ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the design and the materials that are used for bicycles. The 'bike' is a part of modern life and people now have 'mountain-bikes' which are encountered in all sorts of unlikely places, such as canal towpaths, bridle ways and steep mountain tracks. The service requirements of a material involve the properties which fall under one or all of the three headings: Mechanical properties; Physical properties; and the Chemical properties. In respect of electrical conductivity it is second only to silver, which is slightly more conductive, but when the relative costs of the two metals are considered then copper is of course the metal used. The type of material that is used for a product also affects the choice of process. The modulus of elasticity is related to the density, or relative density, to give the value 'specific modulus', the difference is purely one of the units used.
