Information And Tips on Mountain Bike Framing Materials

You will discover the cost of a mountain bike frame is proportionate to the material it’s made from, in addition to the treatment the substance has received. These days, there’s five types of substance utilized for mountain bikes - high tensile steel, chromoly steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Bigger diameters, heat treating, and butting are the tubing material methods which will raise the price of a cycle frame too.

High tensile steel

This is a highly tough alloy which is employed in lower priced bikes. This offers a raised carbon content which renders it more pliable than chromoly steel, so addtional materials are needed to make it sturdy enough for bike frames, which would of course make it heavier. Broadly speaking inexpensive to make, you will discover this substance within trail bikes, city bicycles, and even basic mountain bicycles. There are a few bicycles that are made with a chromoly seat tube, while the remainder made from high tensile steel.

Chromoly steel

Abridged for steel alloy, chromoly is best known by its major additives, chromium and molybdenum, which is likely the most refined substance, giving well over one hundred years of good service. Depending upon the type of heat treating and butting, you can find this compound within bikes as low as four hundred dollars and even up to 1,500 and beyond. The chromoly steel type renders great stability and a compliant ride characteristic.

Aluminum

For the last fifteen years, aluminum has always been refined in pretty much the same way as chromoly. There’s been different admixtures developed, in addition to heat treating, oversizing, and butting. Since with dual suspension bikes, aluminum is the preferred material as it is the toughest as well as most cost effective. Aluminum is stiffer than chromoly, and as such it’ll crack before chromoly, but of course, this hinges upon the amount you ride and how much abuse you give the frame. A benefit of using aluminum is that the frame is very light and quite sturdy throughout.

Titanium

While it’s somewhat outlandish, costs for the metal have decreased during the last few years but frames made of titanium are still costly as it requires more time to weld the tubes to the frame. Titanium is considered an alloy, normally mixed with small amounts of vanadium and aluminum to give it better weldability and ride characteristics. More conformable than chromoly, this supplies greater wear as well as decay characteristics.

The substance which you select for your bicycle, all depends on where you ride and what style you use. Nearly all materials will last you for years, as long as you take care of your bike and be respectful of it.