It is not an exaggeration to say that the frame tubes of a bicycle are the soul of the entire bicycle. What affects the handling performance of the bike, what determines its durability, and what determines the riding comfort? Although the production technology of bicycle components has improved nowadays, for these components to exert their powerful combat effectiveness, they must lay a good foundation - the frame. So, let's take a look at the material comparison of several types of bicycle frame tubes together! 
Regarding the bicycle frame tubes, what is popular is not just strength, rigidity, and weight... The weight added on the other side of the metal rod by the false structure is very heavy, which will cause the metal rod to deform. That is to say, even without the heavy object, the metal rod will remain bent and will not fully return to its original state until the force that causes the material to yield is removed. This is called strength. 
Such complex and abstract explanations are quite confusing. In essence, the most important aspect of strength is its durability in the framework. Strength is determined by the yield strength of the material. The yield strength is closely related to the quality of the frame tubing, the heat treatment process, and the alloy composition. Suppose a rigid metal rod is fixed at one end of a fixture and a certain weight is applied to the other end and the rod is temporarily bent. After removing the weight, the metal rod will quickly return to its original shape. Applying the same weight to different materials will result in different bends. This is rigidity. Rigidity affects the riding comfort of the frame. Because the frame is afraid of deforming in the normal riding position. Although rigidity is determined by the elastic coefficient of the material, it is very important that the elastic coefficient is not related to the mass of the metal and the composition of the alloy. For example, all types of steel basically have the same elastic coefficient. 
Stress = Load / Area. That is, the weight that a unit area can bear. 
In fact, the rigidity and weight mentioned above have nothing to do with the quality of the material, heat treatment or alloy composition. For instance, all automotive steel tubes, ranging from the cheap bicycles sold in supermarkets to those costing several thousand dollars, all have the same elastic coefficient of 30 and a density of 8200 kilograms per cubic meter. Here are some of the common material properties we encounter. 
Many people often gather together and discuss heroes using materials. However, in reality, what determines the quality of the framework is not only the properties of the materials themselves, but is also directly related to the design and production process. In fact, as can be seen from the table above, when using these materials to make a framework, with the same shape and thickness of the pipe, the rigidity of the aluminum alloy framework is only one-third of that of the steel framework, and the titanium framework is only half of the steel framework in terms of strength, and this is the ideal state. However, the actual situation is that no one in the entire industry has set the standards for making frameworks according to this, so this conclusion is not objective. Therefore, judging the quality of a framework solely based on the materials is a bit narrow. 
The Relationship Between Bicycle Frame Tube Lifespan and the Environment 
The material of the bicycle frame tubes is only the basis for determining the lifespan of the frame. There are two common factors that affect the continuously increasing lifespan of the frame. One is physical, and the other is natural. I believe that for metal frames, it is not only corrosion and metal fatigue, but also aging for carbon frames. In simple terms, it is damage and deterioration. Generally, for metal materials, corrosion refers to the change in the material properties of the material due to environmental changes and actions, which is deterioration. Usually, this deterioration is rusting. The only one that causes headaches is steel structure. Usually, the cause of corrosion is rain, especially acid rain has a stronger corrosive effect on metals. For cyclists, of course, they hope their bicycles can last long enough. At the same time, they can achieve aesthetic and practicality and other characteristics. Although it is acceptable to ride a bicycle with frame tubes processed to the limit of thinness and lightness, the more times it is ridden, the lower the strength becomes. If it has to be replaced every year, it will be very laborious. 
The above content presents a comparison of the materials used for bicycle frame tubes. If you want to know more, please feel free to contact us at any time!