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Your complete guide to bike frame materials — Should you choose carbon, steel, aluminium, titanium?

Steel, aluminium, titanium or carbon fibre... how do you decide? Check out our handy guide

If you’re shopping for a new road bike, you’ll be inundated with choice, which can make choosing the right bike for you a tricky decision. There are many factors you can use to filter the choice, from price, specification, style of riding, brand allegiance or even colour. 

Sometimes the choice can come down to the material the bicycle frame is made from. There are four common materials used to build road bikes: steel, aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre and the material can influence the ride and purpose of the bike, so it's good to know the key differences before you make a decision.

>> Buying your first road bike — everything you need to know

For some people, the material choice is just as important as the list of equipment and the price tag, with different materials suited to different types of riding. The frame is the heart of your new road bike and it's where the majority of the budget goes, and the material can play a big part in that, so it pays to choose wisely.

>> road.cc Bike of the Year 2020/21

Here's a look at the key attributes of each material to help you make the right choice.

Aluminium

Aluminium is the most common material and it's used primarily for road bikes at the affordable end of the price range. It's ideal for bike frames as it provides a stiff and light frame. For a long time aluminium frames have been unfairly branded as providing a harsh and uncomfortable ride, but stiffness is a function of its design - the latest aluminium frames dispel the harshness myth and offer smooth rides.

While aluminium might be reserved for entry-level bikes by most of the big brands, there are plenty of premium options so don't discount it just because it's used for entry-level road bikes. Just take a look at the super light Kinesis Aethein (pictured below) or the Trek Emonda ALR as examples of the potential for high-end performance aluminium.

Kinesis Athein Disc 2021 - full bike.jpg

It's fair to say aluminium is enjoying a resurgence of interest at the moment. Some manufacturers have been pushing the material to achieve impressively lightweight frames, and smart consumers are realising that you get a lot of performance, and equipment, for your money. Just take the iconic Cannondale CAAD13 (and previously CAAD10 and CAAD12) as an example, and there are plenty of others. For value for money, aluminium is tough to beat.

Buy aluminium because you’re on a budget or you want a light and stiff frame for racing, or you want the best specification for your money.

Read more: The best aluminium road bikes

Steel

In years gone by steel was the only frame material choice so buying a new bike was relatively easy. Steel still has a place in this day and age, it is famed for its smooth ride, which is why touring and Audax cyclists still lean towards it, but the latest steel tubesets have given birth to renewed interest in high-performance steel road bikes and even for racing, as the Madison-Genesis proved a couple of years ago with the Volare 953. Steel isn’t used by large scale manufacturers these days, but the fact it is easy to work with has made it the material of choice for the UK’s burgeoning bespoke industry. If you want a customised frame, steel is a good option. 

2021 Genesis Equilibrium.jpg

Steel tube manufacturers, such as Columbus and Reynolds, thankfully haven’t given up on steel, and in fact, the opposite has happened, they've been investing in new tubesets. The latest steel tubesets which include the latest stainless offerings, are now lighter and stiffer than anything Eddy Merckx used to race, and a viable alternative to carbon and aluminium.

Buy steel because you want a bespoke frame or favour a smooth ride quality and don’t mind a bit of extra weight.

Read more: The best steel road bikes and frames

Titanium

Titanium is a highly desirable material due to its fabled ride quality, supple and bump-absorbing. It's also lighter than steel, stronger than aluminium and its anti-corrosive properties and the fact the surface can be polished means it should last a lifetime, helping to offset the high price tag the material still commands, though it's nothing like as expensive as it used to be a couple of decades ago.

 Titanium can be used to build a high-performance race bike, and we've ridden some good examples over the years, but it’s often reserved for sporty Audax and year-round bikes, designed to promote comfort for long distance cycling with or without luggage, and it's currently undergoing a renaissance as a material for gravel bikes like the Van Nicholas Rowtag below.

2021 Van Nicholas Rowtag.jpg

Most titanium frames are made from 3Al-2.5V tubing (where titanium is alloyed with 3% aluminium and 2.5% vanadium) and 6Al-4V, a harder grade of titanium, is seen on much more expensive framesets. Because it’s hard and expensive to make 6Al-4V into seamless tubes, it’s often used for machined parts like dropouts and head tubes.

Buy titanium because you want a bike to last a lifetime and value the light weight and smooth ride.

