Bicycle Frames, The Heart Of The Bike

The bicycle frame was for many years manufactured in steel, the first frames were very heavy and the angles were very laid back and with a long wheel base, which made for a comfortable ride on the rough roads of the time, but would not be responsive for today's fast roads and race conditions.

Steel bicycle frames over the years got lighter and lighter by making the tubes thinner and joining them without the use of lugs.

A big change came in the manufacture of frames when alloy tubes could be joined to each other strongly and safely to make responsive and very light frames, the tubes had to be bigger, but they could be made in aero-dynamic shapes.

Titanium Bike Frames

If you have the money titanium or an all carbon frame would be your choice, much more expensive.  But in the case of titanium if it made correctly it will last a lifetime.

Titanium is very light but will give you a hard ride, mixing titanium main tubes with carbon forks and back end would be the best for handling and for comfort.

Carbon Fiber Bike Frames

An all carbon frame at the moment seems to be what every one wants.

Although titanium is very nice, carbon fiber frames are more affordable and probably more popular. Some of the nicest bike frames on the market are carbon, most of the big and famous frame builders now make at least one carbon fibre bike frame.

The most famous of these are Giant, Colnago, De Rosa, Look, Trek and Pinarello and there are many, many more, all very beautiful.

Look carbon frame

Pinarello Magnesium frame
(Oscar Pereiro Bike - Tour de France winner)

Colnago carbon frame (Denis Menchov)

Orbea carbon frame

Scott carbon frame (David Millar)

BH All Carbon frame (Alexander Vinokourov)

Ridley carbon frame
(Fred Rodriguez - 3 times U.S. Pro Cycling Champion)

Carbon fiber bike frames can be constructed in three different ways, they can be made in one piece, with the carbon material wrapped in different directions for strength and lightness or tubes can be made more like ordinary alloy or steel frames and then joined directly or with lugs.

All are good and strong and give a comfortable ride and all the strength that you put into pressing on the pedals will go into pushing you forward on the road.

Bike manufacturers, Giant are one of the leaders in carbon fiber frame making, they were the first to build a frame that came in at under 1 kilogram and at an affordable price.

There are many frame builders using carbon fiber and all have different designs as carbon can be moulded or wrapped in many different shapes, not just round profiles.

These can be flat for aerodynamics or square for strength or as with most carbon fiber bike frames a mixture of many shapes for a mixture of strength, comfort, aerodynamics and style and they come in any colour, usually black to show off that beautiful carbon fiber weave.

All the main frame manufacturers make one, some with lugs (Trek, Colnago, Cervelo), some without (Scott, De Rosa, Battaglin) and some monocoque (Giant, Trek).

The monocoque designs can have tubes in any shape, but are a little heavier. Basically buy the best bicycle frame you can afford.

Alloy Bike Frames

Alloy bicycle frames are now most people's choice combined with carbon forks and in some cases carbon chain and seat stays at the back.