A few weeks ago, we surveyed folks with a few questions about aluminum bike frames. The results weren’t too surprising, but the comments we received afterward stoked the fire on the topic. Are aluminum bikes really as harsh as some people claim? Is aluminum as strong as other materials? Does it fatigue more than steel? Is marketing hype pushing riders toward pricier options? There’s a lot to unpack. Dive in to our aluminum bike survey recap here…
I’ve been riding and testing all different types of bikes since I started cycling for fun back in 2010, and much more so since I started reviewing bikes for the YouTube channel four years ago. Like many riders, my first bike was aluminum—a Trek Fuel EX 5 I picked up in 2011. Though I was largely drawn to the Fuel EX 5 because it was the most affordable full-suspension bike I could find, …