One of the most fundamental choices a bike tourist must make is what kind of bike they’ll ride. Although there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, the most basic is what material the frame will be made of – steel or aluminum. Many cyclists find they prefer the feel of aluminum which is more rigid. Others prefer the flexing of a steel bike. At the end of the day, it will come down to personal preference as to which you like more.
The main issue, however, tends to be the ease of repair should something happen to your bike. If you are riding an aluminum bike and it breaks, you most likely will not be able to find someone who can weld it back together – welding aluminum requires very specialized equipment that will only be available in big cities. Every tiny town throughout the world will have someone who can weld steel.
But is this even an issue? When was the last time you had your bike welded? What are the chances that you will be stranded in some remote place because you need someone to weld your bike?
One argument is that you will not be able to find someone to properly weld a frame back together in any case. Should your frame completely break in two, you will need a new frame, so it makes no difference if you are riding a steel or aluminum bike.
However – a more likely scenario is that the frame won’t completely break into two, but rather you’ll break a small braze-on or something. That can be successfully repaired if you have a steel bike, but an aluminum bike may be un-ride-able until you get into a large city where you can find someone with the equipment for welding aluminum.
Many years ago I was riding in India. As we loaded my bike onto a bus, I broke a small braze-on that held my brake cable in place. Fortunately, my bike was steel and I was able to get the break welded in the tiny town we happened to be in. I continued on my way and that braze-on is still holding many years later. If my bike had been aluminum, I’m not sure where I would have had to travel to get it fixed.
Which is better – aluminum or steel? There is no easy answer. If you will be riding in areas where you have an easy out, it will make no difference whatsoever, so just ride whichever bike you feel more comfortable on. If your plans include riding around the world, consider a steel frame just in case you happen to break some small piece. In either case, if your entire frame should fail, plan on getting a new one sent out.
Nany Sathre-Vogel has been bicycle touringfor more than 20 years now and has gained plenty of wisdome during those years. You can take advantage of her experience for planning your bicycle tour. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