Read more: Terrific titanium: the loveliest titanium road bikes we've ridden

Carbon fibre

For many cyclists, there is no choice other than carbon fibre. It’s the dominant material in the racing world, it’s the lightest and stiffest of the four frame materials, but it can also be the most expensive. That said, frame prices have dropped dramatically in recent years and you can now buy a carbon bike for not much more than a grand.

Carbon is the most flexible of the materials and offers designers huge scope to tailor the way the bike rides, they also aren’t limited by tube shape, with aero road bikes being a good example of this versatility, like this Trek Madone. 

Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc Project One.jpg

Carbon fibre frames aren't all equal, though. There's a huge difference between cheap and expensive carbon fibre, down to the type of fibres used, how it's manufactured and other important factors that make a big impact. Carbon fibre can be relatively easily manipulated by designers to create frames with the particular balance of properties they want, whether that's low weight, comfort, stiffness.

Buy carbon if you want the lightest and stiffest road bike money can buy, or because you want to go aero

Read more: Great road bikes for under £1,000

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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49 comments

Avatar
Richard1982 | 7 years ago
1 like

 Frame materials can be different yes, but they don't define the bike. I've ridden aluminium bikes that felt springy and carbon bikes that boneshakingly ridgid.

Avatar
Vejnemojnen | 7 years ago
1 like

so, how many cf forks have you seen to fail?  1 

Avatar
cyclisto replied to Vejnemojnen | 7 years ago
0 likes

Vejnemojnen wrote:

so, how many cf forks have you seen to fail?  1 

 

How many cf frames have you seen to fail? If none, then why not buy a CF frameset which will outperform all other materials in compliance or rigidness right where you want it, and it could be even cheaper from posh steel frames and Ti?

 

Lets face it, CF is a very strong material but not the best solution when it comes to durability in direct hits or spots that it is not meant to be loaded. To make it easier to understand, a 3mph fall directly on a rock or a muscleman who has decided that he needs a longer stem and dislikes torque wrenches, could seriously hurt your CF bike.

 

I could somehow accept Ti frame/CF fork, but no way the steel frame/CF fork.

Avatar
cyclisto | 7 years ago
1 like

Well all materials are good for me. Aluminium bikes are good for everyday use as they are cheap,  light to carry around and will not rust. Steel bikes are good for touring as they will withstand pretty much anything. Ti are the Chuck Norris of metals except when it comes to check out and CF is the Chuck Norris of materials except when it has to anticipate direct hits.

What I DON'T like is the new trend of blending CF forks with steel and Ti frames. Well you have a relatively heavy metal frame and CF at the three tubes that if one breaks you will have a nice faceplant. I just don't get it.

If I had to replace my beloved bike and if I had tons of money, I would buy a Ti frame with a Ti fork. Ti frames with CF forks are for me as susceptible to dangerous failure with a full CF frame, only heavier and more expensive.

Avatar
P3t3 replied to cyclisto | 7 years ago
2 likes
cyclisto wrote:

Well

What I DON'T like is the new trend of blending CF forks with steel and Ti frames. Well you have a relatively heavy metal frame and CF at the three tubes that if one breaks you will have a nice faceplant. I just don't get it.

If I had to replace my beloved bike and if I had tons of money, I would buy a Ti frame with a Ti fork. Ti frames with CF forks are for me as susceptible to dangerous failure with a full CF frame, only heavier and more expensive.

Isn't this just paranoia? Surely for >99℅ of riders carbon forks are fine? It's going to depend partly of the weight to which the fork is made. I'd imagine steel are most durable in the long term but again it comes down to how they are made, with high failure rates comming from building too light.

Could be talking nonsense though, I'd like to know more.

Avatar
StraelGuy replied to cyclisto | 6 years ago
1 like

cyclisto wrote:

What I DON'T like is the new trend of blending CF forks with steel and Ti frames. Well you have a relatively heavy metal frame and CF at the three tubes that if one breaks you will have a nice faceplant. I just don't get it.

 

I disagree, I have a Fairlight Strael which is a top notch steel frame with an all carbon fibre fork. The ride is abslute bliss, stiff but beautifully compliant. When talking about about forks, the properties of carbon fibre and steel aren't that different, they're both very stiff but have compliance exactly in the plane that you need it.

Avatar
drosco | 7 years ago
1 like

I would say without a doubt the steel framed bike was the best looking bike, if that was the criteria.

Avatar
vonhelmet replied to drosco | 7 years ago
1 like

drosco wrote:

I would say without a doubt the steel framed bike was the best looking bike, if that was the criteria.

