Totally out. Boring. Somehow unsexy. Two or three years ago, aluminium frames were still being labelled with these and similar attributes. At most, the light metal was still accepted as a frame material for racing bikes under 1,500 euros. Aluminium frames had the reputation of being too heavy for higher demands and no longer visually contemporary. Road cyclists who thought highly of themselves rode carbon fibre. End of the discussion! In the meantime, the wind seems to be changing again. It would certainly be an exaggeration to proclaim a comeback of light metal for high-quality bikes - but the range of technically sophisticated aluminium frames is growing again.
Cannondale with its CAAD10 frame can be seen as the trigger for the renaissance a good two years ago. The US brand - although it had grown up with aluminium frames - had, like most major suppliers in recent years, opted for carbon. This had worked well in the high-end segment, but for a long time there was a lack of attractive models in the lower and middle price ranges up to € 2,500. The CAAD10 solved this problem because a modern design language was now possible (hydroforming process). The success of the CAAD10 also gave other companies the idea of adding a high-quality aluminium model to their range after a long break.
You can find the test results of these aluminium racers in the PDF download:
- BMC Granfondo GF02
- Cannondale CAAD10 Ultera Di2
- Canyon Ultimate AL 9.0 Di2
- Koga A-Limited Aluminium 6069
- Rose Xeon RS-4000
- Specialised Allez E5 OSBB
- Stevens Vuelta
- Storck Visioner
Downloads:
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