Road bike frameset

The road frameset corresponds to the basic structure of your road bike, it is on this architecture that the drivetrain, wheels, brakes and peripherals are assembled.

Choosing a road frameset means wanting to assemble a tailor-made, cutom road bike.

Composition of a road bike frameset:

Usually a road bike frameset is the frame, fork and headset of a road bike, but the seat post and its clamp can also be part of it.

How to choose a road frameset ?

The choice of a road bike frameset is for an informed person who knows the standards of the parts and components he will choose because they are not all compatible with each other. Our bike blog contains choice guides, advice sheets and tutorials allowing you to orient your choices according to your level of practice and your morphology.

1/ the road frame :

The size of the road frame should match your body type, a postural study can help you identify key dimensions such as top tube length, vertical tube length, head tube length, as well as head tube settings. saddle and handlebars.

The geometry of a road frame corresponds to a level of practice for which it is intended, in fact, a road frame with a horizontal tube slightly inclined on the seat tube side will correspond to a sloping geometry for competitors looking for rigidity and nervousness at the detriment of comfort.

The material of the road frame is a factor that has an impact on the weight, comfort and stiffness of the road bike. Steel will be comfortable but heavier than aluminum, titanium will be a good compromise between weight, comfort and rigidity. Carbon can have multiple behaviors depending on the orientation and weaving of the fibers, an HM type carbon will be comfortable, intended for sport hiking while an HR is rigid, intended for competition.

2/ the road fork :

The fork on a road bike is usually the frame it is paired with because the fork and road frame form an assembly that has been designed and developed to work together and provide a level of performance intended by the manufacturer.

Like the road frame, the material of the fork should be chosen according to the level of comfort, weight and expected stiffness.

In the case of a headset assembly (stem fixed to the road fork tube), its pivot must be long enough for the height of the stem to be adjusted in relation to the headset.

3 / the road headset:

The mounting standard and the diameter of the road bike headset must correspond to the frame and fork with which it is assembled. Its assembly can be with external, semi-integrated or integrated cups, the type of assembly is imposed by the shape of the steering tube of the road frame and the shape of the pivot of the road fork.

4 / Compatibilities:

Some road frame kits are only intended for an electric or mechanical derailleur drivetrain, the Di2 models are intended for electric wire derailleurs.

The diameter of the seat post should correspond to the ready tenth of a millimeter to the diameter of the hole in the vertical tube of the frame.

The stem for some frame models may have a specific shape and mount, for standard models the outer diameter of the fork tube must match the inner diameter of the stem mount.

The front derailleur fixture can be clamped or brazed. In the case of a solder attachment, a mounting bracket is provided on the road frame.

A derailleur hanger is attached to the frame in order to protect it in the event of a fall or tearing of the rear derailleur, it is a "fusible" element which deforms or breaks in the event of failure of the road bike drivetrain.

The braking system is either by calipers fixed above the wheels, or by disc with calipers fixed near the axles of the wheels.

5 / The assembly:

The assembly of the components of a road bike frame kit requires a tool kit corresponding to the part to be assembled.

The brands of road framesets:

There are many brands that offer road frame kits, each with its own frame geometry, its own tube assembly technique, its own carbon weaving techniques.

The most famous brands are Look cycle, Time, Pinarello, Colnago, BMC, Specialized, Scott, Bianchi, Lapierre, BH, Cannondale, ...

The criteria for checking a used road frame kit:

Before putting on sale the road frame kits offered in used condition in our shop, we clean them and then their technical verification following the following checkpoints:

• visual inspection of the frame, fork and assembled components
• inspection of all screwed elements, internal threads and threads
• checking the headset and its bearings
• fitting wheels and seat posts to check that the frame and fork have not suffered any deformation
• search for impact marks and cracks

Based on these observations we estimate the general condition of the road frame kit on a scale from 0 (for parts) to 10 (new in its packaging)