Carbon, Titanium, Aluminium or Steel?

[Neil Bedwin]

So out of the above what would you want your 'keep it forever' bike frame made from?

There is a company in China that will make me a bespoke titanium frame with titanium fork. To me this seems better than a carbon frame that, will be a couple £100s cheaper but only last 5 - 10 years, and, with my weight, could well catastrophically fail!

I have an aluminium frame at the moment and as good as it is I want something a bit more aero....

Steel may be real but so is rust.

What would you do.......

 

[Ridgeway]

Why would carbon only last 5-10yrs ?

Plenty of much older carbon bikes out there. Admittedly a metal (any time) bike could survive and be repaired from many more things vs a carbon bike but even carbon frames these days are repairable to within reason.

I think it's more down to what you want to do with it rather than how long you intend to keep it for.

You say a bit more aero is your goal, you know already that likely means carbon.....

 

[Nasher]

Sorry can't ever seeing myself having a 'keep forever bike"

Or even a keep forever unicycle

 

[Ridgeway]

Sorry can't ever seeing myself having a 'keep forever bike"

Or even a keep forever unicycle

That's the reality

 

[WillH]

Aluminium

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[Neil Bedwin]

Why would carbon only last 5-10yrs ?

You say a bit more aero is your goal, you know already that likely means carbon.....

Carbon frames from big manufacturers limit the rider/bike combined weight to 100kg or 120kg if you are lucky. So that's the warranty out the window.
More weight on the bike means more wear....more likely to have a failure.

Aero does not mean carbon.....

 

[Ernesto]

I have them all ... The choice depends on how you're going to use it - personally I dont race and I aint interested in shaving seconds off anything anymore so Titanium is the perfect all rounder....... with a carbon racer tucked away for a blast in the sun

 

[Bobby-gg]

Titanium for me too, I've got a vintage Cove hummer 26" mountain bike and just love the feel compared to my other steel or aliminuim framed bikes

 

[daveandsan]

Carbon for me but I’m a lightweight, don’t like Aluminium to rigid and unforgiving, still got my old steel time trial bike, never rode a Titanium frame.

 

[Neil Bedwin]

Leaning towards the titanium......

Although carbon is cheap enough (£420 for frame and fork) that I could ride it for a few years and then swap all the components onto a newer, more hi-tech, frame. Who knows what we will be riding in 5 or 10 years?
When carbon bikes go past me they always sound hollow, plasticy and cheap.....

Aluminium is the cheapest at £150 for frame and carbon forks but I have an ali bike. However it is not disc brakes or DI2 ready so I would have to get a new frame. Aluminium however work hardens so the frame becomes more rigid the more you ride it until cracks form, usually near the bottom bracket.

Titanium is about £800 for the frame and titanium fork but it is made to my dimensions and specifications.
Titanium doesn't work harden like aluminium or steel does. It doesn't rust and frames can be made lighter than steel or aluminium. Besides cost, no down sides!

I'll probably change my mind next week......

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[funflair]

Beware all carbon frames are not created equal it is quite a complicated material to work with as the direction of the fibres dictates the properties of the frame and that's before you get into the subject of different modulus fibres, possibly the old adage "you get what you pay for" comes into force, laws of diminishing return withstanding of course.

Martin

 

[The Lord Squid]

It would be a bespoke steel frame built to my measurements by a UK frame builder.

 

[The Lord Squid]

I know nothing about it, but you might want to look at stainless steel.

KVA Stainless Ordering – Custom Stainless Steel Tubing

 

[The Coops]

I have a 55 year old Dawes Super Galaxy on 531 steel tubing, does that count as a foreverbike?

 

[MattR]

So out of the above what would you want your 'keep it forever' bike frame made from?

There is a company in China that will make me a bespoke titanium frame with titanium fork. To me this seems better than a carbon frame that, will be a couple £100s cheaper but only last 5 - 10 years, and, with my weight, could well catastrophically fail!

I have an aluminium frame at the moment and as good as it is I want something a bit more aero....

Steel may be real but so is rust.

What would you do.......

If it were me, I would aim to lose weight and see how much riding I would do over the next year; buying a "forever" bike may be premature - the dimensions it is built for may well change with weight loss and you may find that your cycling position becomes more aggressive as you get fitter; what was comfortable when you first get the bike may feel slow etc. in the future.

What is wrong with your ali bike?

