Materials Used to Build Mountain Bike Frames
You will find the cost of a mountain bike frame to be in direct proportion to the a) material used in the construction and the b) treatment that material has received. As you begin your research for a mountain bike frame you will soon learn there are five types of materials used in the construction – a) high tensile steel, b) chromoly steel, c) aluminum, d) titanium, and e) carbon fiber. In addition, tubing material treatments adding to the increased cost of a frame are a) oversized diameters, b) heat treating, and c) butting.
High tensile steel is a very durable alloy that’s found in lower priced mountain bikes. It offers a high carbon content which makes it less stiff than chromoly steel, so more materials are needed to make it stiff enough for bicycle frames, which will in turn make it that much heavier.
Being relatively inexpensive to produce, high tensile steel is used in the manufacture of trail bikes, city bikes, and entry level mountain bikes. You’ll find some bikes manufactured with high tensile steel but having a seat tube manufactured with chromoly.
Next on the list of mountain bike framing materials is chromoly (short for steel alloy ). Chromoly is better defined by the major additives it contains – chromium and molybdenum. This framing material is probably one of the most refined and can more than 100 years of reliable service.
Depending on the type of heat treating and butting, you can find this material in bikes as low as 400 dollars all the way up to 1,500 and beyond. The chromoly steel material offers very good durability and a compliant ride characteristic.
For the past 15 years, aluminum has been refined in pretty much the same way as chromoly. There have been various alloys developed, as well as heat treatment, oversizing, and butting. With dual suspension bikes, aluminum is the preferred material as it’s the stiffest and most cost effective.
Since aluminum is stiffer than is chromoly, it can tend to crack before chromoly will. Factors such as how you ride and the abuse your frame sees determines whether or not this will be a concern for you. One of the major advantages to using aluminum in bike frames is that the bike is very light and very stiff through butting and oversizing.
Although some folks consider titanium to be somewhat exotic, prices for titanium frames have dropped a bit in recent years. However, because of the extra time it takes to weld the tubes to the frame, titanium frames continue to remain relatively expensive.
Being an alloy, small amounts of aluminum and vandium are most commonly mixed with titanium giving it improved weldability along with enhanced ride characteristics. Titanium is more compliant than chromoly and offers improved fatigue and corrosion resistant attributes.
The material you select for use on your bike, all is determined by where you ride and what style you employ in your riding. Just about all materials will last you for years, provided you care for your bike and treat the frame with a bit of respect.
Mountain biking is a tremendous sport and can take you places you have never been to before. Now be sure you get back to where you embarked with a GPS Garmin Watch. The Garmin GPS Watch such as the Garmin Forerunner Watch is going to be sure you don’t get eaten up by the wilderness you set out to conquer.