The best aluminum frames have fat, thin-wall tubes and don't deflect much side to side when you sprint. The best steel frames have smaller-diameter, thin-wall tubes, and flex noticeably in a sprint. Titanium and carbon frames fall in between.
Experienced cyclists often divide into camps, with steel riders carping about the excess stiffness of aluminum and aluminum zealots decrying the spongy feel of light steel frames. He we explain the advantages and disadvantages of the most common frame materials and compare in a graph how stiff they are when compared to steel.
How Stiff is your bike?
A comparison of stiffness (relative to steel) for various frame materials
wpe8.jpg (19433 bytes)
Experienced cyclists often divide into camps, with steel riders carping about the excess stiffness of aluminum and aluminum zealots decrying the spongy feel of light steel frames. He we explain the advantages and disadvantages of the most common frame materials and compare in a graph how stiff they are when compared to steel.
How Stiff is your bike?
A comparison of stiffness (relative to steel) for various frame materials
wpe8.jpg (19433 bytes)