I don't think it's fair to say Aluminium is not very durable compared to steel... it certainly isn't in line with my experiences. I'd be more inclined to concede aluminium is typically not _as_ durable as steel, but they are comparable. Then again, if you made an aluminium frame that weighed as much as a steel frame, who's to say it wouldn't last generations? If properly designed for the intended purpose, aluminium is absolutely a very durable material. Material fatigue limits are real, but so is corrosion. Nothing is permanent.
In my own experience, and I'm not usually a breaks-stuff kinda guy, but I have broken a steel frame after 6 years of use, and meanwhile still smash around on a 20 year old aluminium xc bike w rigid steel fork that has been jumped, crashed, and catapulted down the hill with and without rider countless times. I check it often, always trying to sense a little extra movement in the frame, always expecting to see a hairline crack near the welds, but so far no reason to stop sending it. I was happy to be able to get the steel bike repaired fairly easily, but there are also commercial welders around specializing in aluminium and heat treating, so it's another hyperbole to say aluminium can't be repaired.
Anyway, sorry to hear about your Process, but you'd do yourself a disservice to write off aluminium entirely because of one failure.
May 31, 2023, 8:32 a.m. - BadNudes
I don't think it's fair to say Aluminium is not very durable compared to steel... it certainly isn't in line with my experiences. I'd be more inclined to concede aluminium is typically not _as_ durable as steel, but they are comparable. Then again, if you made an aluminium frame that weighed as much as a steel frame, who's to say it wouldn't last generations? If properly designed for the intended purpose, aluminium is absolutely a very durable material. Material fatigue limits are real, but so is corrosion. Nothing is permanent. In my own experience, and I'm not usually a breaks-stuff kinda guy, but I have broken a steel frame after 6 years of use, and meanwhile still smash around on a 20 year old aluminium xc bike w rigid steel fork that has been jumped, crashed, and catapulted down the hill with and without rider countless times. I check it often, always trying to sense a little extra movement in the frame, always expecting to see a hairline crack near the welds, but so far no reason to stop sending it. I was happy to be able to get the steel bike repaired fairly easily, but there are also commercial welders around specializing in aluminium and heat treating, so it's another hyperbole to say aluminium can't be repaired. Anyway, sorry to hear about your Process, but you'd do yourself a disservice to write off aluminium entirely because of one failure.