Ok, I was about to post in the other thread, but it got closed. I'd like to respond to that OP and have Hank and the other guy NOT FIGHT in this thread. Just be helpful so people have the straight facts.

First, I'd like to resort to the Periodic table as for weights of the metals. I'm not sure about density's here, but the elemental weights do help to convey the idea.








Correct me if I'm wrong on the next few things:

Carbon frames : (C) Very light and not a metal. It's a series of fibers. Excellent use for bikes that need to be very light and see little abuse and no crashing.

Aluminum frames: (Al) Also light, but not as light as Carbon. Used for a variety of bikes. Can be very strong, but not as strong as Steel frames. I've seen quite a few Aluminum frames break, and I actually saw a bigfoot frame snap today (read more about it in my other thread).

Steel frames : Made mainly of Iron(Fe) and can go by many names. Cromoly and reynolds are a few common names for the variences of steel frames. Stronger than Carbon or Aluminum. I've never seen a broken steel frame. More Malleable than aluminum, and hangers can often be a part of the frame, because they can be bent back into place.

I don't know enough about Titanium(Ti) frames because they don't get as much attention. As far as I know, it's stronger than Aluminum but heavier.


Please feel free to correct any of this if it is incorrect.