Once you decide what style of bike you want to buy, you also need to consider what kind of frame material you want your bike to be made of. Your choice will depend on your budget, how long you want the bike to last, how light you want it to be, and desired ride quality. There are mainly four materials that bicycle frames get made from—aluminum, carbon fiber, steel, and titanium. Each of these materials has desirable properties, but all four also come with tradeoffs. Below is an overview of these four principal materials.
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Aluminum
Aluminum is not as strong as steel nor as light as carbon, but it’s cheaper than them and offers enough strength and lightness to make it a balanced choice for most cyclists for the cost. However, affordability comes at the cost of comfort. Frames made from steel or carbon better absorb road buzz, which means aluminum is not ideal for dirt and distancing touring— aluminum’s stiffness means that you’ll feel the road buzz in your hands. Aluminum is versatile enough to be alloyed with different metals and shaped more narrowly at the joints (known as butting) to make the frame stronger. Aluminum benefits from the misconception that it’s stronger than carbon, but this is not always the case. Because aluminum is a common material, it remains relatively affordable.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber performs similarly to aluminum, but it is better at minimizing road buzz because the resin it’s made with absorbs more vibration. At the same time, carbon fiber’s stiffness better allows you to transfer power to the wheels, with less wasted energy. By the same token, carbon fiber is more susceptible to damage from heavy impact. In all, the result is a more responsive ride when compared with aluminum or steel. It’s also more expensive than aluminum, but industry watchers note that carbon frames continue to decrease in cost. With these decreased costs, its lightness, its comfort, and its durableness, some experts predict that carbon fiber frames could eventually replace aluminum frames altogether. At the professional level, carbon fiber remains the frame of choice across virtually all biking categories.
Steel
Steel is the least expensive of the four main frame types. Despite being typically heavier than its aluminum and titanium counterparts, it remains desirable for its sturdiness. A small number of manufacturers produce steel-framed gravel bikes for their more durable frames; steel offers a more comfortable ride for touring when compared to aluminum. Long the industry’s material of choice, steel started to face a rise in aluminum and other materials in the 1970s, which have overtaken it in popularity. Despite its sturdiness, steel is susceptible to corrosion. However, careful maintenance or the purchase of a stainless frame can avoid this problem.
Titanium
At the expensive end of the spectrum, titanium offers an exceptionally smooth ride. Few bikes are made from titanium, in part because it requires special manufacturing conditions and highly skilled workers to make the frames. The metal is desirable for its hardness (similar to that of steel), low density (approaching that of carbon), and resistance to corrosion, which makes it commonplace in the aerospace and maritime industries. Only buyers with deep pockets will seriously consider a titanium frame.
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Sources:
https://bikexchange.com/bike-frame-material-101-guide/
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a21784287/bike-frame-materials-explained/
https://bikexchange.com/bike-frame-material-101-guide/
https://off.road.cc/content/feature/the-ultimate-guide-to-frame-materials-whats-best-for-bikes-664
