So, you're building a 'bent. What bicycle tubing should you use? Bicycle tubing is getting lighter and lighter. This is primarily due to the sport of bicycle racing.

In road racing, of course, you need the lightest/strongest stuff you can find. However, for long cross country touring in various road conditions, the lightest/strongest stuff isn't the best choice.

Also, remember the #1 Rule of Outdoor Gear: cheap, light, and strong; pick 2 out of 3. You can have light and strong, but it won't be cheap. You can have light and cheap, but it won't be strong, and so on.

Step #1 - Define Purpose

The first thing you've got to do when buying bicycle tubing is to figure out it's purpose. Are you interested in touring, racing, commuting, or fun riding? Are you interested in building a recumbent bike, BMX, mountain, or road bike?

Certain metals are better for certain applications than others. For instance, using titanium just fun riding in the park is a big waste of money.

On the other hand, using steel for touring is great because the frame bends and flexes. This adds great comfort for long rides. More on this later.

Step #2 - Select Materials for the Job

Other than the material from which the tubes are made, the main thing is to consider bicycle tubing types.

For instance, aircraft tubing (4130 chromoly) works well for homebuilding projects. It's relatively cheap, widely available and easy to weld. However, the tubing has to be thicker through out the length of the tube which makes it heavier. It's called straight gauge bicycle tubing.

A single butted tubing is thicker on one end of the tube. The strongest/thickest end would be used in areas which take more stress.  Double butted tubing is thicker at the ends than in the middle. This is a great way to reduce weight and strengthen the tube. Butted tubes remind me of old lugged frame bicycles. Instead of welding, these tubes were brazed into lugs which made for a natural double butted frame.

There is also, triple and quadruple butted tubing in which the ends and middle sections are of unequal thicknesses, thus creating even stronger frames.

Step #3 - Purchase Bicycle Tubing

You can either buy tubing from companies that deal specifically with bicycle tubing or buy from a steel shop for straight gauge tubing. I chose to buy from Aircraft Spruce. They sell products to aircraft homebuilders. They stock many sizes and thicknesses of 4130 chromoly and aluminum.

Nova Cycles

This is a good source for frame building in general. They have steel, aluminum, and titanium bicycle tubing.

Aircraft Spruce.

I've bought from these folks many times. They're service is fast. They'll cut to length. Every order gets to me within 2 to 3 days. This is a great source for straight gauge 4130 chromoly. They also sell aluminum tubes.

Columbus Bicycle Tubing

A reputable bicycle tubing company. They sell steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. They even have a new type of steel alloy called Thermacron, which is closer to the weight of aluminum. The great thing about steel is that it continues to get lighter and stronger as the years pass.