ALU- Frames - How long...

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yenrod

Guest
A fair while back their was an influx of Shogun frames around, every bugger seemed to either have one OR going to buy one due to the price...

Which got me thinking - how long will the average use of an ALU frame - last :biggrin:

AVERAGE BEING 100MLS A WEEK
 

Milo

Guru
Location
Melksham, Wilts
Well my dawes giro 300 has a 2 year warrenty so im guessing 5 upwards.
(I hope).
depends on what alu I suppose mine is 6061 I think
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
30 or 40 years if you look after it. Why shouldn't it, as long as the builder has not taken liberties by making the tubes too thin it will not fall apart. Nobody queries how long there brake calipers will last, yey like most stuff on a bike they are alu too.

Many Jumbo jets are still in service after 30 years, and they are made from aluminium. And before anybody says it, no the don't replace the entire airframe and fuselage every couple of years in case it will fall apart.
 
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yenrod

Guest
Smokin Joe said:
30 or 40 years if you look after it. Why shouldn't it, as long as the builder has not taken liberties by making the tubes too thin it will not fall apart. Nobody queries how long there brake calipers will last, yey like most stuff on a bike they are alu too.

Many Jumbo jets are still in service after 30 years, and they are made from aluminium. And before anybody says it, no the don't replace the entire airframe and fuselage every couple of years in case it will fall apart.

In this case - how have they got such a bad name/reputation ?

As in, a steel frame will last longer...
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
yenrod said:
In this case - how have they got such a bad name/reputation ?

As in, a steel frame will last longer...
So how many fifty year old steel frames do you see around now? Or even twenty year old, come to that.

They have got a "bad reputation" because people who hate progress and can't see why the rest of us are not happy riding round on a 1955 Curly Hetchins with a four-speed block and toe clips and straps keep telling us that Aluminium will melt after two years and carbon fibre will explode in sunlight.
 
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yenrod

Guest
Smokin Joe said:
So how many fifty year old steel frames do you see around now? Or even twenty year old, come to that.

They have got a "bad reputation" because people who hate progress and can't see why the rest of us are not happy riding round on a 1955 Curly Hetchins with a four-speed block and toe clips and straps keep telling us that Aluminium will melt after two years and carbon fibre will explode in sunlight.

Smoke' I will say that if it wasnt for my Diamond Back (Tange DB tubing) Ascent Ex 19" hadn't got chain suck - scraped the right chainstay and over the years corroded and thus snapped..then I may still be riding the sweet ride of a beauty she was ! ;):tongue::tongue:
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
i'll be pleasantly surprised if my alu frame lasts as long as the frame on my steel bike, which must have been at least 20 years old when i got it.

alu suffers from being not a chichi as carbon, so it gets rubbished by the carbon disciples on the one hand, and by the beard and sandles steel brigade on the other for being less likely than their steeds to see in the next millenium.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
I think the question marks regarding Aluminium's longevity in Bicycle frames probably stems from problems associated with welds cracking in early models. Technology is well sorted by now. One rarely hears of Aluminium frame failing these days. Steel frames can also fail as well...the difference is that steel can be repaired.
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
Fab Foodie said:
I think the question marks regarding Aluminium's longevity in Bicycle frames probably stems from problems associated with welds cracking in early models. Technology is well sorted by now. One rarely hears of Aluminium frame failing these days. Steel frames can also fail as well... the difference is that steel can be repaired.

a clubmate of mine had a steel frame snap. was on a paris-roubaix sportive mind.
 

llllllll

New Member
miloat said:
Well my dawes giro 300 has a 2 year warrenty so im guessing 5 upwards.
(I hope).
depends on what alu I suppose mine is 6061 I think

I had a Dawes Giro snap on me after about 5 years commuting. Though it wasn't anything like as dramatic as it sounds, the derailer just sort of flopped to one side. At first I thought it was just the replacable hanger failing, but on closer inspection the dropout itself had sheared where the hanger bolt goes through. To be fair I had had several crashes on it over the years, shame, it was a great frame.
 

gkerr4

New Member
Location
Blackpool
Smokin Joe said:
They have got a "bad reputation" because people who hate progress and can't see why the rest of us are not happy riding round on a 1955 Curly Hetchins with a four-speed block and toe clips and straps keep telling us that Aluminium will melt after two years and carbon fibre will explode in sunlight.


so true - well said!
 
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