Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Revolutionary Super Magnesium alloy concept bike to debut at NAHBS

New wonder material to debut at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show this weekend

The company behind a revolutionary new magnesium frame material will debut a concept bike at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) this weekend.

The Super Magnesium alloy developed by US firm Allite is claimed to be lighter and stiffer than aluminium and less expensive than carbon fibre. It weighs a claimed 30% less than aluminium and just as “strong and effective” as carbon but at a more affordable price.

Like most state-of-the-art materials, Super Magnesium has already been used in classified defence and aerospace applications but it’s clear the company is now looking to the wider market for more suitable applications.

- 13 of the best aluminium road bikes

When we first reported on the Super Magnesium announcement at the end of last year it only had a very rough looking frame prototype to show, but now it has a more finished looking bike to share with the public.

ALLITE Weis Concept Bike 3-4 Front SML

Allite doesn’t make bikes, it is a materials science company, so it has partnered with Brooklyn-based bike company Weis to develop a track frame made entirely from the new Super Magnesium.

”After connecting with several independent bicycle manufacturers following the launch of ALLITE Super Magnesium™ in 2018, it became clear that Weis was the ideal partner for this collaboration.” said Morten Kristiansen, Vice President, Products and Marketing of ALLITE Inc. “Weis’ minimalistic brand aesthetics blend well with ours, and the Hammer Track’s frame design, and purpose, is perfectly suited for an experimental frame using our premium alloy.”

“Once our team at Weis learned about ALLITE Super Magnesium™, we became fascinated with the idea of creating our own unique frame using the new material,” said Cole Bennett, owner of Weis Manufacturing. “We’re continuously innovating and looking for ways to optimize riding performance, and working with this new premium alloy is a testament to that.”

The material is also said to be eco-friendly and sustainable and is 100% recyclable. “It has the lowest carbon footprint of any structural material throughout the value chain,” claims the Ohio-based company.

 

We put a few questions to the company about when customers can expect to buy this frame.

road.cc: Do you have plans for Weis to sell this bike any time soon?

Allite: The project was initiated to illustrate the benefits and 'manufacturability' of the material and the craftsmanship of Weis manufacturing, so we have not made a final decision on the distribution of the bike. Given the positive experience of this project and the end result we are looking forward to offering the material and technology to Weis, and possibly other custom builders, in 2019.

road.cc: How long do you expect before the public can buy a frame made from the new material?

Allite: Weis has been very forthcoming in showing interest in using the material in a commercially available project going forward, so we expect Weis to be able to continue manufacturing with the tubes and offer frames for sale as early as spring/summer 2019.

This isn’t the only new wonder material on the horizon. Another group of very clever people from UCLA are working on a method that enables relatively easy welding of 7075, an aluminium alloy that has previously been notoriously difficult to weld. What it means for us is an alloy that is as strong and light as carbon fibre but hopefully cheaper.

- Could this aluminium alloy rival carbon fibre for lightweight frames?

As we’ve been saying for years here at road.cc, there’s a lot of life left in aluminium and the latest advances ensure it’s a viable choice and probably offers the best bang for buck performance.

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

Add new comment

12 comments

Avatar
Spangly Shiny | 5 years ago
0 likes

I used to work on helicopters that featured Mag alloy components. Once the corrosion starts you can actually hear it.

Avatar
srchar | 5 years ago
0 likes

I own a car with magnesium content in the alloy wheels. Wouldn't want a bike made from the same.

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
0 likes

Is carbon fibre really that expensive, or indeed not getting cheaper fast enough?

Avatar
MisterMuncher replied to Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
0 likes
Mungecrundle wrote:

Is carbon fibre really that expensive, or indeed not getting cheaper fast enough?

CF itself isn't expensive. The cost comes from the labour involved in production, which doesn't look like it's coming down anytime soon. Automation is still pretty limited for carbon production.

