Know Your Bike Frame
By Alastair Hamilton
The is over 200 years old. It's evolution proceeded quickly when it was first invented, and the changes continue to this day.

The can trace its history back to Germany in the year 1817, when inventor Karl Drais developed a push bike - one without pedals.

Like any other invention there were actually quite a few contributors to the changing design over the years. Other inventors who contributed to the evolution of the are Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan, Frenchmen Ernest Michaux and Pierre Lallement, and Englishman James Starley - whose design, with the extremely large front wheel and the extremely tiny rear wheel was called the "penny farthing." The "safety bicycle", with both wheels the same height in a "diamond frame" that is still in use today, came into use in 1885, and in 1888 rides became much more comfortable with the invention of the "pneumatic" tire by Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop.

Over One Hundred Years Later, Improvement Continues

Just over a hundred years later, the basic design of the has not changed, but improvements are nevertheless being made all the time. The "new age" materials now in use - aluminum, titanium and carbon fire - have enabled bicycles to be made just as sturdy as can be desired, but with the light weight which most people these days desire.

The diamond

UK motorcycle advertising
UK Motorcycles for sale - FREE advertising, include pictures - no time or word limits. Quad bikes, Mini Moto, scooters, dirt bikes plus many more. Thousands of adverts to browse.
UK motorcycle advertising
US Motorcycles for sale - FREE advertising, include pictures - no time or word limits. Dirt bikes, cruisers, sports bikes etc..
Latest motorcycle adverts
See the latest motorcycle adverts - as they come in. Be the first to see the latest adverts.
Dirt bikes for sale in the UK
See the latest dirt bike adverts - categorised by make, model and engine size.
Dirt bikes for sale in the US
See the latest dirt bike adverts - categorised by make, model and engine size.
Scooters for sale in the UK
Find the exact scooter you need from our huge list of scooter adverts. Used scooters of all makes and models.
Mini Moto bikes for sale
See all the Mini Moto adverts from private sellers. All types of MiniMoto - dirt, sports and cruiser.
Motorcycles for sale in London
See all of the bike adverts in London - beat the congestion charge and travel safely.
Sports bikes for sale - Superbikes
Find hundreds of superbike adverts with pictures here.
Place a free UK motorcycle advert
Place a totally FREE motorcycle advert. Reach over 10 thousand visitors per day - no time or word limit and include a picture.


bicycle frame consists of a series of tubes: the main triangle which consists of the head tube, top tube, down tube and seat tube. The rear triangle consists of the seat tube, paired chain stays and seat stays.

What are frames made of? The metal they're made of is important, because a lot of factors have to be taken into account: the density of the metal will determine how heavy the bike is, the stiffness will affect the ride comfort and the control efficiency. There is always the danger of crashes so yield strength is important - how much force will permanently "deform" the metal? Also a consideration for crash-worthiness is the elongation capability of the metal. And then there's the fatigue limit and the endurance limit.

A great many bike frames are made from steel. It's got all the best qualities needed for a frame, but its major drawback is that it is very heavy.

Aluminum is very popular for use in bike frames, because of its very low weight. But the problem with aluminum is that it is very easy to bend it - and thus break it.

Titanium is rapidly becoming a popular material for bike frames. It's strong, and its light...and its very expensive. Only high-end bicycles are made with titanium.

Carbon fiber is a non-metallic material for making frames. It is light weight, resists corrosion, and can be formed into practically any shape desired. However, carbon fiber does have low impact resistance, so it's not so good for the mountain biker. And of course it's expensive also

Bicycle manufacturers are always experimenting with new materials, of course. Currently, the use of thermoplastics is being tested, as is that of magnesium.

There's great days ahead for the evolution of bicycling, so keep your helmet on and go full speed ahead!

Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com

Alastair Hamilton is the author of many resources about parts and bike frames. Read more at www.bikecyclingreviews.com

Here are some more bicycle articles...