callagga said:
@dogman - thanks. Hey I like the magnet test.
Anyone know btw what "ADT 6061 Formtech Alloy" is re frame type? This was what the frame was for the Avante bike I posted.
Any time I have seen 6061 and had it listed as an "Alloy" it has referenced an aluminum alloy, most bike parts are listed as either steel or alloy (meaning aluminum alloy).
I agree with your LBS, there are different grades of aluminum, and yes you can get some that are stiffer and stronger than steel, however, anything can fail, the major difference being cast aluminum (usually what you find in most forks and almost certainly in less expensive forks) cracks and shatters upon failure, where with steel, not only can it bend usually giving more warning, more importantly, it can be easily repaired, usually by simply bending it back into shape.
Worst case with steel, you might have to get something re-welded, if your at that point with aluminum, because these things are specially heat-treated, once they are welded, it changes the temper of the aluminum, drastically altering that special heat-treating that made it so strong in the first place, and could leave it even more prone to braking, thus most times with aluminum when something fails, the price of repair (if it's even available) would be higher than the cost of replacement.
I am glad that Dogman mentioned measuring the prospective bike's forks! That is VERY crucial! I would much rather (since your buying new and have more options) buy something that comes the way you want it than ever want to have to deal with altering forks to fit the motor. It's pretty normal to have to open up the drop-outs a bit with a file, but IMHO if your getting to the point where your having to bend out steel suspension forks, you should have picked a different fork to start with.
I had a very unpleasant surprise with the aluminum frame of my Nishiki. I took my nephew on just one trip of about 2-3 miles with him riding a "chaser" (half bike with just the crank and back wheel) that pivots on my seat post.
I was going up-hill and suddenly noticed that my seat wasn't attached solidly anymore!
(in retrospect, I think my nephew was a bit old and over the weight limit too, I was just being lazy since I didn't want to make this trip at his speed with him on his own bike following.
:lol: )
This thing had cracked the seat post tube 3/4 of the way around! I found a local welder to fix it for me, but since it was such thin metal, it took several attempts to find a welder in his shop that COULD be turned down enough to stop simply blowing holes and I ended up with a really ugly but solid weld for cheap, but I am in search of a good steel frame to replace mine since I have no idea how weakened it has been.
I had a nice 90's steel framed Raleigh in my possession not long ago, that I ended up selling since I needed the money more than the frame, and that bike weighed just a mere 2 pounds more and was stout chrome moly that would have been ideal except it lacked bosses for a disc brake (I now have decided I should just buy a frame lol!) since I can always have those added for cheap by a welder or buy a kit that allows me to bolt one on the frame.
You might also consult the manufacturer of that bike and let them know what your plans are, I know of at least one member who had catastrophic failure of their Jamis Dakar frame that was a full suspension aluminum bike simply due to the added extra weight.
Just remember the average bike maker believes in "lighter is better" and they won't be building as durable as they will be building light and "strong enough" to do the job to compete with the bike world where people will pay 3 times the price to loose 5 pounds of weight, but that doesn't mean that cheaper is automatically stronger either, it's just cheaper and heavier, might just mean cheaper aluminum that is thicker to have the similar strength to that that light weight they or their competitor sells for 2-3x as much. :wink:
