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Bicycle Frame Materials Comparison with a Focus on Carbon Fiber Construction Methods
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
4. The Benefits of Carbon (with comparisons)
7. Building Frames With Carbon
8. The Importance of Good Design
9. Manufacturing Method Comparisons
10. Conclusion
Twenty years ago, choosing a road racing bicycle frame was simple...and limited. For light weight and a smooth ride there were Columbus SL and similar light gauge steels. Large powerful riders who needed more frame strength put up with the weight and harsh ride of Columbus SP or similar stout steel. Custom frame builders could tune the feel of a bike by mixing tubes, using stronger ones where needed and paring weight elsewhere.
For aluminum, the choice was between a limber Alan or Vitus or a super-stiff, ultra-expensive custom Klein. The few exotics such as the carbon fiber Graftek and the Teledyne titanium were plush-riding but costly curiosities with deserved reputations for frame failure and inconsistent handling.
Breakthroughs in materials and a growing market for high-tech cycling products accelerated the evolution of bicycle frames through the 1980's. Cannondale and Trek led the industry in popularizing aluminum frames, while better, less-costly grades of titanium and carbon fiber sparked interest in the potential of these space-age materials. Steel manufacturers fought back with new higher strength alloys and heat treatments, sophisticated shapes, and non-standard diameter tubes to reduce weight while increasing comfort and efficiency.
Now there are more choices and naturally . . . more confusion. If one asks "What frame material is best?," a qualified answer is required because how a given frame material is used can be as important as what material is used.
The ideal bicycle frame for a given rider would fit the rider's build and would be light. It would absorb road shock well, but it would handle crisply because of lateral stiffness and would deliver undiminished applied pedal power to the drive train. It would be durable and not subject to fatigue failures and would be strong enough to stand up to unexpected impacts and torsion forces. It would lend itself to attractive finishing and would resist corrosion or attack by the elements.
