Understanding steel tubing can be a real mystery challenge. A secret decoder ring would really go a long way in this matter. Until someone is kind enough to manufacture that specific cracker jack prize, let me do my best.
To start, you need to determine the tubing of your bike. Usually bikes will have stickers on the seat tube that indicate its tubing. When these are absent, you can sometimes guess based on the weight of the bike.
Unlabeled tubes: Usually these are made of a mild steel that is very low quality and hence very thick and heavy. It could be the case though that the sticker was removed/painted over though, so this is not necessarily the case.
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High tensile steel (hi-ten steel): This is the lowest quality steel, and so manufacturers generally make up for its low quality by making its tubing particularly thick. This makes for a heavy bike. Often time people use the derogatory term "gas pipe tubing" in order to indicate its low quality and heavy weight.
High carbon tubing: These are a step up from hi-ten steel, but are still relatively low quality. They include Columbus Aelle, Reynolds 500, and Valite. I have little experience with riding or even seeing these tubes.
Steel alloy tubing: These are the next step up in tube quality and include Reynolds 853, True temper OX Platinum, and Columbus Foco.
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Chromium-molybdenum steel (chromoloy or Cromo/CrMo): This is the term for a variety of lighter steels that have the numerical designation of 4130. Generally, these are the highest quality steel frames. Reynolds, Columbus, Dedacciai, and True Temper all make chromoloy tubing, but higher quality tubes are made by Ritchey, Tange, and Ishiwata.
Be aware, that many companies now try to disguise the quality of their tubing by giving it a clever name. Do your research and google the name to determine if it is quality or just a clever name for hi-ten steel.
Another important detail often found on the frame sticker is how much of the bike is comprised of Chromoloy. Sometimes, the sticker will read "three main tubes" or something similar that shows that the fork is actually hi-ten along with the chain stays etc. This doesn't make the bike bad, but it is important to be aware of the true nature of your frame.
The final consideration is the butting of the tubes. Butting simply means that one of the tube is made thicker than the rest of the tube. Or, to be more precise, the entire tube is made thinner, except at one end. This allows the bike to be both lighter and more comfortable (as it is more flexible). Usually only the main frame tubes are butted. Additionally, some bikes are double, triple, or even quadruple butted. This of course saves more and more weight and makes the bike increasingly more flexible/comfortable.
To start, you need to determine the tubing of your bike. Usually bikes will have stickers on the seat tube that indicate its tubing. When these are absent, you can sometimes guess based on the weight of the bike.
Unlabeled tubes: Usually these are made of a mild steel that is very low quality and hence very thick and heavy. It could be the case though that the sticker was removed/painted over though, so this is not necessarily the case.
High tensile steel (hi-ten steel): This is the lowest quality steel, and so manufacturers generally make up for its low quality by making its tubing particularly thick. This makes for a heavy bike. Often time people use the derogatory term "gas pipe tubing" in order to indicate its low quality and heavy weight.
High carbon tubing: These are a step up from hi-ten steel, but are still relatively low quality. They include Columbus Aelle, Reynolds 500, and Valite. I have little experience with riding or even seeing these tubes.
Steel alloy tubing: These are the next step up in tube quality and include Reynolds 853, True temper OX Platinum, and Columbus Foco.
Chromium-molybdenum steel (chromoloy or Cromo/CrMo): This is the term for a variety of lighter steels that have the numerical designation of 4130. Generally, these are the highest quality steel frames. Reynolds, Columbus, Dedacciai, and True Temper all make chromoloy tubing, but higher quality tubes are made by Ritchey, Tange, and Ishiwata.
Be aware, that many companies now try to disguise the quality of their tubing by giving it a clever name. Do your research and google the name to determine if it is quality or just a clever name for hi-ten steel.
Another important detail often found on the frame sticker is how much of the bike is comprised of Chromoloy. Sometimes, the sticker will read "three main tubes" or something similar that shows that the fork is actually hi-ten along with the chain stays etc. This doesn't make the bike bad, but it is important to be aware of the true nature of your frame.
The final consideration is the butting of the tubes. Butting simply means that one of the tube is made thicker than the rest of the tube. Or, to be more precise, the entire tube is made thinner, except at one end. This allows the bike to be both lighter and more comfortable (as it is more flexible). Usually only the main frame tubes are butted. Additionally, some bikes are double, triple, or even quadruple butted. This of course saves more and more weight and makes the bike increasingly more flexible/comfortable.