Depending on the type of heat treating and butting

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
For the past 15 years, aluminum has been refined in
pretty much the same way as chromoly. There have
been various alloys developed, as well as heat
treatment, oversizing, and butting. With dual
suspension bikes, aluminum is the preferred material
as it's the stiffest and most cost effective.

Aluminum is stiffer than chromoly, and therefore it
will crack before chromoly. Of course, this depends
on how you ride and how much abuse you give the frame.
The advantages of aluminum is that the frame is very
light and very stiff through oversizing or butting.

Titanium
Even thought it's 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.

Titanium is considered an alloy, normally mixed with
small amounts of vanadium and aluminum to give it
better weldability and ride characteristics. More
compliant than chromoly, it offers better fatigue
and corrosion properties.

The material you choose for your bike, all depends
on where you ride and what style you use. Almost
all materials will last you for years, as long as
you take care of your bike and treat the frame with
some respect.