Post #2400856
2026-04-29 00:44 UTC
What's important to remember about the difference between aluminium and steel in bicycle design is that while in the raw state, aluminium is lighter than steel, steel is much stronger, so you have to use a lot more aluminium to produce the same strength.
Good quality aluminium alloy, however, is usually cheaper than high grade steel alloy, and aluminium is often easier to work with in automated production.
Aluminium is also subject to work hardening. It gets brittle over time, and cracks.
Replies (1)
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@gcvsa@mstdn.plus 2026-04-29 00:45
The bicycle industry didn't move to using more aluminium frames because it's better than high quality steel, they did it because it's cheaper than high quality steel. And especially at the low end of bicycles, aluminium alloy is usually much lighter than mild steel, which is why low quality steel bicycles are absurdly heavy. But aluminium just isn't as durable or elastic, so steel lasts much longer in use, so long as it is protected from corrosion, and it's more comfortable to ride.