frame materials

greggery peccary said:

ok here's one to revisit: ive been riding on an aluminum frame w/carbon
fork for three years 10K miles. the frame is now cracked and the more i
read the more i realize that steel frames have come a long way
recently. my previous bike was a very light benotto steel bike but it
was mushy and downright scary at 40mph. switching to the aluminum was a
real joy for me to hammer up the hills around here with efficiency and
glide downhill with no shakiness. now im looking for a new frame for
<$500.
riding: commuting 3K hilly miles/ year on very bad potholed & rutted
streets. the only racing i do is against other commuters, cars and
possums...
-alan

Nashbar has a touring frame (7005 aluminum, steel fork) on sale now for
$180. I've purchased 2 frames in the last few years -- a Cannondale
touring (aluminum, steel fork, new, LBS) for $450 and a Fuji (steel,
new, Ebay) for $90. The Cannondale is stiffer, which makes it feel more
secure at speed, but the Fuji rides well, too. My preference for the
large size frames I ride is aluminum, but it's not a huge preference.