What is the best bike frame material and how much?

I'm guessing steal is cheap, alluminum is more expensive but more light weight? I really don't know much about prices and whats stronger and lighter?

The argument goes on, and on, and on.

I am beginning to think there is no "best" frame material -- just different materials with different characteristics.
If you are not racing, the weight difference isn't that great.

My OPINION from 40 years of riding, and opinion only:

Cro-Moly steel -- compliant, forgiving ride, almost no road vibration.
Aluminum -- stiff, responsive, road vibrations transmitted easily.
Titanium -- best of both worlds of the above. Light and nice ride.
Aluminum w/ Carbon Fiber forks and stays -- all the advantages of Aluminum with dimished vibrations.
Carbon Fiber -- Ultimate weight savings, responsive, no vibrations.

If you are a recreational rider, I would suggest a steel or Aluminum/CF frame with 105 or better components. The frame isn't the entire bike.

Let the debate continue.

Steel is better and more comfortable. You can find bikes that weigh under 18lbs that are steel and your bum will thank you for it after 50 miles.

carbon - light but no good for hard core use
steel- strong with a bit of flex and give
aluminum- strong light
titanium- strong and very light

steel and alu are mostly available across the board, at most price ranges.

all depends what you want the bike for, and how much you want to pay.

It depends on your definition of "best." There are many different materials for a bike frame, and you'll want to choose one that fits your needs and pocketbook best.

Firstly, you'll want to consider what you'll use your bike for. Commuting? Road racing? Triathlons? Croscountry mountain biking? Downhill mountain biking? Depending on the use for your bike, this will help you determine the frame material.

There's countless materials to choose from for a bicycle frame: steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, carbon fiber, and more. There are also different grades of each material you can choose from.

Check this website for all you ever wanted to know about bicycle frame material science:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materi...

Depends on the type of riding you're going to be doing. If its casual, so just for fun, or if you will be doing race events. Then you need to look at the terrain you will be on, is it trails and off road or is it going to be road. There are so many things to consider when purchasing a bike, look at what type of riding you will be doing-that will narrow down the type of bike you will get i.e. Mountain, Road or Hybrid. Then think about the handling, sure steel is typically tougher then aluminum but not necessarily cheaper. Aluminum is lighter, most use 7005 or 6061 alloys, which are aircraft aluminums. Newer bikes are made out of composites and titanium, which are way expensive! Stay away from these unless you have tons of cash to give up. Both are way light, but the composite will not take a beating, so more TLC is required with these, also bike frame sizes are harder to match for certain size riders due to the lay up process (how they are made). Titanium is pretty tough and light, but again pricey. Hmm I kinda bounced around a bit...look at how much "road" time you will be spending too, if its just going to be a Sunday ride, go cheap get a mountain bike, that way you can hit the trails and if you want to ride on the road put on some slicks ( road tires). If you're like me you'll buy a road bike and love riding, then a month later sink $2k in one....ouch. My last bit of advise, go to a shop and get measured for a frame, its not one size fits all, you鈥檒l be happier with a bike that was made for you. Most shops do this for free. Good luck to you! -Richard

McG's got it pegged. Bicycle frames are made from different materials because of different applications and rider preference. I like chromoly steel because it's tough, comfortable, and forgive me for waxing poetic, it has "soul". I don't race, so having an aluminum bicycle that transmits every last ounce of my strength to the rear wheel (and every single bump into my lower back) is not that important to me. I also live in Arizona, where ferrous metal isn't as prone to rust, so it really isn't as necessary to have an aluminum, CF, or Ti bike. As far as bottom line goes, aluminum frames are usually the cheapest, followed by good chromoly steel, with carbon and Ti battling it out for most expensive. I would NEVER ride a carbon bike. The idea of a bicycle frame "de-laminating" is a little weird for me. I'm loath to ride aluminum because of it's harsh ride, and it's lack of "permanence". It's like it really isn't there. You can sit back and watch it lose it's electrons. Ti is amazing, but so is the price tag.

