New alloy of iron and aluminium as good as titanium, at a tenth of the cost

boing
42

There’s a few reasons why the increase in frame cost when stepping up to titanium is so high.

  • Material cost is not same as tubing cost. Titanium at $3 a lb is not suitable for use in a bicycle, because its not a tube (and may be the wrong alloy). Same goes for steel, but less so.

  • Working with titanium is hard, you need better equipment and more training.

  • Apples and oranges. At similar market levels (boutique builders of custom frames) the cost difference is much less.

  • The market will bear it.

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43

Does in not bother anybody that this new alloy is apparently so skinmeltingly toxic that you have to wear protective handgear?

44

I keep a steel frame in the quiver as well. It’s a CX trail beater now but if I ever have cause to to set up a big milage touring kit, nothing beats steel. A little heavy but it won’t shake your fillings out.

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45

No, why?

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46

Does it bother you that the researchers don’t want filthy handprints all over their nice clean alloy?

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It doesn’t bother me that you imagine that, no. Why should your imagination bother anybody?

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if you are referring to the photograph at the head of this article, that’s a stock photograph of a medical titanium joint held in a gloved hand, not a picture of the new alloy.

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Thanks. I didn’t understand any of the other cryptic responses to my post.

50

Cryptic? I found them pretty straightforward. Allow me a try:

[your post suggesting the picture with the glove means the metal will melt and explode bare skin and asking if that bothers people]

“I’m cool with the hand-melting. I’m not fussy that way.”

“The glove was protecting the metal all along, not the hand. What a twist!”

“Ah, a fellow Troma fan. Not everyone appreciates imagining random things melting skin. But why not, right? Shine on, you crazy diamond.”

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51

I don’t understand why you imagine the metal is toxic.

It is not ‘apparently’ toxic. A glove is apparent. You ‘imagined’ that equates to toxicity?

I make this assumption as an environmental toxicologist. Not some yahoo who never ever has to explain poison and how it works to people. Also I am someone who knows how dangerous bad information, and chicken little thinking, can be.

So, I’m not offended if that you imagined that. I am a bit put off you’d ask others to leap to your conclusion instead of asking an expert. We’re here for you. If you ask. If you just say what you think without any thinking or research or backup, you might get contradicted by well informed people.

It’s not personal. It’s a logical consequence of being not correct in the presence of people who want you to be well and accurately informed of -actually- scary things.

Which is easier, and generally is less confusing, if you ask rather than just start making public proclamations about your fears to anyone who might listen.

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I’m almost sorry my poor joke caused you to devote so much effort in responding to it.

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53

It was pretty obvious to me what he/she meant, but only after I saw the stock photo and the caption - I hadn’t even noticed the photo before.

Since the post is about the new alloy the most obvious photo to include would be one of the new alloy, not some stock photo of something else. Thus, without the context of knowing the photo used for the post is a sterile medical device it’s reasonable to assume other purposes for the glove holding the metal in the photo.

54

I held molten mercury in my hand. It feels interesting.

(I also held molten tin-lead in my hand but that was only for a very short time and not on purpose.)

Didn’t try gallium yet. Too expensive.

Even beryllium is harmless in bulk metal form. It’s the dust that’s hazardous, and that even only if you are the hapless susceptible genotype. Which you of course don’t know in advance (unless you get the specific genetic testing).

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