The cost of a mountain bike frame is proportionate to its material, as well as the treatment that material has received. Currently, there are five types of material used in mountain bikes – high tensile steel, chromoly steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Oversized diameters, heat treating, and butting are tubing material treatments that will increase the cost of a frame as well.
In the lower priced mountain bikes, you will find a very durable alloy known as high tensile steel. Having a large carbon content, it is less stiff than chromoly steel so more material is needed to to make this frame stiff enough for bike frames. This makes the bike relatively heavy.
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.
Dependent upon the kind of heat treating and butting, you may see this material contained in bikes from as little as $400 dollars on up through and beyond $1500. The chromoly steel used in the manufacture provides excellent 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.
Titanium is considered an alloy, normally mixed with small amounts of vanadium and aluminum to give it better weldability and ride characteristics. More compliant than chromoly, it offers better fatigue and corrosion properties.
The material you choose for your bike, all depends on where you ride and what style you use. Almost all materials will last you for years, as long as you take care of your bike and treat the frame with some respect.
Mountain biking is a tremendous sport and will take you places you’ve never been to before. Now make sure you return to where you embarked with a GPS Garmin Watch. The Garmin GPS Watch such as the Garmin Forerunner Watch is going to make sure you don’t get eaten up by the wilderness you set out to conquer.