![]() The major advance was made in 1975 when Gary Klein displayed his welded and heat-treated aluminium frames at the International Bike show. As early as the 1890’s innovators such as the French Company Cycles Aluminium were making forays into experimental materials but, throughout most of the 20 th century, steel was king. Reynolds took out his patent on butted steel bicycle tubes and, for steel aficionados, a frame bearing the Reynolds stamp is a must have to the present day. The earliest bikes were simple wooden framed push along affairs but soon the material of choice was heavy iron, which in turn was superseded by steel. ![]() Cheap is cheap no matter what the material and is always likely to disappoint. This guide lists their characteristics but it’s also essential to remember that, for every material, there can be huge variations in quality. All of the main materials currently used has their own upsides and downsides. Quiz any three cyclists on this topic and you’re likely to get three different replies and, like groupset brands and mountain bike wheel sizes, can lead to heated debate. Buying a bike, whether for the road, trails or track, can be a confusing business and one of the most fundamental decisions to make is which frame material to opt for.
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