It seems that cycling becomes more popular as a sport every day and new makes of bikes pop up all the time. Steel is the most common material of choice but increasingly there are more options available these days. A very popular alternative at the moment is aluminium, which is even now being used in snowboards and surfboards. But how does aluminium compare to steel-framed bikes?
Strength. Steel frames tend to boast approx twice the strength of an aluminum frame, which could suggest that aluminum would not be suitable for high impact bike riding. However, because of the fact aluminium is such much lighter than steel (40% lighter) the frames can afford to be thicker and thus match the strength of steel. Having said this, thicker stronger steel is required on some bikes to withstand large amounts of punishment put on them during some forms of bike riding.
Performance. Steel frames tend to have around 33% greater stiffness than aluminum frames. Whilst you would automatically think a more forgiving ride would result, bike riders tend to say the opposite is true. Lots of riders feel that steel frames are more comfortable. Aluminium bikes do outperform steel bikes in some sectors such as road racing and hill climbing events due to their better weight but again, most choose steel for bike riding that requires great strength of frame
Cost. The cost of a frame is dependent on various things, most commonly the steel or aluminum quality. Although very costly, there a new steels that have been produced that maintain their strength, yet weigh close to what aluminum does. On the other hand, there are some cheaper thin-framed aluminium bikes on the market now. However, due to the fact steel is more readily available and is the standard for most new and second hand bikes, it is usually cheaper than aluminium.
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