bike from Liteville in the spring and that puts everything in the shade. Very clear. The next bike is an aluminum bike.
I road my $1200, 24 pound aluminum Giant Revolt 2 on a 530 mile bike packing trip with a friend of comparable age and fitness as me. He was riding a $3400, 19 pond carbon fiber OBED Boundary. Despite the additional 5 pounds in weight, I never had an issue keeping up on the gravel or the occasional tarmac. Best of all, the $2200 I saved paid for all of my bike-packing gear and expenses for two week long trips that year! 😁
My number 1 reason for aluminum over carbon fiber is... When carbon's stressed beyond it's yield point it can develop internal damage that cannot be seen. Basically microfractures inside the layers of the composite itself. Then when after repeated lower levels of stress and vibration the part fails catastrophically. Aluminum is not only far less likely to fail catastrophically, where carbon it all but guaranteed to. When stressed beyond it's yield point aluminum will show visible signs it's damaged allowing you fix or replace a component before it fails.....Those videos you can find on YT of things like carbon handlebars suddenly snapping in two are 9 times out 10 parts that were damaged in a past crash or mishandling, that showed no outward signs of trouble until they later snapped in two while on a ride. For racers who win or lose is a matter of fractions of a second carbon may be worth it. For me winning is going home at the end of the day uninjured with a working bike, So I have aluminum.
started cycling as my main sport on high-end carbon bikes. Always wanted a retro steel bike so I took some time to build some (battaglin and de rosa) using a mix of modern and vintage parts. The steel bikes are my favorite to ride by a long way. So nice to ride, smooth, stable, silent, planted. Hooked to steel now. Aluminium is a bit lighter but can feel bit like a brick. The only aluminium bike I really liked was a scandium.
All my Cannondales are aluminum: 1998 R200 CAAD 2 with Shimano 600/non STI with Mavic CXP 30 rims and Michelin Dynamic 23 tires. 2000 Super V 400 with Deore XT/LX drivetrain, Avid disc brakes. 2014 Quick 5 hybrid upgraded with Shimano Alivio/Acera drivetrain. 2015 Bad Boy. Upgraded the crankset with Shimano Deore Hollowtech crankset and Alivio drivetrain. I was able to test ride a Cannondale Super Six Evo carbon road bike and was not impressed with carbon. I decided to stick with what I know best. The latest edition to my Cannondale family: 2020 CAAD 13 Ultegra rim brakes with Ultegra 8000 series crankset and Fulcrum wheels4 with Michelin Pro 4 700×23 tires. ALUMINUM IS KING.
Which material do you prefer, carbon or alloy? Let us know in the comments 👇
Yeah both my XC bike and roady are alloy 😁
STEEL (well steel is an ALLOY right?)
I would consider aluminium for a TT or trail bike, but for any road bike/cx or xc, I'd go for carbon.
Also, my alu commuter bike cost more than my car at the time, which was a 1997 Golf mkIII. €1000 for the bike, and €700 for the car.
Neither the one, nor the other.
STEEL.
Retromodern steel, in fact. (Columbus Gilco and Brain).
After having two aluminium alloy frames and a seatpost broken on me, there is no turning back.
Shiny Alloy for peripherals and wheels only.
I think carbon bikes do look better as everything's seamless but for the performance/price ratio definitely aluminium.
The only reason I need: It's cheaper
And the back up reason: I'm broke
I'm so sophisticated that I chose a 40 year old steel frame
I am in the same boat along with being cheap.
As an 80kg guy that wanted to buy a fatbike for the 20km average speed and the capability of carrying backpacks (my usual load of 5-10kg depending on would I buy grocery or not) when commuting back home from dormitory near University, the 200dollar worth starter all stock one is enough for me. Well atleast enough until graduation and finding a stable enough job during this pandemic. I don't need to be a sophisticated guy that aims for a carbon bike. I just needed a good enough bike.
@@stuvademakaroner9607 then I guess you're even more broke than me if that's what you got. I'm pretty sure I bought an aluminium one and it costed me 200USD if I convert our poor currency to your almighty one.
I'm a realist. I ride fot fun and exercise. I get all that from my old aluminum Cannondale that didn't cost a king's ransom. I'm also cheap and broke. As for that 1 pound or so weight difference, I can do myself a favor by losing about 10 pounds anf come out way ahead!
Honestly, the most important part of the video was correcting the pronunciation
Yeah maybe if you're an English Teacher but really most of us don't care.
As I stated in another thread, it's rich that the Bri'ish are getting upset that North Americans don't pronounce the I in aluminium. Except, over here we spell it aluminum. 🤔
Later in the video he told the camera man to "Shu' up." It's "Shut up" thank you very much. 😄
@MRGRUMPY53 Listen again at 0:33
@MRGRUMPY53 it’s aluminum.
@@morganwilliams2863 We beat you in a war, so "English" is ours now.
Finally! I knew it all along! I’ve put 12,000 miles on my aluminum road bike and love it. It handles great. It’s just not worth the extra thousand bucks for about a pound and a half. The components make the bike and if you aren’t going to be racing up mountains that little bit isn’t going to make a difference. If we are riding for fitness, maybe heavier is better in the long run.
@Ferry Gunadi I have both. Actually 3 bikes. And going to buy new bike. Why not? All bikes are sexy😀
Steel is real
@@sirehan1002 for real men!
@@sirehan1002 my long haul trucker will out live me, by a long way
aluminium*
I know this vid is a year old, but had to offer this. A friend on his Canyon had a simple low-speed crash and snapped his seat stay in half. A few days ago, I was struck by a car while riding my Caad 12. ( Car passed me and then turned across my wheel) I straightened the bars and rode home. I might need some new bar-tape. Even my Hunt Alloy wheels are still straight! If that's not enough, the Caad12 is currently 15.5 lbs! Ultegra mech, rim brake, carbon bars & post. 10,000 miles on it and counting.
great review !. in my opinion the carbon frame is light to ride but "heavy" on the mind (you can imagine while riding, jumping but your mind was worried about cracking).
otherwise the aluminum frame is a bit heavy to ride, but "light" on mind...(no worry about anything) 😁
so i choosed aluminum series 7.
Light to ride, heavy on the mind. Perfectly put, thank you!
Just bought a Specialized Allez with rim brakes and Shimano 105. I couldn’t be happier. 🚴♂️😃
Cost?
