by Corban Burns

Created on: March 18, 2010   Last Updated: March 21, 2010

A bike’s frame is often called the heart and soul of a bike. So in order to have a good bike, you must first start with a good frame and good frames start with good materials. With that connection established, you must now assess what your bike will be doing for you. Is this bike strictly for fun and leisure rides only or are you an active and serious cycler? Is your bike solely designed for performing tricks at a skatepark or other places? Will you use this bike as your main form of transportation throughout the city? All of these questions will give you a feel for what your bike frame needs to do for you.

The market is full of bike frames made of hard steel, titanium, chromoly, carbon fiber and aluminum. Each material offers both good and positive features and at the same time has its drawbacks. For example, the hard steel frame is extremely durable. Its ability to weather tough conditions, long hard rides and good handling and shock absorption technology makes it a favorite among many people. Another advantage of the hard steel frame is its availability. It is extremely common on bikes, which makes it a more affordable product. Unfortunately, hard steel bike are also very heavy and today the last thing someone wants is a thirty or forty pound bike they have to haul up the stairs or down to the basement. The ultra-beefy frame design common to many hard steel frames also makes it very awkward and cumbersome when dealing with it.

Depending on how good the bike frame was made, a carbon fiber frame can be stronger and more durable than a steel framed bike while lighter than aluminum framed bike. This is only possible because unlike any other bike frame, this is constructed by hand.  This also gives the designer an endless possibility of choices. They can construct it in a tubular fashion or give it a straight necked design. No doubt this expert craftsmanship would cause the price of the bike to skyrocket, but it is worth it if you are a serious rider. They only downside of owning a carbon fiber frame is the amount of money spent to repair a crack or defect would be at least half of the bike frame’s list price!

The common aluminum bike frame got its popularity when consumers began realizing it was both strong and lightweight. For quite a while NASA has been using more aluminum materials for their spacecrafts and this has really made owning an aluminum bike frame a privilege. This combination is enviable when riding a bike and is useful for some mild trail riding. On the other hand, it a proven fact that the shock absorption on an aluminum frame bike is below par. As far as comfort is concerned, your ride is prone to be very bumpy.

Anyone who is into BMX or familiar with it knows that chromoly is a coveted material. Known for its intense durability, strength and lightweight nature, it can be the most important part of your bike. The problem is chromoly doesn’t come cheap. You have to pay for the many hours it takes to make the frame and the experts that ensure its quality. However, if you are a serious rider and will take care of your bike, it is worth your money.

Lastly is the titanium frame. It is very rare that you will see someone riding down the street sporting a frame made from titanium. It is a rare and expensive material. But it’s the strongest alloy in its class. Simply put it doesn’t get any better than this! But once again, the major price tag is a huge deterrent to most people. Along with that, if your frame should have a defect or after some time develop a crack, it is very hard to find a skilled welder who can fix it properly, especially for a reasonable price.

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