Choosing A Bike For Touring - Steel Or Aluminum?

One of the current debates about touring bikes is whether an aluminum or steel frame is a better choice. In the end, it comes down to personal choice. Aluminum is more rigid, which some people prefer. Steel flexes, which leads to a more comfortable ride for many.

There is, however, another consideration that needs to be looked at - the ease of repair should something happen to the bike. If you are riding an aluminum bike, you will need to get to a specialized facility in a large city if you need anything welded on your bike. There are people in every tiny village throughout the world who can weld steel.

Some people say this is all a moot point - when was the last time you had your bike welded anyway? The chances of something happening to your bike that would require welding are very small.

If your frame breaks completely nobody will be able to weld it back together so that it is perfectly aligned, and you'll need to get a new frame anyway. In that regard, it won't matter if your frame is aluminum or steel.

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.

And so come back to the original question: Which is better - steel or aluminum? My answer to that question is that it depends on what you are doing. If you are riding in your home country and have an easy out if something should happen, it makes no difference - ride which ever you find more comfortable. If, on the other hand, you plan to ride around the world through remote corners of the globe, you may be better off with a steel bike that can be more easily repaired. In either case, plan on replacing your frame if the whole thing breaks.