@@cloak057 Allez Elite with rim brakes at list price $1,500 USD (no mark up) then I installed a Shimano 105 crankset for about $250. It shifts better than the Specialized crankset, plus I needed a short crank arm anyway. Luckily my local store had one in stock. Looks nice in green.
Fortune to you for actually finding one in stock!
🤠i use same exact bike and set up!🤠
My first true road bike and what I still ride is Aluminium. It was about $1400 new and it's super light weight and strong.
Damn! $1400 is a rip off already
I have a 10.5 kg aluminum B'twin Triban 3. The one with the carbon fork. I picked it from decathlon about 5-6 years ago for £300 quid and it's still going strong. I've had a reletivly big crash on it and I just picked it up and put the chain back on and used some t-cut on the scratches. I dont race so I don't need a 4-5 grand bike, I ride for fitness so I'm ok with the 8 gears as it puts my body out the comfort zone on the many climbs I have here in Scotland and I can certainly keep up with someone on a much more expensive bike through sheer fitness. Half the reason a lot of cyclist are still overweight in my opinion is that they are trying to make their exercise too easy. If it wasn't for this bike I could never have afforded to get into road riding enjoyably
You already typed the gbp symbol but British always wrote quid in addition to it as slang
TRUE STORY ALUM vs CARBON: Father was sent from France for two years to Microsoft in Seattle. Father bought son a Fuji alum gravel type bike w/mech disc brks. They became good customers and son became president of his hi-school cycle club. One day he came to my shop and told me he was in the top 5 in his class racing the local week race at Seward Park. I asked him, that I would like to see his race bike so I can fine tune it and hopefully be in the top 3. I went into shock when he told me he was racing his aluminum gravel FUJI with full fenders and a rear rack!!! His excuse for not being able to podium was that everyone else bikes were expensive, name brand carbon bikes.... I explained to him, that his alum bike is better for racing because its stiff, and all his pedaling forces go into moving forward, where as a carbon frame flexes just a bit giving his aluminum bike an edge.
I then told him I will sponsor him if he allowed me to set up his FUJI with Lt/Wt tires & tubes, as he had heavy wire bead city tires. We removed the fenders, and I decided to leave the rear rack on as it helps aerodynamically. As an ex Cat-1 racer I gave him racing advise and told him never to break away unless he sees one or more of the top 3 guys in the break. A week later he came to my shop all excited telling me he WON! And he went on to win the entire Seward Park series along with all the top prizes and cash. And he did it all with an Aluminum bike! The funny part was his Fuji bike with a rack being photographed in front of the podium next to 2nd & 3rd place Pinnerello and Cervelo. Cheers ( :
I love how Ollie is an actual phD in Chemistry! He may not be the fastest presenter but I love how geeky he can be and by far my favourite one. Cheers from Mexico!
I changed the playback speed to 1.5 xso he's just as fast as the fastest.
I bet Ollie is the fastest presenter up a grade. Have you seen videos of him in hill climbing competitions? He's really good.
Currently ride with an alumunium frame from Mosso taiwan. Mosso 792pro. 7046 alu, frame weight 1,25kg. The Stiffness & Ride quality is spot on. Better choice than Chinese low end carbon frame.
He's got a point. You're talking about a 300g difference in frame weight. If I REALLY needed that weight saving, I'd get it off my gut for no cost. 🙄
Very true. I shed 100 pounds in the last year. My CAAD10 is more bike than I'd ever need, especially at 18 lb with c24 wheels. That said, I have a hankering for a carbon aero bike with deep section wheels
the carbon with gutted 300g still wins:)
if you need 300g weight difference, skip dinner,.....
also cyclist used to be quite flexible whit drill,...
Amen!
Carbon still rides less harshly than aluminium.
I have Emonda ALR 5 over 5 years now and I wouldn't change it. Just upgraded to full Ultegra R8000 and new wheels (from racing quattro's to Vision Trimax 35 after just over 15000km)
“ Weight is overrated “ music to my ears!
laughs next to my 80s steelie road bike
You mean 'Overated' as the title screen says? 🤣
GCN: aluminium or carbon?
me with a steel frame bike:
My bike weighs 25kg haha
Me too!!
Built up an 80s 531 frame recently and it's a hair lighter than my alu frame / carbon fork main bike, was gutted and overjoyed at the same time.
Up
Everything said here about aluminum is true of steel.
Very interesting video. I love my aluminium frames Orro Terra G. Have to admit that I didn’t set out to buy an aluminium frame, it just suited my budget and the bike fitted perfectly but now I have had it two years it suit my requirements perfectly.
I'm considering the same bike. What kind of bottom bracket does the aluminum Orro Terra G come with? I can't find that listed anywhere online. I'm hoping it's threaded
Just built a 5.5kg caad10. Let’s go!
Two more things in aluminum’s favor: Carbon is a lot more sensitive to torque spec and damage to over torquing.
And the dreaded carbon creaks.
Expecting for a solo / long hauling rides with no worries of wrong torque number by what my hands do 😂
Yeah. Those effin carbon creeks😒
Aluminium is not impervious to overtorquing damage, either. And creaks... well, aluminium can and sometimes does seize. Or creak, for that matter. It all depends.
@@LeoInterHyenaem but less than carbon
My carbon mtn bike frame (3 yrs old) broke in two places last Oct. I was not even going crazy downhill. I went with Aluminium frame with all upgrade components. So far so good!
Everything still working fine a year later I'm willing to bet!.. I love my carbon components, but they're kinda replaceable, the frame though?...I want that to take a beating and bounce back.. road bikes I'd have a carbon frame gravel too anything else I want 'loominum.
I tried to tell you, stay out of those places!
Probably a hairline crack that got worse over time. That’s the problem with carbon, the cracks manifests. Metal alloy doesn’t die to different chemical structure
great video! another valid point regarding weight savings would be if you looked first at losing weight personally instead of buying a lighter bike -- ie if you could lose 3 pounds would be the same as buying a bike that is 3 pounds lighter.
Removing the front wheel before loading into the trunk of a car can also remove a couple of pounds off the lift. I am thinking of how much easier it is to load the Specialized Crossroads 2.0 into our 2010 Prius with the rear seats folded down by first removing its front wheel so only about 29.5lbs to lift, then put the front wheel and tire in with it, vs the 38lbs mountain bike it replaced. So about 6.5lbs lower lifting mass but very noticeably easier to lift off angle.
Going poo & pee before riding can remove your GVW while riding by a few pounds.
Wearing low mass tight aero clothing can reduce body inducing aero drag by 15% & clothing mass by 50%, improving performance way more than a slightly low mass bike.
