Post #2400857
2026-04-29 00:45 UTC
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.
Replies (1)
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@gcvsa@mstdn.plus 2026-04-29 00:53
The bicycle industry has a vested interest in making higher profits, not in making higher quality bicycles with longer lifespans, and so it has a vested interest in convincing bicycle journalists that aluminium is better than steel, or that you shouldn't worry much about the differences. If a bicycle is cheaper to make and subject to built-in planned obsolescence, guess which one the industry is incentived to produce and sell more? Buyer beware.