Material definition and history
Magnesium is quite abundant, making up about 2% of the Earth's crust. It is highly volatile and burns easily, hence its use for flares and fireworks. In the bike market it is most commonly used as an alloy to enhance aluminium, although it is also possible to produce pure magnesium frames. At two thirds the density of aluminium, it has a great strength to weight ratio.
Remember, the fit of your bike is more important than material! Read our frame size guide to get the best fitting bike possible.
Magnesium bikes
The old Soviet Bloc defence industry has, in recent decades, re-applied all its advanced tools, techniques and materials that were once used for the military. This has led to, among many other things, magnesium bikes and frames in the performance markets. It has been widely used for suspension forks, however whole magnesium bikes are far less common.
Magnesium's strength is unpredictable, keeping production runs small, exclusive and expensive.
Good points
- Extremely light weight.
- Springy, comfortable ride.
- Very rare and therefore exclusive.
Failure
Likely to break under an extreme impact and would be costly to repair.
Best suited to
- Ultra light weight, extreme bikes.