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[Drexxer]

Titanium for me too, had this 22 years

 

[Ridgeway]

If you know your needs are out of spec to a carbon frame then i assume it's not an option really. That Ti frame looks very nice indeed and i can't see you going wrong with that, didn't realise you could get aero type frames in Ti without them costing several times that price, nice find

I had some wheels built up in Asia over Christmas and have been very happy with them, great service, built to spec and very well priced. Just get some reviews on the builder to be sure of what you're getting.

A Di2 aero Ti bike, that sounds nice already. What are the paint options from the builder ?

 

[Bobby-gg]

Titanium for me too, had this 22 years

View attachment 392849

Nice, I've still got three sets of pace rc35's, got one set on my pine mountain single speed

 

[Chipster]

Ti probably. Although a nice steel Mercian would be high on my list..

 

[Neil Bedwin]

If it were me, I would aim to lose weight and see how much riding I would do over the next year; buying a "forever" bike may be premature - the dimensions it is built for may well change with weight loss and you may find that your cycling position becomes more aggressive as you get fitter; what was comfortable when you first get the bike may feel slow etc. in the future.

What is wrong with your ali bike?

I have lost weight in the last year. My problem is I am 11% bigger than your average human... No, really, I am.
Your average man has sit bones 90-110mm apart. Mine are 140mm. Average man has 390-410mm between acromion processes. Mine are 520mm apart. Etc.
So even if I had no legs I would not get below 110kg. Too many years of rugby and weight training! Unless I can find a carbon frame guaranteed to 150kg it is a non-starter.
Nothing wrong with my Ali bike but I bought it second hand, don't know the age, it's not DI2, it's just not 'mine.'

If you know your needs are out of spec to a carbon frame then i assume it's not an option really. That Ti frame looks very nice indeed and i can't see you going wrong with that, didn't realise you could get aero type frames in Ti without them costing several times that price, nice find

I had some wheels built up in Asia over Christmas and have been very happy with them, great service, built to spec and very well priced. Just get some reviews on the builder to be sure of what you're getting.

A Di2 aero Ti bike, that sounds nice already. What are the paint options from the builder ?

The frame comes brushed or sand blasted. No paint options but there are plenty of places to get it powder coated to my spec in the UK. Have to leave one part bare metal though just so everyone knows it's titanium

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[Drexxer]

Nice, I've still got three sets of pace rc35's, got one set on my pine mountain single speed

I love the Pace forks, think they look well on it

unfortunately the bike no longer fits me and I've plenty of others, need to find time to list on ebay

Frame is genuine Dynatech Racing XC

 

[SuperMike]

Never seen a properly finished steel frame rust.

 

[Abacist]

Made in China - hardly forever from there - Buy British or perhaps German!

 

[Chipster]

Titanium for me too, had this 22 years

View attachment 392849

Love the Dyna Tech. Memories of Jon Tomac riding those with the Tioga Disk Drive.

 

[Terry242]

Titanium for me too, had this 22 years

View attachment 392849

And do I see a pair of Pace forks? If so, top choice.

Terry

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[Terry242]

So out of the above what would you want your 'keep it forever' bike frame made from?

There is a company in China that will make me a bespoke titanium frame with titanium fork. To me this seems better than a carbon frame that, will be a couple £100s cheaper but only last 5 - 10 years, and, with my weight, could well catastrophically fail!

I have an aluminium frame at the moment and as good as it is I want something a bit more aero....

Steel may be real but so is rust.

What would you do.......

I was in a similar position about 4years ago and I had always had a craving for a Lightspeed. The research led me to the man who started the company - David Lynskey.
I then read a write up for a Lynskey Disc Sportive on BikeRadar and they finished with the statement that if there was one test bike that year that they didn't want to give back, this was it.
I was sold. And I've not been disappointed.
Not the lightest or most expensive. Not the most responsive, but really comfortable.
Good luck with your choice.

Terry

 

[Ridgeway]

"even if i had no legs i would not get below 110kgs"

best line i've read in a long time

 

[Drexxer]

And do I see a pair of Pace forks? If so, top choice.

Terry

Yep, Pace RC36's

 

[Off da Grid]

Carbon.
Lifetime original owner warranty or 3 years if bought from a dealer, some conditions do apply

 

[MattR]

Carbon.
Lifetime original owner warranty or 3 years if bought from a dealer, some conditions do apply

The OP would probably be too heavy for many carbon bikes.

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