I understand the idea behind using a non-corrosive metal since buggying is often done on the beach, but why something as heavy as stainless? Are the loads generated so great that aluminum wouldn't suffice? Seems like you could use a mix of the two, using stainless for axles and whatnot, but make the frame out of some larger diameter alum. What kind of diameter/wall thickness is common anyway?

Maybe there are some alum. buggies out there. So far though I've only seen one in person, and it was a painted carbon steel, DIY job.

Maybe it's the price

some buggys are made from ally like the parastorm etc, depends on what you want to do with the buggy, ie freestlyee, cruising , racing etc etc

with a race buggy wieght is not an issue, as many racers add extra weight to their buggies up to 20kg I believe,

freestylers want a light but strong buggy and the light flexi buggy fills this gap

A race buggy can weigh anything from 40-60+kg, so stainless is solving many issues here, with strength, wieght and durability....

rear axles range from 1400-1600mm, 42-60mm in diameter and around 3.5mm thick, remember also weights are added to this if needed to hold a good line and not get dragged sideways, more weight means a larger kite can be flown

Carl

Ah okay that clarifies a few things. I'm used to the water end of things where everybody wants to have light gear so that you can ride as small of a kite as possible. Guess on land you don't want something so small/fast that its like holding onto a bat on a string.

Pea, alum is cheaper than stainless. Easier to machine, but harder to weld.

I was going to use aluminum myself for the homebuilt bug, but apparently there's problems with loosing strength when welding, then some sort of treatment process needed to bring the strenght back up. Stainless was just soo much easier, and the whole buggy with seat and barrows still weighs in at 45lbs. Haven't bent it yet. But I did use larger diameter tubing and a sched 40 stainless pipe for the downtube.

Just like with mountain bikes, Aluminum can be used but needs to be bigger tubing (notice that on aluminum bikes?) Aluminum tends to be less mallable than steel, and with less elastic properties (it won't return to normal after being bent slightly) This gives steel a major atvantage over aluminum when it comes to buggies. Steel will flex, and gives a slightly smoother ride. In the event that you bend something when you wreck, steel can be carefully bent back without any great loss in structural integrity (No such luck with aluminum)

Your right Pablo, aluminum loses alot of strength when welded (this is why the welds on aluminum mountain bikes are all so beefy and tend to be double-butted (one tube inside another on the ends))

The major advantage of aluminum in mountain bikes is weight reduction (even with all the added bulk) However, since shaving a pound or two off the total weight of a buggy isn't nearly as critical as it is in mountain biking (no hills to climb) I can't see any advantage in using it.

This is probably why you don't see a lot of carbon-fibre and titanium buggy frames either. Too damned expensive to make, and no really useful advantage. (Although a carbon-fibre buggy would look SOOO COOL!!!)

Apparently steel (either powder-coated cromolly, or stainless) is still the cheapest, most durable, easiest to repair, easiest to manufacture, material to make buggies out of.

Of course, if someone out there (with lots of money to blow, and all the specialized equipment at his disposal) would make a one piece carbon-fibre buggy frame!!! All glossy, and black..... OOOOOOHHH PRETTY!!!!!!

I have seen in person a buggy with a molded carbon seat and a fiberglass leaf spring as the rear axle. custom!! I am sorry I cannot remember the guys name that made it, but it certainly did turn heads...

seany

5,000 to have a carbon buggy made

Alum is definately more brittle than steel, but then stainless will crystalize if you aren't using an inert backing gas. I'll admit it, I've only used backing gas once!

I too, had thought of the natural suspension properties of using steel vs. aluminum. That's why I was thinking that the axles should definately be stainless, but (providing its bolt on), the frame could be larger diameter aluminum. We're not talking about 1-2 lbs here, more like 10. I might try it out if I decide to build a lightwind freestyler - got a bunch of leftover 2" alum sitting in my scrap bin.

If you already have most of the material and the tools, why not!?!? The only problem I would forsee is balance. As it stands, on my all-steel buggies, my built up rear axles tend to throw my center of gravity back, making my front-end a little too light in comparison. In hard pulls, my front end tends to slide out prematurely, and during lifts, my rear-ends tends to not want to POP during freestyle moves.

My only option were to either add more weight/traction to the front end, or to reduce it in the rear (the option I prefer) I've gone to super-lightened tubeless bigfoots that have been bead-to-bead shaved and plastic rims. Still durable, but much more even feeling.

Maybe if you also used steel for your front tube and steerer also, and save the aluminum for the #@%$#!pit area, you could still get some weight saving, but wouldn't have to deal with this problem? Just a thought.