A bicycle frame is the main component of a
bicycle, onto which
wheels and
other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an
upright bicycle is based on the
safety bicycle, and is made of two
triangles, a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame. The main triangle consists of the head tube, top tube, down tube and seat tube. The rear triangle consists of the seat tube, and paired chain stays and seat stays. The head tube contains the
headset, the interface with the
fork. The top tube connects the head tube to the seat tube at the top, and the down tube connects the head tube to the
bottom bracket shell. The rear triangle connects to the rear
dropouts, where the rear wheel is attached. It consists of the seat tube and paired chain stays and seat stays. The chain stays run parallel to the
chain, connecting the bottom bracket to the rear dropouts. The seat stays connect the top of the seat tube (often at or near the same point as the top tube) to the rear dropouts.
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