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Show WASATCH MOUNTAIN TIMES Custom Frame Road Bike Frames - What's Right for You? FRAME With Tim Waugh Steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium. These days riders have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a bicycle frame. And choosing a road bike frame is a personal thing — because each material responds a little differently. Steel frames For a more Look to spend about $1,500 or more for a good, well-equipped aluminum bike. Your aluminum bike will weigh in at 21-to-22 pounds. It will hold up as well as steel but feel a little stiffer and more solid underneath you. Aluminum Matrix This frame is made only by Specialized and is a high-tech blend of aluminum reinforced with ceramic particles. e SEROTTA e JENSON e DE e PINARELLO ROSA Aluminum 21-22 Ibs $1,100 - $1,500 e EDDY e LE Carbon Fiber 19-21 Ibs $1,800 - $2,800 Steel Titanium 19-21 Ibs $2,500 & up The sales pitch on the Aluminum Matrix is that it claims to be “lighter than titanium, stiffer than steel, and stronger than aluminum.” But you'll have to be the judge of that. Even with the “gee whiz” factor here, you can pick up an aluminum matrix bike for $1,200-to-$1,900, a pittance compared steel is and nothing aluminum, with Carbon Fiber There are really two different types of carbon fiber frames on the market. Starting at about $2,500, titanium bikes provide all the latest bells and whistles of Size Cycle Salt Lake’s Original Pro Shop Since 1930 2175 South 900 East Salt Lake City, 80] 466 Utah 3971 advertising has done a good job making people think they need titanium. Titanium frames weigh about the same as carbon fiber, ranging from 19 pounds and up. But titanium is very strong. So strong, in fact, that it is much more difficult to build into bike frames than the other materials. That may account for some of the cost. to titanium. ¢ Titanium Custom wrong but i< MERCKX MOND Serotta Titanium If you like the latest high-tech, gee whiz stuff, you'll love titanium There Mm * DAVIDSON $700 - $1,000 technology. Titanium dampens the road well but is not as stiff as carbon fiber. HiTs Main Street Bieita Park City’s Fastest Finest, Quality Photofinishing 523 Main Street * One-hour Photo * Two-hour Slide Processing (E-6) * KODAK Create-A-Print™ * Black & White Processing * Custom Enlarging, Negatives or Slides Touring If you want to * Portrait & Commercial Studio * Passport Photos impress There is the traditional carbon fiber tube that has been used in any number of things, like ski poles. The newest high-tech stuff, however, is made only by Trek and has been dubbed OCLVY — Optimum Compaction Low Void. Carbon fiber bikes are very light, tipping the scales from 19-to-21 pounds. They dampen the road very well and are stiff and responsive. You stand on the pedal and the bike takes off. But with a price tag of $1,800 to $2,800, you won’t need a carbon fiber frame for riding around the neighborhood or commuting to work. um. for serious touring, stick to steel or aluminum. Individual choice Choosing a frame is completely personal and subjective. My first choice would be a carbon fiber frame but I really wouldn’t be dissatisfied with a good-quality steel frame. Some master frame builders say there is a certain life to a good steel frame the you just fall in love with. ic and season, ia Ito iT IF YOU Poles Bikes SELL « Paddles ¢« Racquets Clubs Packs Bats Rafts ° ¢ Tents ¢« Ropes e Balls Canoes Advertising CALL in the It Makes Cents 801-649-8046 SOON June Issue enthusiast. he When works Touring in Park City. 9 649-6465 @ Tim Waugh is a bicycle mechan- PAGE rshvwn But * Unique Photo Frames & Accessories your friends, get a titanium bike. But if you are going to do a lot of touring (ong rides or a series of them) you might want to shy away from titanium and carbon fiber. Why spend the bucks getting the weight down only to load up with bivouac sacks and cooking stoves. And carbon fiber frames rarely come with eyelets for securing frames for pannier bicycle packs. Actually, if you are touring from one Bed & Breakfast to the next with full support, go ahead, get the titani- equipped steel frame, riders must buy the frame separately and add components. models. TOTAL PRICE 22-23.5 Ibs expensively Aluminum Aluminum frames, in general, are a little lighter, a little more stiff and dampen road shock more than steel. A comparably equipped aluminum road bike will cost about $300 more than its steel counterpart. However, most manufacturers like to equip aluminum frames with components that are more expensive than those found on steel production Specialists © Steel mere Steel is the old standby. Yet, there are frame builders in Europe who build with nothing else. They like the way a steel bike handles — they are very responsive and they track well. A steel bike has a certain life that you learn when riding it. A good quality steel bike will start at about $700-to-$1,000 and will weigh about 23.5 pounds. Most manufacturers do not equip steel bikes with the most expensive components because technologically, steel lacks the “gee whiz” factor that helps market more expensive gear. Sea o “ at it isn’t ski White Pine SPACE RESERVATION MN) DEADLINE |
