Chromoly VS. Aluminum!?
I am getting a hybrid bike that I will ride on both sidewalks and roads. I want a bike thats lite, but will last a long time. Right know I’m comparing the Specialized Globe City, and the Motobecane Cafe Noir. What do you think?
I guess you are asking 2 different questions. I’ll tackle the Chrome Moly vs. aluminum question.
There are 2 very common steels in bicycle manufacture. One is called Hi Tensile and one is Chrome Moly (or cromoly or cromo or CrMo). Cr Mo and Hiten steels weigh virtually the same but CrMo is stronger which means that you can use less material and maintain strength. Less material=less weight. OK?
This does NOT necessarily mean it is heavier than aluminum especially with the bikes to which you are referring. In the grand scheme of things the frames of these bikes weigh almost the same.
It’s a fact that aluminum is generally 1/2 the weight of steel but it is also 1/3 the strength. This means that you need 3 times the volume of aluminum to meet the strength of steel. This is why cheap aluminum frames tend to weigh more than their steel counterparts. Aluminum also has a limited life- it will eventually fail- while steel has a relatively unlimited life.
Yes, steel rusts, but aluminum corrodes and it can be argued that corroded aluminum is much more risky than rusted steel. Neither of these should be an issue if the bike is maintained.
Aluminum has the reputation of being a stiffer ride which transmits more of your energy to the ground but also transmits road roughness to you. Steel is much more compliant but not quite as energy efficient.
Soooo, if you want the smoothest possible ride, get steel. If you want more efficient use of your energy at the expense of comfort, get aluminum.
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