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 5 years ago
0 likes

It's a nice looking bike (I think given the lighting). I have to say though, I'm not sure I'd want a frame made of magnesium. It's a very light material for sure, but it is also subject to cracking and corrosion. At least when steel corrodes, it's easy to tell. But with magnesium you get a surface layer of oxide anyway while the corrosion can continue unabated underneath. Impacts can also result in cracking and you might not know a structural component has a problem until it fails. As an engineering metal it has a definite working life and doesn't age as well as steel, titanium or even aluminium.

I've magnesium pedals on my race bike and they are very light, but they're also not structural components so I don't worry about them.

If I wanted a bike made of an exotic metal rather than steel or an aluminium alloy, it'd be titanium for me.

Materials technology was one of my favourite topics when I studied engineering, in case you didn't guess.

It's not exactly a 'new wonder material'. The Germans first began using magnesium extensively for aircraft components in WWI. Magnesium has been used widely in aviation ever since and for automotive purposes since the late 30s.

Avatar
madcarew replied to OldRidgeback | 5 years ago
0 likes

OldRidgeback wrote:

It's a nice looking bike (I think given the lighting). I have to say though, I'm not sure I'd want a frame made of magnesium. It's a very light material for sure, but it is also subject to cracking and corrosion. At least when steel corrodes, it's easy to tell. But with magnesium you get a surface layer of oxide anyway while the corrosion can continue unabated underneath. Impacts can also result in cracking and you might not know a structural component has a problem until it fails. As an engineering metal it has a definite working life and doesn't age as well as steel, titanium or even aluminium.

I've magnesium pedals on my race bike and they are very light, but they're also not structural components so I don't worry about them.

If I wanted a bike made of an exotic metal rather than steel or an aluminium alloy, it'd be titanium for me.

Materials technology was one of my favourite topics when I studied engineering, in case you didn't guess.

It's not exactly a 'new wonder material'. The Germans first began using magnesium extensively for aircraft components in WWI. Magnesium has been used widely in aviation ever since and for automotive purposes since the late 30s.

They are talking about the development of an alloy , which like in the case of 6061 and 7075 for aluminium, addresses some of the similar concerns you've pointed out here. When I first rode an Al frame in the mid 80's, many people had dire predictions of its mechanical properties, but I was still winning races on that bike 20 years later. The 'wonder' part of the moniker may be the new purposes the new alloy can be put to (like reliable welding) that were not possible previously.

Avatar
Bmblbzzz | 5 years ago
1 like

Unlike Kirk, they've gone for a conventional frame design.

Avatar
60kg lean keen ... replied to Bmblbzzz | 5 years ago
0 likes

Unlike Kirk, they've gone for a conventional frame design.

Kirk were cast so no tube joins, I thought and as the alternative tread line on this article hints at, with the pictures being a bit hazy-subdued and knowing that mag can be welded but It needs skill to do right. That they had found a alternative to tig welding, but when I zoomed in it does seem if it is tig welded. So yes it all seems very normal bar tube choice.

Avatar
60kg lean keen ... | 5 years ago
2 likes

http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/01/8-second-bicycle.html?m=1

 

I remember Kirk Precision, and really wanted to own one! Perhaps this time Mag frames will fulfill there true potential. Kirk too soon too ambitious but that’s how it works sometimes and the problems with first gen do not takeaway Kirk vision!

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
4 likes

Might have helped if they'd turned the lights on for the promo pix, or is it designed to look mysterious?

Avatar
David Arthur @d... replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
1 like
burtthebike wrote:

Might have helped if they'd turned the lights on for the promo pix, or is it designed to look mysterious?

Definitely going for the mysterious look! Hopefully we can get some better pics from the show

Avatar
JMcL_Ireland replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
5 likes

burtthebike wrote:

Might have helped if they'd turned the lights on for the promo pix, or is it designed to look mysterious?

Y'see that's the problem, it's super light and strong, but unfortunately decomposes back into unicorn feathers in bright light

...or maybe they just didn't pay the leccy bill

Latest Comments