Bike Frame Buying Guide
The frame is the essence of a road bike and also its strongest point. At the time of purchase, the bike frame should be your most important buying factor.
Before you decide which frame to buy, you should know something about material, symmetry and sizes of bike frames so you can buy the bike that best suits your needs. So make sure to read this Bike Frame Buying Guide
Early wood and steel road bike frames
The material a bike frame is made of is what separates an expensive and professional frame from a regular run of the mill bike.
Bike frames were originally manufactured in wood, then in steel. You can still find bike frames made from steel, and you will notice how much heavier they are then current bikes.
The designs of the frames have also evolved. Both in function of technological advances as well as changing road conditions over the years. When roads were rougher than they are today, bike frames designs had laid back angles and a longer wheel base.
Bike Frame Buying Guide
The introduction of alloy tubes marked a turning point in the manufacture of bike frames. This made frames a lot lighter than the previous steel frames.
Bikes under $2000 are among the best selling. These bikes usually combine an alloy frame, a carbon fork, chain and seat. Bikes solf at this price point are usually a good value for the money.
Bike frames made from titanium
For more serious bikers, the titanium frames are the way to go. Bikes made with a titanium frame are almost weightless and offer a great, tight ride.
A titanium and carbon bike frames will last almost forever. Check the Bike Frame Buying Guide.
A titanium frame with carbon seat and fork combination will result in a state of the art bike. This is the perfect combination of comfort, handling and safety.
Bike Frame Buying Guide bike frame sizes
Once you settle on the material and manufacturer of your bike frame. The next most important thing to consider is the size of the frame you buy. For a comfortable and safe ride you need to buy the right size frame. When determining the right size bike frame there are a few thing to look at.
The length of the seat tube is the size of the frame. Bike frame sizes are measured in centimeters. A good estimate for your bike frame size is 0.65 of your inseam length. You can determine this by measuring your inseam, converting it to centimeters and multipling by 0.65.
When an exact size is not possible this can be corrected by adjusting the seat height. Another distance to consider is that of the part of the frame that holds the pedals and cranks to the seat. This measurement should be about 0.88 of your inseam size.
A minor adjustment of the seat hight and the right bike Bike Frame Buying Guide will result in the perfect fit.
After reading this Bike Frame Buying Guide make sure you check the Bike Racks at The Bike Rack Hut
Comments on this entry are closed.