It seems that gold, one of the softer metals, can be used to make a super-hard alloy with Tungsten.
Science Advances article here.
[hijack from your main point] Gold is far from useless. It’s a technological marvel. You can draw it into incredibly skinny little strands like human hairs or make ultrathin foil from it. It isn’t very chemically reactive so it’s virtually corrosion-proof.[/hijack]
That is very cool. Now where do I get an mtb frame made from it? 
Besides the cost :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:, it could very well be too stiff and possibly brittle for that use.
I could see chains, bearings, sprockets being made from it and having a huge impact.
Not so useless? I see it was addressed in #2. It has many uses beyond shiny trinkets.
And yeah: Bike frames! I have two titanium-framed bikes. If I can now get one stronger and lighter yet, I’m all for it. And don’t you come in here and point to carbon.
Tungsten has a density of 19.25 g/cm3 , Titanium is 4.506 g/cm3.
I don’t think anyone will build a frame 1/5 current thickness.
Wasn’t there a toss-off line on one of the Iron Man movies about the “iron” alloy in the Mk II and later suits containing, among other metals, gold?
Yes, here it is:
So, gold and titanium, not gold and tungsten.
Well, actually, maybe Stark was right..
ETA: Whoops, I just clicked OP’s link and found out that Quartz’ restatement was incorrect. The article he’s talking about is announcing the same gold-titanium alloy I mentioned, not tungsten. Mebbe he confused the two metals that start with “T”? (Which is a good reason to start calling tungsten “wolfram”.)
Stop ruining these plans with your scientific smartiness.
I guess a better plan for making my bikes lighter is to lose a couple lbs from me.
except they said it’s a gold/titanium alloy.
“hardness” does not imply strength.
Didn’t know we were in the General questions forum.
Let a guy dream of his future 10lb road bike.
To all future posters that bring up problems with my dream of a strong, lightweight bicycle frame based on this new allow: I put 2 seconds of thought into it. I was merely replying in jest to a previous poster. Go ahead and pick on the OP for saying that gold is useless. I think that is the bigger offense. 
Psuedo-General Questions.
You need to work on your motor, son.
There’s little more satisfying than going to the local bike club with a mtn. bike kitted out for commuting, getting in the lead group and keeping up.
rc, semi-Fred
My motor needs lots of work - not enough pedal time this year!
I have a rear-rack on a titanium road bike. I know all about Fred’ing. 
I commute with a Xc Commencal 650b mtb and it is fun keeping up with the bent over types, even if it’s only for a little while…
Besides, if people shelled out $25k for the early production scandium frames, they’ll shell out for this assuming, as noted, that it isn’t ridiculously brittle.
In my early quest for unobtanium bike parts, my friend observed that if I lost 30 lbs it’d be like I was riding a zero mass bike. If I could have caught the little ferret I would have killed him… 
Whoops! Mea culpa.