I seem to remember, oh, about 3 or 4 years ago when I was looking to buy a mountain bike that Aluminum ones were all VERY expensive. I’d say starting at $350-$400 and up.
Last week I went bike shopping with a friend and we were looking at cro-moly and aluminum bikes and they seemed to be about the same price. I saw Aluminum bikes for less than $200. What happened? Did Aluminum bikes become so popular that the price of manufacturing went down? Did they start making them out of aluminum of lesser quality?
Really? My road bike is cro-moly steel and I love it.
We ended up buying a cro-moly bike for my friend. It was an older model on sale for a really good price. Comparing the weight to it’s aluminum counterparts I couldn’t tell the difference. I would prefer cro-moly as it is somewhat stiffer and (I think) absorbs road shock better.
Components that is differents Brakes, Shocks, wheels this is where alot of your money goes. If they put junk on a good frame its still junk.
If you find a frame for under $200 that you like, buy it, strip it and replace the crappy parts with top of the line.
This can be less expensive than buying a top of the line Bike.
Actually, there is a large difference between your department store bike and something that you would by at a bike shop. Shiva is right, many of the cheaper frames and such are mass produced overseas, allowing Wal-Marts to take advantage of economies of scale and buy in volume for less. These frames are relatively flimsy (although more durable than cheap steel) and the components are cheap. These bikes are for the sunday rider, kids, and such and cost no more than $200.
However, steel is still thriving in the, shall we say, serious bicycle community. A large portion of the professional rider community still rides steel, whether by tradition or by steel’s merits. By comparison, a mountain bike at Wal-Mart may run $150, whereas a decent aluminum or steel mountain bike frame alone will run you $400 plus from a reputable manufacturer. Add mid-level quality components to that $400 frame and you have a $750 bike.
Manufacturer’s have been experimenting with different materials and manufacturing techniques in a big way the last 15-20 years. Steel is still king, but losing ground fast. Steel’s attributes are that it has a softer ride, but is stiff enough for the serious climber/sprinter. (Depending on the manufacturer though, you can get a steel frame that feels like riding a plank or one that could pass for a barco-lounger) Aluminum showed up as the supposed replacement for steel, but for some riders its just too stiff, and lacks feel. Aluminum is a definite favorite with the sprinters/track bike/climber crowd. The other two “exotic” materials you see a number of bikes made of now are titanium and carbon fiber.