That's because thin tubes are sexy.

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rjfrussell replied to vonhelmet | 7 years ago
1 like

 

[/quote]

That's because thin tubes are sexy.

[/quote]

 

I thought the ladies preferred a bit of girth?

Avatar
BikeJon | 7 years ago
6 likes

I have 3 alu bikes, 1 carbon, 1 steel and 2 ti. I'm going to sell the carbon and a couple of the alu ones. The ti ones are glorious. But I don't race anymore. TBH my carbon one is lovely too but I have an older groupset on that and I much prefer the disc brakes on my Ti bikes. The steel one is comfortable but heavy. I've loaded it up with a rack and just use it when I need to lug stuff about.

So ti all the way for me but it would be carbon for racing. But I'd never love it as much.

Avatar
keirik replied to BikeJon | 7 years ago
0 likes

BikeJon wrote:

I have 3 alu bikes, 1 carbon, 1 steel and 2 ti. I'm going to sell the carbon and a couple of the alu ones. The ti ones are glorious. But I don't race anymore. TBH my carbon one is lovely too but I have an older groupset on that and I much prefer the disc brakes on my Ti bikes. The steel one is comfortable but heavy. I've loaded it up with a rack and just use it when I need to lug stuff about.

So ti all the way for me but it would be carbon for racing. But I'd never love it as much.

 

now that is beautiful!

Avatar
jasecd replied to BikeJon | 6 years ago
0 likes

BikeJon wrote:

So ti all the way for me but it would be carbon for racing. But I'd never love it as much.

 

What brand is this lovely looking machine?

Avatar
simonmb replied to jasecd | 6 years ago
0 likes

jasecd wrote:

BikeJon wrote:

So ti all the way for me but it would be carbon for racing. But I'd never love it as much.

 

What brand is this lovely looking machine?

Cielo Rosso.

Avatar
jollygoodvelo | 7 years ago
17 likes

So what you're saying is, I need one of each.  Right?

 

Also: no mention of bamboo frames?  "Buy because: you live in Hackney and need a bike to transport you, your checked shirt and luxuriant beard to the local craft beer and ethical falafel emporium."

Avatar
BadgerBeaver replied to jollygoodvelo | 3 years ago
0 likes

Too funny. smiley

Almost choked on my kombucha

Avatar
alotronic | 7 years ago
4 likes

Short version of the metals - Steel comfy but heavy; Alu cheap, light but stiff; Ti comfy AND light but expensive  1

Avatar
clayfit replied to alotronic | 7 years ago
1 like

alotronic wrote:

Short version of the metals - Steel comfy but heavy, Alu light but stiff, Ti comfy AND light  1

Carbon:  light, stiff, comfy AND aero.

And before I get flamed for saying that, I got my bespoke steel-framed disk road bike on Saturday and she's a peach.

Avatar
alotronic replied to clayfit | 7 years ago
1 like

clayfit wrote:

alotronic wrote:

Short version of the metals - Steel comfy but heavy, Alu light but stiff, Ti comfy AND light  1

Carbon:  light, stiff, comfy AND aero.

And before I get flamed for saying that, I got my bespoke steel-framed disk road bike on Saturday and she's a peach.

No flame from me - just yet to spend the kind of money on a new bike that would do that for me - something like a Genesis Datum could probably replace four bikes for me if it really was that good. But I do like the change in feel of each material - for me it's not a binary choice, even if I had the perfect carbon bike I'd probably still want each of the other ones still. With bikes being so cheap and good it's not really a case of one bike to rule them, but which one today  1

Avatar
reippuert replied to clayfit | 7 years ago
2 likes

clayfit wrote:

alotronic wrote:

Short version of the metals - Steel comfy but heavy, Alu light but stiff, Ti comfy AND light  1

Carbon:  light, stiff, comfy AND aero.

And before I get flamed for saying that, I got my bespoke steel-framed disk road bike on Saturday and she's a peach.

 

Carbon:  light, stiff, comfy, aero and NOT durable.

 

Titanium: unbeliveable durable:

You can offload  it "as-is" and the airport - no need for a flightcase, softcase etc.  All you need to fly in/out of your favorite destination is a roll of tape and two allen keys (one for lowering the seatpost and stem faceplate + one for removing your pedals).

pict from my recent Italy north->south trip in regional train from Reggio Calabria to Lamezia Terme airport  1

 

 

 

 

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