"steal" is cheap, by definition!

Steel is still a quality material, and isn't always cheap.

The thing is that lighter & stronger are usually opposing qualities - steel may be slightly heavier, but you'll be able to ride the bike another day if/when you crash.

other materials crumble/snap when you crash, and you'd have to buy a whole new frame!

The best frame material is the one you look forward to riding everyday. Steel is cheap(er) compared to Titanium and/or Carbon Fiber. I think Aluminum is the least expensive material but is a little more difficult to work with. Titanium is the most difficult, from what some frame-fiends have told me.

A lot of the cost is for the labor involved in producing the frame. In terms of overall strength, Ti is the strongest, followed by Carbon, then Steel then Alu. Although Carbon will shatter before the other materials. Each frame typs has its benefits and drawbacks.

The question of "best" material I will leave up to you, but you can usually identify quality of a frame by price (this same formula can't be used on a complete bike). Your perception of materials is a little off.

Steel is either in the least expensive range or most expensive. This is due to the availability of a broad range of steels. You can get a WHOLE BIKE in steel for $70, or an acceptable production frame for $400, or a no-holds-barred stainless frame that rivals the weight of titanium for $5,000.00. By the way, cromo, otherwise known as Chrome Molybdneum, is going to become much more expensive... our world supply of molybdneum is running out.

Aluminum is 1/2 the weight of steel but 1/3 the strength. This means in order to maintain the strength at an acceptable level you must use more material. More material=more weight. Most bikes with al frames under, say, $500 have frames that actually weigh more than the cheapest steel. Quality engineered al frames in the $600+ range start to breach that weight gap. Regardless, ALL al frames will eventually fail due to the material characteristics. NEVER EVER buy a used aluminum frame.

Frames in other materials are generally fighting for the "best and lightest". Unfortunately, these two words can not be used together very often. There is always a quality of each material that stops it from being one or the other. You can expect titanium and carbon composite frames to be in the $2000+ price range.

I, personally, give my vote to steel followed closely by magnesium. Aluminum is OK, carbon fiber is not my cup o' tea.

EDIT: BMXaholic... before you vomit out another answer learn the facts. There is no such thing as an aluminum wire coat hanger. Take a little time to learn to read and write. JODY... high tensile (hiten) and cromo (Chrome Moly) are both steel but you can't have hiten cromo. On top of that I have NEVER seen a bike frame made from rod- this means that they are ALL hollow tubes. Sheesh.

Carbon Fibre is not quite Mirages 'cup of tea' - Now there's a surprise!!!!

It' pretty much 'horses for courses' as McG said, but as a roadie, carbon fibre is my choice of material - at present!

EDIT: I don't want to attack the Bmxaholic chap but just to clear up a small misconception, - Steel is actually more flexible than Aluminium. (bending sheets of these materials easily prove it!) Aluminium is more brittle though!

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i would say hollow cromo hi-ten steel and it about a couple hundred dollars

jordy your dumb i told u

1.titanium already but it is around 1200$ for the easter ti grim reaper strongest and lightest a little bending however the bending s perfect if bmxing beacuse it helps give upword lift and helps so u don' bend frame

2.$300-$450then 4130 sanko cromo 2nd strongest 3rd lightest

3. $250 1020 high tensil steel (it is heat treated) 3rd strongest 4 lightest

4.$150 steel crap almost very heavy bends slightly so so in stregnth

5. alluminum most crappy material and all u people who said it is strong ar reatards it is crap and bends so easy for example if u have a metal coat hanger that is made of alluminum try bending it too easy so even though a bike frame is thicker imagine the weight that is coming down on it 100+ and the extra force if u are jumping however yes it is the second lightest

thicker wall aluminum double butted weld

I would personally go with an alloy. It's a mixture of two metals, which is extremely strong and light.