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The cost of a mountain bike frame is proportionate to its material, as well as the treatment that material has received. Currently, there are five types of material used in mountain bikes – high tensile steel, chromoly steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Oversized diameters, heat treating, and butting are tubing material treatments that will increase the cost of a frame as well.

High tensile steel is a very durable alloy that’s found in lower priced mountain bikes. It offers a high carbon content which makes it less stiff than chromoly steel, so more materials are needed to make it stiff enough for bicycle frames, which will in turn make it that much heavier.

High tensile steel is relatively inexpensive to produce. This material can be found in city bikes, trail bikes, and in the less expensive beginner mountain bikes. Some bikes are manufactured with a chromoly seat tube with the rest of the bike being made with high tensile steel.

Chromoly (short for steel alloy) is the next type of framing material on our list and can better be described by its major additives which are chromium and molybdenum. Of all the materials, chromoly is probably the most refined and can give you up to 100 years of dependability.

Depending on the type of heat treating and butting, you can find this material in bikes as low as 400 dollars all the way up to 1,500 and beyond. The chromoly steel material offers very good durability and a compliant ride characteristic.

Aluminum continues to be refined in much the same way that chromoly has over the last 15 years. There have been various aluminum alloys that have come along in addition to heat treatment, butting, and oversizing. When it comes to the dual suspension mountain bikes, aluminum is the material of choice because of the fact that it is the stiffest as well as the most cost effective.

Because of aluminum being stiffer than chromoly, it will tend to crack before chromoly will. This depends of course on your riding style and how much abuse you subject your frame to. One of the major advantages to the use of aluminum in mountain bike frames is that the frame is very light and stiff with oversizing and butting.

Even though titanium is somewhat exotic, the prices for this material have come down over the last few years. Frames made of titanium remain expensive because it takes longer to weld the tubes to the frame.

Being an alloy, small amounts of aluminum and vandium are most commonly mixed with titanium giving it improved weldability along with enhanced ride characteristics. Titanium is more compliant than chromoly and offers improved fatigue and corrosion resistant attributes.

The material you select for use on your bike, all is determined by where you ride and what style you employ in your riding. Just about all materials will last you for years, provided you care for your bike and treat the frame with a bit of respect.

Mountain biking is a great sport and will take you places you have never been to before. Now be sure you return to where you embarked with a GPS Garmin Watch. The Garmin GPS Watch such as the Garmin Forerunner Watch is going to be sure you don’t get swallowed up by the wilderness you set out to conquer.