Bicycle Frames

Bicycle frames are the principle component of a bicycle and other components are then fixed to the frame. There are various types of bicycle frames, although most of them follow a similar design, and slight modifications are made to suit the intended purpose of the bike. There is a great deal of variety in the materials from which bicycle frames are manufactured from. Most inexpensive bicycle frames are made from steel tubing as it is cheap and easy to work with, however specialised alloys of steel are sometimes used on higher end bicycle frames. Bicycles frames are also frequently manufactured from hard wearing, but lightweight materials, particularly if the bike is being built for speed. Aluminium is sometimes used to produce cheaper lightweight bicycle frames, however high end lightweight models are increasingly being manufactured from carbon fibre, although this is quite an expensive material. High end carbon fibre bicycles frames are rarely seen outside of professional cycle racing due to their cost.

Most bicycle frames are extremely bare when stripped of all the other components, however some bicycle frames, particularly those which are intended for uses as mountain bikes are made with built in suspension. This is usually a fairly expensive feature to have on bicycle frames, although many riders prefer this as the improved suspension frequently allows for a more comfortable ride over rough terrain.

Many cycle enthusiasts like to build their own bikes from scratch and naturally they will start with bicycle frames and build up the other components around this. There is quite a health market for individual bike parts for this reason.