Aluminum bikes are more durable, more resilient, tougher, fault tolerant, crashworthy, less fragile, more useful, more practical and less expensive than carbon bikes. Aluminum also highly recyclable, where carbon fiber is not!
bmc alr one of the most underrated bike at the moment...
Best alloys : Caad 12/Caad 10/Caad 13/Specialized Allez Sprint/Trek Emonda Alr,Bmc Alr and some others :)
Also giant tcr slr (can be made below 7kg with pedals and cages)
@@roborovski008 yes aluminium.
Those bikes may be or are built in China in factories that make the same frames for other, "lesser" brands. "Open" frames relate to Al as well as carbon. What it comes down to is what was totally missing from the video: the snobbery of name brands/frame material. Some people like to think because they're paying more for a frame due to brand/material, they're getting a better product. Not the case. I have a Al frame that is high end alloy, heat treated, butted and multi-shaped, smooth welds and built in the same factory using the same methods as some of the "top end" Al bikes you mention. My bike also has a combination of Ultegra and 105 components, not Sora and Claris because I didn't pay the marketing tax of popular brands. Know your frames, not brand. And besides, it seems it always needs repeating...it's not the bike!
You need to get off the USA brand marketing train. The higher price you're paying is not for better products, you're paying for the brand name and their marketing budget
@@esstee9595 what frame do you have?
My current and previous bikes were both alloy, and they were, and are, absolutely brilliant. Carbon may be spectacular when it comes to stiffness and lightness, but it comes with an equally spectacular price premium. So while I may give an envious glance from time to time at carbon bikes with their electronic groupsets, I'm more than happy to gut it out on my alloy frames with the Groupset of the People.
Many modern AL frames are electronic compatible. In fact, Cannondale actually sold a CAAD10 Black Inc in 2013 with Ultegra Di2 and Specialized sold an Allez S-Works with Dura Ace Di2 a few years later. You're running 105...excellent groupset that can deliver the goods as well as any of the costlier groupset.
This is why automakers starter using aluminum long before carbon fiber in BMW i3 and i8 as the first examples of carbon fiber in medium volume production automotive vehicles sold worldwide. The aluminum intensive Ford F150 more than 600lbs lower mass than the mostly steel conventional F150 and gets way better fuel economy.
I prefer steel... because, well, probably because I’m a twat as it turns out ... BUT I love the idea of a resurgence in Aluminium, given the tidal wave towards carbon. In saying that, one of my favourite bikes in one of the first Giant CADEX frames. My deal breaker is horizontal top tube. Has to be horizontal.
Me too, steel is real. Just purchased my steel gravel bike.
Same here, steel gravel bike 😁
My steel bike is a hand-me-down from my dad, it's over 20 years old now and the frame is still kicking
with regular maintenance and switching worn out parts steel frames are for an eternity compared to some other materials
It's not the lightest yes, but the best durability you can find imo.
I used to own a cheapo Reynolds 520 frame and it was awesome. Mind you, it was chromoly (sp?) but still on the steel side of things and it was great. I now ride a Triban (aluminium) and it rides great. I also owned a Chinese no name aluminum frame for a while and it was so harsh I thought alu was like that. Aluminium can be quite comfortable if the frame is done right.
Steel for gravel and my road is a Kenisis Alu disc.... It's all about the metal.
6061, 4Lyfe! As an American I appreciate the explanation of the pronunciation of 'aluminum'. Laughed so hard I almost had to go to 'the' hospital.
I have a Ridley carbon bike but previously had an aluminium frame which met my needs totally - so this is a good topic !
What worries me about Carbon is recycling ( pardon the pun ) so you are correct -once again a great point !
Maybe you could explore the ecological impact of carbon frames in some future video ?
I love how you backed up absolutely everything 😆👍 I'm happy with my Trek Domane AL5. Yes it weighs 10.4kg, but it handles the UK's destroyed roads beautifully! 32mm tires for the win.
Got the emonda alr5. My first bike. Great machine. Yeah I’ll probably get a ridiculously expensive carbon bike one day. But for now the emonda alr5 suits me just great
@@theRealDavidn I also have a trek alr, that i have built up from the frameset, it have a ultegra groubset, 50mm deep wheels and weighs just 7.5 kg.
No need for carbon.
Ditto AL4
10kg 32mm crew reporting in!
Are the roads that bad. I guess traffic volume does it. Some roads like that in NZ too. 32mm tires sound good
Loving my CAAD12, amazing ride quality and ofcourse an amazing looking frame
Agreed! When a frame is as good as the Caad12 who needs carbon!
I love my caad12. Truly an all rounder
Caad13 after having carbon. Won't go back.
Same here. Caad12 after BMC carbon.
I have a caad9. Is it night and day as fast as weight, stiffness and comfort? Caad11 vs 12 vs 13?
If you wanna freak out less, buy Aluminium. Most Al frames are like just less than .5kg heavier...
i always thought it wasnt just about the weight, but instead about the ride feel and vibration dampening properties of carbon...?
@@StevenHartono ride feel gotta be great on those 5k frames. But I just dont like worrying about rub marks and scratches. All depends on your style of life I guess.
Agree. The carbon version of my go-to Al bike is 500g lighter, but costs almost US$1000 more. (Not that you can get either one until summer 2022...)
@@sventice $1000 to save 500 grams? LOL
Love my 2017 CAAD12. Got to where it weighs 17.5 lbs with pedals. It's a beast. The frame is a timeless beauty and truly something to admire and marvel at.
Caad 13 is even better
I got my 2009 Cannodale CAAD 9, weighs less than 7.5kg with carbon wheels, seat and post. White with red labels, it is a head turner, as it is the last of its kind.
Thank you for this. I bought a Trek Domane AL5 last summer for under $2000 USD and I couldn't be happier. Aluminum frame, 105 groups...it's the bike of the people! The tires are 700x32 and at 70-75 psi it's quite a comfortable ride!
I bought the same bike and it is ze bike. You put carbon wheel on that and your flying my friend
Liking the feel of your bike is #1, price and materials shape geometry #2...the bike you like is the bike you ride!! All the rest is just word theory into a hurricane!!
Did you test ride the sl5?
