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TITANIUM, STEEL, ALUMINUM, CARBON

There are basically four bicycle materials on the market today. Steel has been around forever and has a unique and classic feel. Similarly, aluminum bicycles have been tried and tested and are renowned for their stiffness. Newer to the game is Titanium and its here to stay. Finally there is Carbon Fiber. This stuff can be light and stiff at the same time. So how can you choose which one is right for you? Perhaps this will help.

Steel
Steel, the original racers choice offers a predictable ride. In general, a well made steel frame can be responsive and stiff. A well made steel frame can last years but over time it will fatigue and rust. When it comes to a custom bicycle, steel enables experienced builders like Jeff Duser and myself at Spectrum, Richard Sachs and others to really dial in the ride characteristics of the frame. We also think lugged steel frame are beautiful.

Aluminum
Aluminum offers a very stiff (often harsh) ride. Lighter than a typical steel frame, aluminum offers quick handling and excellent transmission of your energy to the wheels. It does fatigue over time and is far to jarring a ride for many riders. It's relatively inexpensive and thus popular.

Titanium
Titanium happens to be one of my favorite materials to ride. Its light, won't rust or fatigue, and offers an amazing combination of stiffness and comfort. A well-built Custom Titanium bicycle will last a lifetime. Ride it and you will know what I mean.

Carbon-Fiber
Carbon Fiber is light and strong. In the hand of the right person, this material makes a great fork. In fact, Spectrum recommends carbon-fiber forks on most of our bicycles. When it comes to a complete frame however, Carbon fiber just doesn't feel lively. Ride a full carbon frame and you'll see what I mean. There are additional concerns about the durability of carbon-fiber.

Material Combinations
There are now many companies trying to combine two frame materials. Sometimes this works, often it doesn't. I am often asked if one material can be made to feel like another. The answer is no…and in some cases yes.

The Serotta titanium is a good one to look at. Ben Serotta wanted to come up with a titanium frame that had many of the qualities of his well-known and respected steel frames. In general and to his credit, he succeeded pretty well. Similarly, the old Merlin RSR is another example of a Ti frame trying to feel like steel. The RSR feels like a steel frame in stiffness while feeling more like a traditional titanium frame over the bumps. The RSR is, however a compromise. So it is possible to engineer some of the feel of steel into titanium as long as one is willing to accept some limitations and drawbacks.

Trying to come up with a carbon or aluminum frame that feels like steel or titanium is much more difficult if not impossible. The inherent dampening characteristics of carbon fiber cannot be eliminated any easier than steel can be lightened to a specific gravity less than it is now. The stiffness and harshness associate with aluminum is also nearly impossible to eliminate. In short, each material has its limitations.

Engineering a stiff titanium frame like some of our custom frames or Merlin's CRs can translate into a more rigid frame. In the case of our custom butted frames, the ride can be kept just the same as our straight gauge frames but both are still more comfortable than steel frames. Because of its ability to be stiff and supple, a titanium frame transmits much less harshness to a rider than a steel, carbon, or aluminum frame will. This applies primarily to stock frame purchased off the shelf. Of course, with custom frames, I can design in any level of ride comfort and stiffness by adjusting tube diameter, gauge, butting and angles. That's one of many reasons to buy a custom bicycle. Even with a Custom ride, there are trade-offs. There will always be a push-pull between designed comfort and intentional rigidity. But with a custom designed frame from Spectrum, you control that balance.

Final Words
When deciding on a bicycle frame material, I suggest you get out there and ride whatever you can. Take a spin on carbon, ride aluminum, power up some steel, and be amazed by titanium. Then call us and we'll help you realize your dream bike.