I'm not talking about punch press bikes like the P-bikes or STDs, or Chases, etc, but something custom, purpose built, and ready to be abused. Something like what Rick the Welder has been popping up with lately is what comes to mind. I'd be working on something fully custom with replaceable chainstay grind plates, downtube plates, etc. His frames weigh in at 3 pounds. That's atleast 2.5 pounds lighter than the lighter steel frames out there. That would put my build in the high twentys.
But my current steel whip is a black market Riot and it's pretty beat. Dents all over the downtube, dents in the top tube, smashed in non-drive chainstay from learning pedal grinds, scratches and rust. My bikes are nothing more than tools these days, but will an aluminum tool hold up?
I know that steel is the prefered material, just curious to see if AL will stand on the same ground, and lose the weight penalty.
But my current steel whip is a black market Riot and it's pretty beat. Dents all over the downtube, dents in the top tube, smashed in non-drive chainstay from learning pedal grinds, scratches and rust. My bikes are nothing more than tools these days, but will an aluminum tool hold up?
I know that steel is the prefered material, just curious to see if AL will stand on the same ground, and lose the weight penalty.