Dan Empfield (fondateur de QR) prédit la fin de l'alu, un peu comme l'acier a finalement disparu des parcs à vélos: voila son explication: avant tout une histoire de marketing! le carbone a de beaux jours devant lui car plus profitable pour les fabricants de cycles et plus vendeurs pour leurs clients:...intéressant!
"Aluminum is destined to shrink in numbers in future years, because it is squeezed in between two converging commercial realities. The market has determined that the cost of an entry-level tri bike should increase to a point close to $2000. Carbon's entry point becomes lower each year, and is approaching that same dollar figure. Aluminum must fit in there somewhere.
Aluminum in 2007 seems to be where steel was 15 years ago. In the same way steel held on for awhile by refreshing its image with exotic alloying agents, aluminum has gone that same route. But it appears aluminum's best ploy is to become partly carbon, and a significant slice of today's aluminum bikes have carbon seat or chain stays, seat tubes, or lugs. The lines between aluminum and carbon will probably continue to blur. "