Most bikes consist of steel aluminum or carbon fiber.
Lightest road bike frame material.
As the saying goes steel is real and as a frame material it provides a smooth and springy ride quality that no other frame material can match.
The lightest materials used in bike frames are carbon fiber or aluminum however they tend to have a higher price tag.
Steel is the most commonly used material in bike frames.
The best steel road bikes you can buy image.
It s ideal for bike frames as it provides a stiff and light frame.
Here are six that barely trouble the scales.
The tour de france was only won from 1994 to 1998 on aluminium bikes.
It makes aluminum frames great choices for racing and time trialing.
Saving weight was a racer s primary concern in the pursuit of speed.
This magic ride is attributed to aluminum being the lightest frame material even lighter than carbon and titanium.
In the past finding the best lightweight road bike has been the sole requirement for a road cyclist when buying a new bike.
It is possible to make an excellent frame with any of the materials mentioned but for a high performance frame the choice will usually come down to be either carbon fibre or aluminium.
However aluminium s time as the top material for road bikes was short lived.
Road cc bike of the year 2017 18.
These allow the frames to absorb shock better than ever while still offering the wonderfully lively ride that makes aluminum all the rage today.
There is little doubt that a carbon frame can be made the lightest so it wins assuming you just go by the numbers.
Trek émonda slr 9 etap project one 9 057.
The specialized s works tarmac sl6 that we reviewed here on road cc weighed in at just 6 35kg 14lb well below the uci s minimum weight limit for racing of 6 8kg 14 99lb and that got us thinking about the other super lightweight road bikes out there.
Before then every winning bike was made from.
Here s a look at the key attributes of each material to help you make the right choice.
If you can handle a heavier bike a steel frame packs more weight but offers a cheaper price tag.