[divve]

The latest news is:

"Mechanic Nick Vandercauter told Cyclingnews that while Scandium is standard issue for all, full carbon jobbies are used during the Giro d'Italia, certain World Cups and the Tour de France. "Some riders, like Serge Baguet who suffers from back problems, have found the carbon bike to be too stiff, so Serge went back to the aluminium model after last year's Tour," added Vandercauter."


http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/probikes/lottodomo_merckx

 

[Spunout]

Funny response, that. Most other reviewers of the Team SC say it is very stiff and harsh. Eddy builds strong bikes, but carbon too stiff? Wow.

 

[Dwayne Barry]

It's a shame that people use stiffness to describe two different phenomena that are not necessarily related.

One is stiffness is the sense of lateral flex of the bike, and two is stiffness in the sense of compliance or comfort of the ride.

Still sounds odd as most things I've read always say carbon has a very compliant, comfortable feel and aluminum just the opposite?

 

[Spirito]

just 'fer once i'll say good things about aluminium .....

i had one of them alumiun miunui n bikes (see its even hard for me to admit it in writing) and its was a very comfortable rider and not at all stiff or harsh. any material can be made with whatever ride factors are by a builder who understands design, engineering and materials.

actually i lied - i, upon recalling, remembered another aluuuminunin m frameset that i really enjoyed as well. heck it even looked really cool ... almost as good as steel !!!

see what a bad influence you guys here on beercanbikereview.com are .... sheeesh !!!

ciao

p.s. anyone who pronounces it other than a-loo-min-iyem is a wanker

 

[LeadvilleBlues]

More Please

Spirito, Did you write the tag on your last post ? Man, that's some good stuff ! I want to read more. Can you help ?

 

[purplepaul]

p.s. anyone who pronounces it other than a-loo-min-iyem is a wanker

Actually, anyone who pronounces "aluminum" a-loo-min-iyem probably says "liberry" and "comftable". In Europe, "aluminum" is spelled "aluminium" hence the pronunciation.

And the aluminum frame that rides like steel would probably fail within a week.

Paul

 

[Spunout]

PP: That is great!

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

[purplepaul]

I think we need to get together a whole group of Groucho quotes.

 

[Squint]

So if I ride my MTB whose Rockshox and fat tires soak up more road buzz than any road bike, I'll never get tired while riding? Maybe I'll use it in a crit because if I don't get tired, I'll be hard to beat.

 

[Nigey]

I'm fed up it seems....

you can't mention aluminium without raising the ire of some "steel-is-real" folks. It seems al frame bashing is in. Now, I'm certainly one of the farthest things from being an expert bicycle rider, but my best guess is that so much must depend on frame design and type of materials used (not even mentioning wheelsets or forks or individual riding conditions).

I know this is not a great example, but I can tell you my (since thrown away and replaced with another free Matsui steel frame) old vintage early 1980's Fuji steel frame was so much harsher than my C'dale CAAD 4 frame.

I would find it fascinating (along with world peace and free healthcare) if somehow there could be a total blind testing of a whole series of frames of different manufacturers and material, but with identical component sets. I'd bet there'd be some surprizes -I would just love to see the results of that. I'll have to wait until I'm a zillionaire for this one though before I can fund it.....

 

[purplepaul]

Nigey,

I have a 10 year old aluminum Klein MTB. It's built like a tank and I have no fear of it failing under me. It weighs a ton and beats the hell out of me even with a front shock. But lightweight aluminum is not a good thing. There have been too many instances of ultralight aluminum handlebars spontaneously breaking. I suppose small diameter tubes would make for a less harsh ride, and they could be thick walled for safety. But I don't think aluminum lends itself to small diameter tubes. At least, I'm not aware of manufacturers offering small diameter tubes.

Aluminum is a perfectly fine material for making inexpensive frames. If they are too light, however, they will need to be replaced frequently.

Paul

 

[benInMA]

Eh... the "steel is real" and aluminum bashing is way more prevalent on this forum than anywhere in the real world where Al frames come with nice long warranties and tire pressure makes a hell of a lot bigger difference in comfort than the frame.

Don't let it bother you.

Ben

 

[MerckxMad]

That report caught my attention too.

The latest news is:

"Mechanic Nick Vandercauter told Cyclingnews that while Scandium is standard issue for all, full carbon jobbies are used during the Giro d'Italia, certain World Cups and the Tour de France. "Some riders, like Serge Baguet who suffers from back problems, have found the carbon bike to be too stiff, so Serge went back to the aluminium model after last year's Tour," added Vandercauter."


http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/probikes/lottodomo_merckx

I own a 2002 Team SC. I think the SC is stiff and non-compliant. A blast to ride, for a short period of time. After several hours in the saddle my sorry carcas is crying. So, I'm puzzled by this pro's comments. Of course, I'm just an overweight Fred tooling around on club rides, and he's a top-notch pro.

I cannot afford an MXM, but I've ridden it and I do have a Kestrel and a Giant TCR. I find the Giant and the MXM to be stiff but compliant. Very little, if any lateral flex, but smooth on bad pavement. Curious stuff.