@@Tendertroll1 I great rode the Emonda in carbon. And I've ridden other carbon bikes over the past few years. Clearly it's a subjective thing, but I just don't like the experience. And I've never heard or read anyone else identify a certain "sound" of metal vs non-metal bikes, but: carbon bikes "sound funny". Plus I think they feel "dead" or "flat". I don't know how else to explain it. When I ride steel - I just feel like I'm more "part of the bike" . I'm not sure I can accurately describe the feelings any more than that. And for the money - it's not worth it to spend maybe 2x the $ to enjoy my ride less. And if money were no option, I'd just have a frame builder make me a steel bike - which they can do for less kg than carbon.
@@richardwitt8248 ok thanks for your insight
Thanks for this vid Ollie. I was, as you know, in two minds as to which material was best for bike frames but you have swung me over to Aluminium........🤣🤣🤣. Seriously though, from a manufacturers' perspective, Ally frames can be replicated consistently and reliably and with far less staff training. Once the tooling is set up, and the initial operator training, you are good to go. The first frame made on a Monday morning will be as good quality as the last one made on a Friday afternoon. I would not want to pay £8000 for a carbon bike frame that was formed on a Friday afternoon lol. 'cos humans. 😁
Those are really good points! You should make a post or video!
Love the "Aluminium" clarification at the outset. Game, set, match - Ollie for the win!
He actually does have PhD in chemistry. Never knew!
And clearly not in linguistics.
Incorrect. No game, set or match to begin with. Both are accepted versions officially. Should be ALUMIUM though...it's superior to either.
Ollie just made a whole video about going 30 “miles” per hour, which I’ll bet doesn’t please the international scientific authorities. If I asked my neighbor to borrow some “aluminium” foil they’d stare at me as if I’d said the temperature in centigrade.
Heck, it just took me three tries to get “aluminium” past the spellcheck on my tablet! 😂
It's not actually that simple, though. Though a Danish chemist was the first to successfully produce the metal, it had been named over a decade earlier by a British chemist, who initially referred to it as "alumium" in his early papers, but eventually settled on "aluminum" in his books.
And while the IUPAC adopted aluminium as the standard spelling in 1990, it added aluminum as an acceptable variant in 1993.
A superbly produced video. The presenter is so eloquent. It appears as if he is not reading a script....or is he just really clever at making it appear that way.
The video prompted me to look up ollie’s cv. He does actually hold. PhD in chemistry!
David Nightingale He's a bright boy. If he get's any cleverer, he'll start learning Physics ;)
I have two Trek Alpha Aluminum Bikes; One Road, one mountain. I have been riding them for 20 years. Love 'em. I also have an older Cervelo Soloist Team CSC Aero, last year of the Aluminum frames. Dura ace and also 20ish years old. Keep your Carbon, these are tough through all of my riding, all of my crashing.
An old Italiano here...who LOVES my 2008 Specialized AL/CF Roubaix. As much as Italia beating England tonight! :-)
Tonight, all Italian cycling men will be riding a far-softer saddle than Fizik ever built. Oohhh yeaahhh.... Haaa
The best bike for an average person is an aluminum frame bike with high end drivetrain and carbon wheels and accesories
ALUMINIIIIIUM!!
That's how I like to build mine, at least I don't have to baby the frameset.
I'm not pro .I'm not rich so aluminum better for me.allez sprint going up and down😂👍🏼
Totally agree. I have a raw (rawfied by me) merida ride 400 with ultegra r8000, fullcrum nites and thomson comps. Less than 8 kg
@@brunocyclist that looks like an EDM DJ name
Nearly all the "for parts" frames sold cheap are carbon. Once it broke, its premium price suddenly vanishes. And I guess most folks don't want to ride a repaired CF frame. Its like buying a written off car that's been repaired: yes it's cheap, but can you trust it?
Carbon repairs, if done properly are even more solid than the original product. It's also so much more sustainable than trashing it, for some potential additional grams. It has been done for years in the nautic industry. Few years back I had a Canyon Strive CF frame fixed on the bottom bracket area. I've been racing it on Mountain of Hell, Enduro races and bike parks for 2 years then sold it. It's still riding strong 6 years later. So yeah; you can trust it, and no you can't fix an aluminium frame the same way.
@@BastienChanot I disagree. While carbon repair is magnificent in its own right, it can't and shouldn't be "more" solid than the original product. Depending on the carbon fiber's original structure, the repair should be of the same exact quality-- nothing more, nothing less. The reason being is if the structure on that surface area you patched is different from the original, there will be an inconsistency in stress distribution and may even weaken the component as a whole.
@@BastienChanot carbon is a shit material. Once crashed trash it
@@krugz_ I agree, on paper. Now in real life most cabon bikes, or components in general are rated for a 125kg system with aggressive use / acceleration / stress that most of us never reach. And in real life an imperfect - by nature - repair mostly allow for a full use of the component for many additional years; something that can't be said for aluminium. Of course AL has a LOT going for it like recycling that carbon don't. Just saying that it's THAT more important to consider carbon repair before trashing it because that shit is toxic as hell for the environment.
@@Nivacromcolumbus you should google "carbon repair", that's some work of art
I agree with everything said. Still want carbon.
@@robbiddlecombe8392 just get a carbon fork then
@@wjkkwjkf2980 i have a carbon frame, seatpost, handlebar, and seat, but still prefer aluminium fork. I hear waaaay more carbon fork failure stories than carbon frame failures, and you rarely hear about aluminium fork failures. Before people say that carbon fork failure risk is negligible if you use proper torque specs: yes, using my torque wrench i use proper torque specs on everything but i still prefer aluminium forks.
@Brother Paul define "better". Better at what, strength to weight ratio?
I'd rather ride aluminium frames than steel frames. Been riding aluminium frames for 20 years, just a recent convert to carbon.
@Brother Paul My 1985 Chromoly bike is still working perfectly. Let's see their carbon fiber bike after 35 years.
One crash and it will be gone. My Aluminum Bike weights less than most newer carbon bikes from canyon and a like, it also already survived 3 crashes with cars with only one shift eye being a little bent.
My commuter bike is aluminium, my good bike is carbon. The commuter is also used during the Irish winter in the wet. Works perfectly for me and I love both bikes (Canyon Endurace AL and Canyon Ultimate CF SLX). Big kudos for the aluminium clarification - I should tell my students to listen to the first minute of this video.
My bike may entry level, but 9.97 kg is plenty light for my purposes! Now, I adore hill climbing, but I’m not out to break records other than personal ones, so a good aluminum frame and carbon fork is quite enough for me! I’d probably only upgrade solely to get less jumps in between gears and thus smoother shifting, and even then, to an aluminum bike because I’m no spending the money to get a decent carbon bike.
