Aluminum, Steel, Scandium........

[lockd-97]

So I'm looking to drop some $$ on a nice MTB (not my first, but all I've ridden were steel.) For the the slightly above average user.....can you really tell a difference in how stiff / smooth the ride is with alum vs. steel? Pretty sure I want a 29er hardtail......

 

[RHINO]

you cant tell as much with a hardtail as you can with a full rigid bike, but its there.

 

[ravewoofer]

If you're going the hard tail route and are looking for a little cush, go steel. Steel is compliant. If you wanna blow out a disc or two in your back, but be speedy, then try aluminum.

IMO, aluminum absolutely rocks with a dualy especially if you've got some carbon bits mixed in, too.

A hard tail aluminum bike is unforgiving on rocks and roots.

 

[Fly Rod]

Yes there is a noticable difference. Having ridden/raced steel, aluminum, carbon and titanium bikes here is my hard earned opinion.

The best climbing bike I ever owned was an ultra light aluminum bike. It flew up hill plain and simple. But when you turned down hill there was a price to pay. The bike, although fast as hell DH, provided extreme amounts of input. The frame was as stiff as all get out. It was a great ride but was too much for my aging back. The only other down side I saw was the fatigue cycle or durability of the frame. Racing hard on an AL bike I didn't expect it to last more than a season or two.

The next bike I owned was a Ti hard tail. The difference in ride quality was HUGE! The handling was as good as the HT without the edge. I ran it with a USE seat post to further protect my back. Unfortunately I sold that bike in a moment of weakness. A HUGE benefit of going with Ti is it's increadibly high fatigue cycles. A good one will last a life time.

Steel is the happy medium. Most of the feel you get with a Ti bike without the price penalty. And in actuality the weight penalty is not as high as most people think.

With all that said, My next bike will be a FS 29er most likely aluminum or carbon. Read my first impressions of riding the Kona Hei Hei Deluxe I posted here for more info.

HTH

 

[lockd-97]

Thanks guys!