In the minds of most bikers, there is a clear hierarchy of materials: carbon has established itself across the board as the premium material for mountain bikes. Aluminium is the price-performance counterpart to carbon fibre. From a purely technical point of view, both materials can be used to build excellent, light and stiff frames. Perfect for racers who strive for the best times. The technical fact of the material density of aluminium or carbon alone is enough to make frames made from these materials attractive to market. The fact that steel is almost four times as dense as carbon only leads to one conclusion: steel is a material of the past. Although titanium is significantly lighter, its high price means that it remains a niche product, made for design fans and for eternity.
This text could end here, but it's not that simple. Even in 2020, the market still offers numerous bikes made of steel and titanium. So the question remains: Why are some manufacturers still resisting the technical mainstream of the industry? Why do some bikers continue to rely on titanium or steel? And is aluminium really worse than carbon? The table below shows that whether titanium, aluminium or carbon, the frame weight and stiffness of our test bikes remain roughly the same.
So does it matter what material a bike is made of? No, say the makers behind the bikes from Rennstahl or Rabbit Cycles. In their world, aspects such as longevity or conscious consumption play an overriding role. After four interviews with four advocates of one material each, it is suddenly no longer so clear that there is a clear hierarchy among the materials. Instead, each has its own philosophy, which gives different weighting to the different aspects that are combined in a bicycle. Florian Seidl, doctor of philosophy and passionate biker, also knows: "You have to dare to look beyond the obvious." Then you will realise: The individual strengths of a material cannot always be squeezed into an Excel table.
You can download the complete comparison test of four hardtails made of steel, aluminium, titanium and carbon from BIKE 9/20 as a PDF below the article. The test costs 1.99 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't charge for them, but the opposite is the case: we do charge for them - tens of thousands of euros every year.
- Rabbit Cycles MTB Plus 29/650B 27.5" (titanium)
- Rennstahl 853 MTB Trail (steel)
- Liteville H-3 MK-3 (aluminium)
- Santa Cruz Chameleon SE Carbon C29 (Carbon)
You can find this article in BIKE 9/2020. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