Love my 2018 Caad12 105 rim with Reynolds AR41’s
Most German speakers abbreviate it to just "Alu", eliminating any pronunciation discussion ;-)
Yah!
How'd you pronounce that?
@@baronvonhoughton a long a then a lu like in Marylu. A-lu
@@baronvonhoughton Flat germanic A like the first A in Abba (the band), "lu" like "lue" in "blue" but a rather short "u".
@New Gamboge "Cola-Dose" for an aluminium bike frame? Well if it's red with white round-ish text ...
I am a proud aluminum rider! I’ve crashed more times than I have ever hoped for and broke a lot of parts but the one thing that never failed me is my aluminium frame.
I use aluminum road bike frames. Not a problem for me. They're cheaper too to get. Its the fitness of the rider itself that makes these bikes go at the end of the day. I use a Cannondale CAAD10 road bike. Nice speeds I've been getting recently on it.
Love the way British commentators don't yell at you and are not cheesy like those on US videos. Precise, sensible and witty language without a lot of the US style hyperbole and "yee hahs". A breath of fresh, fragrant, air. Love GCN, smartest bike site eva!
Thanks Ollie...I learned about the fragility of Carbon the hard way ! A woman slammed a door into mine at a coffee shop , and broke the seat stay in 2 places . Yeah...I've had it repaired. It was expensive , and hard to find shops that do this . I've got 3 bikes , and only the one carbon , which I honestly don't ride that often . Peace...Aluminium is cool
The only reason I'm not getting one.
@@diegoeleazar9154 and a good one. I had no idea
If you give your aluminium bike to second hand it's literally "recycling"
It's just used by someone else until it's broken. Instead of you using it until it's broken. That's not recycling.
@@manuelelzer2310 you wouldn't get it
@@riyanhashemjamy10 true
@@manuelelzer2310 re-Cycling
And a good aluminum bike with last a really long time.
Finally somebody explores the hype of carbon fiber bicycles. For your average rider aluminium is the perfect frame material. Steel ( my Breezer Venturi) & titanium also have their place in the world of cycling. For a lot of bike riders it is often a matter of price.
Well, best of the best bikes are carbon,... if you need it,... for me personaly? Aluminium si good enouth,...
@@marianmarkovic5881 At what price & durability?
My Cannondale aluminum frame is 25 years old, with a few dents, scratches and gouges it's still going strong. I am utterly convinced the carbon equivalent would fail within the first 10 years
Aluminium
@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene you're right, but I'm not sure why you respond to my message, which was a not so serious correction of the usage of the name 'Aluminum'.
All frames fail with stress and mileage. Two steel and two aluminum bikes I pushed to far (too many miles) failed on the road, fortunately the frame though cracked was able to limp home. Now when a bike has 25,000 miles on it, I retire it, and buy a new one. Carbon I never tested because it is expensive and useless for a recreational rider. ( I ride a thousand miles a month, train intensely, and am a 200 pound body builder highly skilled at cycling, road professionally in the mid 1980s before full time weight lifting ).
Depends on how you treat your bikes. 2003 Aluminum Specialized - I broke it. 2005 Carbon Specialized Roubaix - still have and is now my daughters bike. 2011 Trek Madone 6.5 - still ride it and it has about 50k miles on it. I suppose if I was crashing or getting hit by cars all the time, none would last all that long.
@@vancelray Also depends on rider weight, skill level, strength/power, road conditions, terrain, level of training, whether sprint training is used. 25,000 miles is the most I have a gotten from a frame, aluminum or steel.
I admire this gentleman! The way he speaks is interesting but more intriguing is his interest in facts and the research he puts into achieving this information! I have heard ‘Aluminium’ spoken about, many times and I just thought ‘Aluminum’ was being mispronounced. So, being informed of the correct method to refer to this alloy is most appreciated! I love these videos! I presently own an Aluminum bike and a Carbon Fiber one. I was on the fence because to me, the Aluminium seemed more comfortable, whereas many people said the opposite, Carbon Fiber would be! Carbon seems stiff to me and I don’t know! I rode alloy bikes my whole life. I rode, mostly Aluminium and Titanium. I prefer the Aluminium bikes of today, as a colleague of mine pointed out that today’s technological advancements have created, thinner-walled, more compliant, comfortable Aluminium frames. I agree. My Cannondale R3000 was a beautiful but punishing frame to ride! My Specialized Aluminum frame is more comfortable, 20 years later. Carbon is nice, fast and light but I’m still unconvinced!
Allez Sprint for the win! Saw a video today about what would you build up for 8k to be a good race bike and one of the two specd an Allez Sprint frame, especially if you use rim brakes the weight difference is almost non existent from a carbon disc bike. Also the Sprint geometry is as aggressive as the Venge and is actually stiffer...
As a pedant, your opening diatribe was music to my ears! :)
The discoverer of Al was Sir Humphry Davys, an Englishman who called it first Alumium and then Aluminum. The scientific establishment of the time chose to rename it to Aluminium. Oersted didn't discover Al, he was the first to figure out how to extract the metal from ore.
"The IUPAC has determined either spelling is correct and acceptable. However, the accepted spelling in North America is aluminum, while the accepted spelling just about everywhere else is aluminium." - ThoughtCo
@@stephenwatkins7592 the story is even longer than that!
Davy called it "alumium" first (used in an 1808 paper), then changed his mind to "alumine" in a lecture he gave in 1809, which was published in 1810. He created "aluminum" in 1812 but by then, another scientist, who has seen his lecture, had popularised aluminium which was widely accepted as the same naming format as other Davy discoveries like potassium and sodium. What seems to have happened is the use of aluminum went to the US (Webster has it in his first dictionary of 1828) rather than the commonly accepted aluminium. It only actually became a fixed standard in 1990 by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
@@Gobtik and it wouldn't be the only "um" rather than "ium". We have:
Fe - Ferrum
Sn - Stannum
Pb - Plumbum
He way have wanted to follow the pattern of those metals.
@@Gobtik Both versions being officially recognized and fully accepted. I'm sure that throws ignorant twits into a tizzy. But both are inferior to ALUMIUM anyway. Shorter = superior.
@@phnelson033 Let's just call it "Al"
I’m curious to understand “how do I spot top-end aluminium and/or cheap carbon?”
price
@@user-hs2hd7wp9g price ≠ quality
Top-end aluminium frames: Smooth welds. Tube hydroforming. Sensible appearance (sloping top tube, etc.).
