UKC

when do you replace an alu frame? mines 7 years old now and seems fine but my understanding is that alu just cracks without warning.
ive got a carbon fork so I think that should be safe for longer than alu right?

In reply to ow arm:

Depends so much on the frame, quality of construction, how light and so on. I have seen a few cracked frames, but plenty, plenty more that weren't. What bike is it?

In reply to wbo:
trek pilot 2.1
edit - 2005 model

some superficial corrosion perhaps

In reply to ow arm:

I've a Spec Allez Alu frame carbon forks, I think its 2008. No issues with mine its been well looked after and just do a periodic check around welds.

I've no intention of changing my frame, and chances are if it does crack it wouldn't be a catastrophic failure, then I'd think about a new bike rather than replacing the frame

In reply to ow arm:

I don't think you can infer any 'product lifetime' simply from the material. Boeing 747s have Al 'frames' and fly day-in day-out for 20+ years. Replace it if you fancy a new bike, else just keep riding it.

In reply to ow arm:

My trek mountain bike frame came with a lifetime warrenty. I wouldn't have any worries riding it after 15 years!

In reply to ow arm:

I have a cannondale Killer V aluminium mountain bike bought in 1995, that has been hammered for 10 years solid off road, crashed, jumped and neglected in the shed for a few years, and intermittently used since then, and is showing no sign of failure or fatigue however, I wouldn't trust it offroad anymore.

On a road bike, I wouldn't think you need to worry too much

In reply to ow arm:

Thanks Ive just been cleaning my bike after a 200 miler at the weekend, and aside from some surface corrosion where the laquer has peeled off its looking fine. Ive resprayed the bare areas to protect it.

Its a Trek and so as aforementioned it does have a lifetime warranty on it.
It would be nice to get an all carbon frame but hey its a nice frame and Im not one to waste things just for the sake of something new and shiny

In reply to ow arm:


I can sympathise, I have a Scott 2003 & Ribble winter 2005 road bikes as well as a stump jumper MTB from 2002. I'd love a new bike but the ol' tin cans are going well and I am struggling to replace any of them as
1. The memories, we've got a lot of good times shared together, I've been abroad with my babies more times than with my wife!
2. The waste, why get something newer as these are still delivering what I originally bought them for
3. The cost, if I do replace any then it has to be something so good that it will be passed onto my children's children and they will be proud to own it

So I'm stuck, the only way out is to buy a new type of bike, a TT is currently on the list

In reply to ow arm:

Ive had a planet x team alu for the past 5 years and rate it highly....ive got a carbon bike in the shed but prefer this one as my winter and summer bike! Been great for 5 years and no problems with it.....

In reply to abr1966:


Fancy swapping my old alu bike for your redundant carbon one then?

In reply to ow arm:
If you don't have any huge crashes and they're quality parts you ought to be fine.

As far as I gather is more things like stems and handle bars you need to think about changing every so often if they're aluminium, from what I've read in cycling magazines.

A relative who's into metal fatigue always mutters that shouldn't be needed if things were designed properly, when that comes up in conversation, but it's what they write in Cycling Plus, and I guess they're the ones with the real world experience of bike parts and them sometimes breaking.

It's the kind of thing that's hard to tell, if something breaks it needed replacing. ()

In reply to Timmd:

I know but as one of my friends found out when a carbon fork snapped, you sometimes end up face first on the floor with two missing teeth. Not fun.

It's unlikely to fail catastrophically anyway.

Most of the metal fatigue will occur before there are any visible signs (i.e. no surface cracks). At the point when a crack has formed it won't be long till failure but you should be able to tell if you are doing regular inspections and you'll probably hear it starting to creak a little.

The crack would have to be fairly far through the metal before it'll reach the critical crack size for instant failure. Keep an eye on it and avoid the potholes, you should be fine.

In reply to ow arm:


That sounds horrible.

I guess that's why I like my steel frames, all materials can fail of course, but it seems like steel will fail with some warning. Hopefully.