Jan wrote:
So that brings up the question of when aluminum bikes and parts became reliable. By the mid-1930s, they certainly were almost totally reliable. Aluminum frames still had a higher failure rate than steel, but probably not much higher than many modern materials.
Jan,
You're the last person I'd expect to possibly spread misinformation without some solid facts for backup. Which modern frame materials are you suggesting would have failure rates comparable to 1930s aluminum bike frames? Ti, CF, Al? While you say "many" modern materials (there really are only 4, generally speaking) I would have to assume that you're talking about CF, because Ti, for all it's shortcomings, is generally accepted as pretty durable, and to characterize modern Al as only slightly more reliable than Al bikes from 7 decades ago... well, that seems like a huge reach. Then again, I trust you have some solid data to add.
My uneducated guess is that if 1930's AL frames were not failing at extremely high rates, it was because they were not being used.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA, USA
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