Low-end aluminium frames: crude, ugly, obvious welds. Little or no hydroforming. Ugly, awkward overall shape. A hideous wedge, crudely welded under the head tube / down tube junction for extra "support", to compensate for the lack of budget for R&D.
A few examples of quality aluminium bikes:
- LiteVille 4-ONE Mk1
- Trek Émonda ALR 5 Disc
- KOGA Colmaro
- Cannondale TopStone Al
- Evans Cycles Pinnacle Arkose
The most obvious examples of 💩 aluminium bikes are supermarket bikes.
Being of advanced years and having an engineering background, I couldn't agree more. Thought With the previzo that a top end Carbon bike something special to ride. My oldish Giant TCR is a hybrid is quite stiff and very responsive, while my S-Works Venge McLaren (also oldish now) is so much faster. It just is, and my time trial time proove it. My mtb is aluminum for the reasons you mentioned, and while I suffer a little more on the hills, I have witnessed the durability (reliability) first hand. Excellent explanation by the way.
Cannondale’s CAAD10 was a ridiculously nice frame. The handling was telepathic and would put smile on your face.
I have a CAAD 9, handmade from USA handles perfectly downhill N uphill.
I agree with this from experience. Try riding a Cannondale CAAD 10/12/13. It's an eye opener. I went from AL to carbon and back to AL. I only do Dura Ace builds, so cost isn't my reason for doing this.
Why do You went back to alloy frame?
@@Pablo_Coach I rode carbon for eleven years. My last carbon bike, before I switched to AL, was 2011 Felt F1. That bike set me back $12k. I rode CAAD10 and was amazed at how well it performed. In 2013, I was in a bike accident that had me off the bIke for almost a year. Once I was cleared, I had a 2014 CAAD10 frame built like the top level Black Inc model, but with Dura Ace 9000 and Mavic Cosmic SLS wheels. I loved it so much, I bought a second one in 2015. Similar build, but with Hollowgram SiSL2 crankset and Mavic Ultimate wheels. In 2020, I decided to buy a SS Evo HM Dura Ace- a carbon bike. I was not that impressed with disc brakes. It stopped me very well, but so do Dura Ace rim brakes. I live in So. Cal, and I rarely ride in the rain, plus we rarely get it. In fact most cyclists don't ride in the rain. As for descending, there is a technique for that. Or, go with alloy brake track rim brake wheels . Then you won't have an issue.
Been doing it for years without issue to my carbon wheels.I sold the SS Evo and am currently building a CAAD12 Black Inc frameset I found NOS. Looking forward to riding it. The SS Evo HM didn't ride that much smoother than my CAAD10s. There was a noticeable difference on rough roads, but not that much. In fact, the CAADs felt more responsive IMO. As a seasoned crit racer, high end modern AL just works for me. High end carbon is exceptional, but most people aren't riding bikes with 5-figure price tags. More often than not, it's riding carbon for the sake of carbon. I race, do century rides, etc. My CAADs deliver and I don't feel any more tired than on carbon. The stigma the industry has given to AL is that it is inferior to carbon. That's just not the case. Most people who start with AL and move to carbon start with entry level bikes. That means.lower quality wheels and tires, plus entry level components elsewhere. Throw some higher end components on an AL frame and the difference is night and day. AL is still a great material.
@@terbennett thank You for answer, I understand Your reasons. What do You think about steel frames with sporty geometry?
@@Pablo_Coach Steel needs no intro. A performance steel bike is killer! You won't be disappointed. In 2016, a buddy of mine built a Fairdale Goodship frameset and built it with a Dura Ace 9000 and midlevel wheels. Bike weighed 16 lbs....for steel! The only carbon outside the Dura Ace parts were the Enve fork the frameset came with the seatpost and the midlevel wheels.
@@terbennett so You prefer steel over Carbon ?
I would like to see a video comparing carbon vs titanium frames or bikes. And even a ride test and the production process... would be nice!
Totally agree @fabianbv82. Two out of 5 bikes in my stable are titanium and I love them. One is designed for comfort and is like sitting on silk, the other is an out and out racer and is a joy of dartiness, comfort and power transfer.
On two etapes, I left my compatriots on carbon bikes up the climbs and with zipp 303 wheel, aero handlebars and managing my body position on the bike, left them for dead on the descents and flats (managed to hit 96kph/60MPH)!!
@thelesserzdoctor2345 once in my life I will order a customised titanium bike.
@@fabianbv82 buddy, you won’t regret it. There’s a lot to like - even if not quite as aero as a decent carbon frame.
Love my Allez Sprint. Cool pulling up to local Critériums and seeing 5 more, too.
My Allez Sprint has big ol dent in the seatstay. Been crashed several times. The only thing I sweat about is the carbon fork.
@@404nobrakes I’m more scared of the seatpost cracking, the fork can be replaced far easier I’d imagine than a Venge seatpost
From Canada ..and with 2000$ the cannondale topstone 105 was the best bike I could afford..I rode a more expensive bike as well..not much of a difference but also the fact that you become used to road your own bike..I really happy and agree with everything that was mentions in the video! Kudos to you if you have money for a carbon bike …
I own cannondale caad 10. What a great frame and ride quality! I still ride a Reynolds 853 frameset which still prefer.
I have several carbon road bikes but just this week i took my aluminum caad9 out for a road ride because my carbon bikes needed some work. The caad9 has ultegra 11sp now and I was very surprised the bike felt more comfortable than my carbon bikes even despite having a poor set of wheels. Thinking I should upgrade the wheels and sell the carbon bikes.
This is one of the best GCN videos ever.
love my hydroformed al-oooo-minium frame, i get the aero and stiffness of carbon with the durability of alum
Let me guess - emonda Alr 5?
I prefer aluminium. I am not a racer, i am a heavy American who enjoys recreational riding, touring and commuting by bicycle. I tend to prefer tough long lasting parts over light weight parts, but aluminium is BOTH.
I just got a used CAAD 12 with rim brakes and Ultegra groupset and it's an absolute blast to ride. I love this thing!
I go Ti , just gets prettier as it ages
Me too, been real fun as my fork, cassette, chain (of course), and rims/hubs have all worn out this past year, coinciding with the huge jump in prices. At least my frame will probably outlast me.
It depends on the type of bike and its use. I chose carbon super light for climbing road passes. I use aluminium with carbon fork for training on hills.
Actually I find the best is steel and carbon fork. I have one for 8.2 kg
what about steel fork on steel frame?
