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Buying Guide: Road Bike Materials
Bike frame materials have been revolutionised in the 21st century.
Bikes were traditionally made from
lightweight steels and alloys with carbon components or sections. These days, even though professional
racing is now almost completely dominated by carbon fibre, that doesn't mean other materials don't have
their place. This buying guide is here to show you the main features and advantages of the many different
bike frame materials.
Steel is used on bikes ranging from simple single speed runabouts through to hand-crafted masterpieces from
cycling’s most talented artisans. Many different bikes are made from steel or chromoly alloys.
Steel bikes often feature butted tubing – where the tubes used in the frame are made with much thinner walls
at the centre to reduce weight. The ends have thicker walls, which increases strength.
Steel comes in a range of different grades with the best steel road bikes
made from stronger alloys and
lighter frames. Good steel bikes are characterised by a ride that has a certain spring to it, something that
comes from the frame flexing and moving underneath you, creating a uniquely comfortable ride.
VIEW ALL STEEL FRAME ROAD BIKES
Aluminium frames are characterised by big oversized tubes that look rock solid and early aluminum bikes had a
reputation as being teeth rattlers. In the late 1980s and '90s, aluminium was the racers’ choice of
materials.
Thankfully, over the years designers and engineers have improved and evolved aluminium to make the most of
its lightweight characteristics while improving comfort levels. Bikes like Sir Chris Hoy's HOY Sa Calobra
are a good example of this - offering great levels of comfort with a rigidity that can handle the power of
the Scottish track legend.
Companies including Specialized, Cannondale
and BMC have continued to develop aluminium as a high-performance
material and the best aluminium road bikes are able to compete on equal terms with the best of the carbon
framed rivals.
VIEW ALL ALUMINIUM FRAME ROAD BIKES
Titanium was once the most exotic material a bicycle could be made of. It has a similar character and quality
to steel - light and lively. Titanium is impervious to rust, meaning Ti-framed bikes are usually given 'bike
for life' status. Titanium frames are usually built using either 3AL/2.5v tubing or 6AL/4v. The numbers
stand for the percentages of aluminium and vanadium alloys in the titanium mix, so in 3AL/2.5v the mix is 3%
aluminium and 2.5% vanadium.
The short and obvious answer is yes. Compared to other bike frame materials, titanium bikes are going to set
you back a fair amount, but for a ‘bike for life’, the price can normally be justified. In fact, both types
of tubing were originally designed for use in space. They’re both highly-resistant to corrosion (even from
the likes of seawater), have long fatigue lives and low weight.
To compare it with other materials, titanium is lighter than steel, stronger than aluminium and easier to
craft than carbon. The adaptation of titanium for bicycles in everyday use is something that only modern
engineering could accomplish, and it is one that is praised daily!
VIEW ALL TITANIUM FRAME ROAD BIKES
Carbon fibre is without a doubt a modern wonder material. It’s used to make everything from bikes to race
cars, to aeroplanes and yachts. Like titanium, carbon composites come from the aerospace industry and today
carbon fibre totally dominates high-end bicycles. From frames to wheels, shoe soles to handlebars, seatposts
and saddles – it is everywhere.
Put a carbon race bike in front of any crowd and the first question is 'how much does it weigh?' The second
will be 'how much does it cost?' Carbon fibre is a material where strands of carbon (fibres) are grouped and
bonded together with a resin. Carbon is popular because it can be used to make strong and light bikes;
however, that strength often comes at a high price.
Among riders, the most important bike frame characteristics will be weight, followed by stiffness and then
compliance. It’s stiffness that’s important here and the best carbon road bikes will use high-modulus carbon
in areas that need maximum stiffness e.g. the bottom bracket. Less stiff carbon will be used in areas where
compliance and comfort are desirable, e.g. top tube and seat stays. The way carbon can be used to create
light, stiff and compliant frames is what makes it such a popular material.
It’s worth knowing what the names and decals on a carbon bike mean - bike companies love a buzzword! Here's
how to tell what's what.
Lay-up - How the carbon fibre sheets and sections are arranged before being bonded with the
resin. Good designers will alter and adapt how the material is placed to get the properties they want from
the finished frame.
Unidirectional (UD) - Carbon composite material where all of the carbon strands run in the
same direction.
Woven carbon fibre - Where groups of strands of the carbon fibre are orientated in
different directions and interwoven (like a
basket). The angle at which the strands are interwoven also has an effect on how the material performs.
Modulus (high, ultra-high etc)- Young's Modulus (also known as Tensile or Elastic modulus)
is a measurement of stiffness. It predicts how
much a material will deform under load. A higher modulus means greater stiffness. But remember - a bike
that's completely high-modulus might not be what you're looking for as it'll no doubt be rather rigid!