Alternative step through designs may include leaving out the top tube out completely as in monocoque mainframe designs using a separated or hinged seat tube and twin top tubes that continue to the rear fork ends as with the mixte frame.
Step through bike vs diamond frame.
This german bike is known as one of the best step through bikes on the market and for good reason.
A step through bike frame is about equal in weight to a traditional diamond frame often called a men s bike where the frame is made of two triangles that form a diamond.
Diamond frames are stronger and lighter than step through models for several reasons.
The regular diamond shaped design of most bikes is so widely used because it is the better design.
Back in the day they were also called diamond frames because the top tube down tube and seat tube form a diamond see image above.
Bicycles with a high top tube cross bar known as a diamond frame were known as men s gents or boys.
These alternatives to the diamond frame provide greater versatility though at the expense of added weight to achieve equivalent strength and rigidity.
1 0 1 best women s step through hybrids best women s hybrids best women s hybrid e bikes.
They are made with 3 triangles.
Bike designers today are experimenting with curved elements on many pieces not.
The biggest disadvantage of a step through frame is the weight strength and stiffness.
It s a seven speed model with a u shaped frame for easy mounting and stepping off.
You still see casual women s bikes with that look but it s for aesthetics not performance.
The top tube gives the frame strength and stability while allowing for the use of lightweight materials.
What about step through frames.
Biria easy boarding 7 speed step through cruiser bicycle.
The classic woman s bike featured a downward sloping top tube a design that dates back to days when women riders wore long skirts.
Step through bikes lack the top tube and instead the front of the bike slopes downward as it extends towards the back of the bike.
However the step through frame requires thicker tubing to compensate in strength for the loss of the horizontal crossbar on the diamond frame.
Triangles are the most rigid structural object known.
Among the wide variety of bikes to choose from there is one type that has become the most popular among female cyclists the hybrid bike.