@@jamesmedina2062 good point. I actually have a Olmo, all steel, 9 kg max, including the spare tire etc. It behaves perfect in all conditions. I came down the Tourmalet pass at 96 kmh, although I am not one of those searching for adrenaline boost. I think this craze about all carbon will end one day. For one thing if you fall, who can assure the frame is still safe? All in all however, I think a steel frame with carbon fork is the best. yet again, it depends on what one does with the bike: daily commuting? weekend race with friends? solo touring?
@@fabiopunk1661 The steel fork will take bumps in the road better. What road are you on that does not have irregularities? When I was younger and on a mountain bike set up as a commuter bike, I rarely if ever fell. Now that I am older and do stupid things like ride at night, falling is a possibility, no matter how much I prefer it did not happen. I really have no idea how fragile the carbon bikes are but I don't like how sharp they are on the inside. You have no way of tracking flaws that will worsen. (voids) The bottom bracket is a nightmare to align compared to the threaded ones. Last but not least, steel transmits useful information while smoothing it while carbon tends to transmit at the 100% or even amplified level! Still I can survive carbon via the flex in my handlebars and saddle and shoes. But its more jittery compared to steel. Still, a road is a road. Cheers
@@fabiopunk1661 I like Olmo bikes. Been close to purchasing a few of them. Nice paint jobs. Seem like quality.
@@jamesmedina2062 good point you raise, although I must say my all carbon Olmo (Kurva, 8.1 kg)) is stiff yet filters a lot road irregularities, and is very accurate in turns. It is more than 10 yr old now though, so I wonder .... I would not wonder if it was a steel frame!
I’ll tell you what, Oli. I’ll ride an aluminium bike when you do 😉
I have 1980 olmo steel frame with moder components....I been riding this road bike for 10 year's...
Never have a problem...
If you are riding a bike, you are living life well. Doesn't matter if it's aluminium or carbon or steel (or wood, even). Personally, I like steel. It's even more robust in most situations, affordable, gives a good ride, and looks cool (esp with lugs and classic frame geometry!). My bike weighs a whopping 30 pounds. No light weight, for sure. But I go fast enough for my taste, and ride far and have a blast. And that's the point.
No matter how many you recommend alloy frame, you'll always love and use carbon frame, same as canyon bike behind you.
I love my Emonda ALR 5 disc with more relaxing geometry, H2 fit ❤️
got the same bike - its fab
Yeah I just bought one as my first road bike. Will keep me for a good while me thinks.
@@johnbuchan great choice. 120km and 1500m climbed on mine today at over 30km/h ave. I’m even thinking of chucking on some ultra light wheels, ultegra di2, and a fully integrated aero cockpit next, as an alternative to buying a carbon bike
Caad12 rim is the best aluminium bike money could buy
I have a Ridley race bike, 9 kg, with the best equipment in it, which has to be renovated during the yearr, since I use my bike quite a lot - also for commuting 73 km/day. I had also considered carbon fiber, but with this bike, its more value for money keeping my alu bike and upgrading the equipment.
Carbon for comfort (and efficiency), aluminum for winter bikes.
I hate the jarring and dead feel of aluminium, but no galvanic corrosion to components as happens to those same components attached to a carbon frame that came in contact with de-icing salts in winter.
I never really considered Al but after my first crash on Monday and a big chip on the carbon frame where the handle bar hit it... I'm thinking I would prefer a durable metal frame and maybe only a kilo more... Also it's easier to buy Al second hand and know its true condition
A kilo more? Only 400 grams more if all else remains the same. But before you buy a new frame, there should be lots of people that can fix that damage, handlebar to the top tube is so common that for less than $500 top it can be fixed and repainted to match.
Had my first crash 3 weeks ago on an aluminum gravel bike. Scrapes on both me and the handlebars/shifters and a sufficient impact to knock the handlebars crooked, but zero damage to the frame. A carbon frame would probably have survived too - but I'm glad I didn't need to find out.
Just buy titanium really
@@trainiax I had a similar crash on my Diverge E5. I’ve been paranoid about unseen damage to the carbon steerer post ever since 😬
@@duxripae3826 To be fair, my bike does have a carbon fork and steerer, which I inspected *really* closely after the crash - but with no damage even to the surface finish I'm not too concerned. I think gravel bikes can take a bit more punishment than a lighter road frame.
Haven't tried an alum frame lately, but going from my 2004 Fuji Roubaix (AL) to 2016 Fuji SL (Carbon), was a huge difference in handling, acceleration and comfort. But still have special fondness for my very old Holdsworth 521 frame
Both aluminum and aluminium have a long history of use referring to the metallic element (commonly used as foil to cover food). They both date to the early 19th century, stemming from the word alumina. Aluminum became preferred in the United States and Canada, while aluminium became favored throughout the rest of the English-speaking world.
Origins in 'Alumina'
Although the substance aluminum (as we say in the U.S.) is the most abundant of all the metallic elements in the Earth's crust, it does not occur in metallic form in nature; instead it exists in compounds found in almost all rocks as well as in plants and animals. The word alumina, which refers to an oxide of aluminum, has been in use since as far back as 1790, but we didn't start referring to the element itself until a few years later. That's when a British chemist named Sir Humphry Davy came on the lexical scene. The following is from his Electrochemical Researches of the Decomposition of the Earths, read before the Royal Society on June 30, 1808:
Had I been so fortunate as to have obtained more certain evidences on this subject, and to have procured the metallic substances I was in search of, I should have proposed for them the names silicium, alumium, zirconium, and glucium.
That's right: Davy didn't call it by either of the names we use today. He instead used the term alumium (and only in the theoretical), a perfectly reasonable coinage from the Latin alumina with a nice -ium on the end.
To '-ium' or Not to '-ium'
In some other universe the story of the word ends there. But it seems that Davy had a change of heart-and perhaps right away. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that in a lecture he delivered in 1809 and published in 1810, Davy does not use the term alumium, but refers only to good old alumina as alumine. By 1812, Davy had revised his coinage, opting instead for aluminum. But the previous year another scientist, in a review of another Davy lecture, had coined aluminium, with the nice -ium that was so familiar in potassium and sodium (which, incidentally, Davy had also coined).
