leonf

I have an aluminum Domestic and have read that magnesium ones exist. Does anyone here use one?

How does one determine if it is magnesium? Thanks.

Mickey2

I'm not sure if there are any tests to tell the various alloys appart. When they talk about magnesium bike frames it's often a particular aluminium-magnesium alloy; tubes made from various factories to set standards. Magnesium makes the alloy stronger and stiffer. I don't know how much of an advantage magnesium would be in one of the old straight stitcher models, the thick casting of the body added a lot to it's stability and sturdiness. I know the old magnesium frames didn't hold up in the long run, and I don't know what they did to improve on it (old meaning ca. 1980). Every other year I read there are lots of research and improvements on this, but I have yet to see a magnesium bike frame in front of me. On the other hand there are lots of aluminium and carbon frames, very few titanium frames, but still quite a lot carbon steel tubing on the roads. I'm side tracking quite a bit here, but experimentations with metals often have parallel lines of development.

leonf

I am a bike too and have been following the changes there. Drooled over some titanium, but only have steel and aluminum ones. I suppose I could knock off a chip and see if it burns.[ATTACH=CONFIG]582433[/ATTACH]

Mickey2

Your bike looks fun, I like it a lot. I have seen the tall version of it, a sort of dare devil sport :- )

Magnesium burns, I didn't think of that. I looked it up and it's 2/3 of the weight of aluminium, I assume it's still hard to tell by just looking at it and holding it. I have a black cast iron 201 and a beige aluminium 201, the weight difference is very noticeable. I struggled a lot to carry my cast iron in it's small table down the stairs, but the aluminium 201 in a different table ( about the same size) was an easy job. I didin't know they every made them in magnesium. Does it light up as easily as magnesium ribbons do?

OurWorkbench

Leon, I think the magnesium ones have MG in the serial number. White 77 and Domestic 153 are the models that came in magnesium models.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

leonf

Thanks Janey. one more think to keep any eye out for.

Mickey 2. I also have a 38 inch which is much easier for me to ride. The one pictured is 28 I used it for a training wheel for people who want to ride bigger. If I was better I'd put miles on my 48. Not yet.