Noah Webster, in his 1828 An American Dictionary of the English Language, defined aluminum as "The name given to the supposed metallic base of alumina." By the time of the 1909 Webster's New International Dictionary, both aluminum and aluminium were noted at the word's entry, and the following note was included:
The word was first proposed by Davy in the form alumium, and changed by him to aluminum; but was finally made aluminium to conform to the analogy of sodium, potassium, etc. The form aluminum is in common use in mining, manufacturing, and the trade in the United States; the form aluminium is used with practical uniformity in Great Britain and generally by chemists in the United States.
In the 1934 Webster's Second International Dictionary, aluminium was noted as being "especially British," and the last line of that note had been revised:
The form aluminum is in common use in the United States; the form aluminium is used in Great Britain and by some chemists in the United States.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) officially adopted aluminum in 1925, but in 1990 The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) accepted aluminium as the international standard.
And so we land today: with aluminum used by the English speakers of North America, and aluminium used everywhere else. Wrap your food and protect your head accordingly.
7.07 and 9.30 minutes is my new bike in that colourway with flat bars, delivery August 15th. Can't wait.
This video was just enough to move me towards purchasing an aluminum bike. I was looking for a gravel bike with some average size wheels. At some point weight seemed to be the main factor between the 2 materials, considering the wheels would anyway absorb most vibrations... There's some very good quality aluminim bikes out there, that are simply more durable, easier to transport, more weatherproof and as good looking as some carbon bikes. I'm very happy with my hydroformed aluminium Bianchi Impulso Allroad, which weighs 9.6kg without pedals. Endurance saddle, redshift stem, 3bars pressure and it rides super smooth on and off road. I could have saved 1kg (maybe less) by spending 1500 more, definitely not worth it. Ah and I can fix it with basic tools in my garage, no need of torque wrenches. Also I can slam it on the bike holder and grab it on my shoulders without thinking I'll crack it...
Hahaha that cut to Ollie in a lab coat got me
That rant at the beginning was amazing 👏
Don't encourage him 😂
honestly suprised at how few americans are trying to rebut that 😂😂
🤣
Because he's wrong, and it's a pointless, childish stance to take to begin with -- when both versions are officially recognized?
@@TheLowman9 www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/aluminum-vs-aluminium
0:39 We call them magnesium and natrium, as they were originally named.
I had a Klein Rascal aluminum bike (that's 25 years ago) and that was then state of the art and it drove fantastically. Today I have a high-end carbon enduro bike, Mondraker Foxy RR, which I also like very much. But I drove an aluminum bike from Liteville in the spring and that puts everything in the shade. Very clear. The next bike is an aluminum bike.
Very happy with my aluminum road bike - and this video confirms what i was thinking when I made that decision.
I've a glued Vitus 992, was good enough for Sean Kelly on the cobbles.
I've still got mine got it in 1986. I dont ride it as its on tubulars. Dont trust the frame anymore. Should mont it on the wall.
@@mvnorsel6354 No, change the tyres and ride it. My Vitus is over 30 years old and I still ride it on gravel and cobbles.
@@afitzsimons Too much work plus its got a 12-18 cassette. I wouldn't be able to get up the driveway. But its a link to my youth. Never sell.
The carbon frame of my brother's bike was cut in two. By a small incident. For many, the cost aspect becomes important.
I am Italian I like the "Latin" pronunciation of Aluminium, close to my language
I road my $1200, 24 pound aluminum Giant Revolt 2 on a 530 mile bike packing trip with a friend of comparable age and fitness as me. He was riding a $3400, 19 pond carbon fiber OBED Boundary. Despite the additional 5 pounds in weight, I never had an issue keeping up on the gravel or the occasional tarmac. Best of all, the $2200 I saved paid for all of my bike-packing gear and expenses for two week long trips that year! 😁
My number 1 reason for aluminum over carbon fiber is... When carbon's stressed beyond it's yield point it can develop internal damage that cannot be seen. Basically microfractures inside the layers of the composite itself. Then when after repeated lower levels of stress and vibration the part fails catastrophically. Aluminum is not only far less likely to fail catastrophically, where carbon it all but guaranteed to. When stressed beyond it's yield point aluminum will show visible signs it's damaged allowing you fix or replace a component before it fails.....Those videos you can find on YT of things like carbon handlebars suddenly snapping in two are 9 times out 10 parts that were damaged in a past crash or mishandling, that showed no outward signs of trouble until they later snapped in two while on a ride.
For racers who win or lose is a matter of fractions of a second carbon may be worth it. For me winning is going home at the end of the day uninjured with a working bike, So I have aluminum.
As a fellow chemist, I can confirm!
Aluminium in the winter, love my specialized elite allez
I have the same bike, it's all the bike I'll ever need
I have the same bike from 2005. Love how it feels and have full confidence it’s it ability.
Love my Allez Elite! Started two years ago, no problems whatsoever.
Proceeds to shoot next video with everyone on carbon bikes
started cycling as my main sport on high-end carbon bikes. Always wanted a retro steel bike so I took some time to build some (battaglin and de rosa) using a mix of modern and vintage parts. The steel bikes are my favorite to ride by a long way. So nice to ride, smooth, stable, silent, planted. Hooked to steel now. Aluminium is a bit lighter but can feel bit like a brick. The only aluminium bike I really liked was a scandium.
if you like steel try an Independent Fabrications all steel road bike. Mine rides very well but I'm sure yours do too.
All my Cannondales are aluminum:
1998 R200 CAAD 2 with Shimano 600/non STI with Mavic CXP 30 rims and Michelin Dynamic 23 tires.
2000 Super V 400 with Deore XT/LX drivetrain, Avid disc brakes.
2014 Quick 5 hybrid upgraded with Shimano Alivio/Acera drivetrain.
2015 Bad Boy. Upgraded the crankset with Shimano Deore Hollowtech crankset and Alivio drivetrain.
I was able to test ride a Cannondale Super Six Evo carbon road bike and was not impressed with carbon. I decided to stick with what I know best. The latest edition to my Cannondale family:
2020 CAAD 13 Ultegra rim brakes with Ultegra 8000 series crankset and Fulcrum wheels4 with Michelin Pro 4 700×23 tires.
ALUMINUM IS KING.
CAAD till I die
Ollie's secretly thinking 'Phew, that PhD's proved to be useful at last...!' Thumbs up for pulling intellectual rank there Dr Bridgewood.
4:55 HELLOO HAMBINI FANS!
I turned my volume down to read your comment
@@baronvonhoughton 😂
@@baronvonhoughton I turned them up to Max volume to get the authentic ear blasting experience
Very much liked the short excurs into chemistry! Aluminium ftw🙌🏻