Road racing bikes are currently the most popular type of bike around, they can be used for road racing, touring, leisure or commuting. Racing bikes are lighter, faster and more responsive than mountain bikes priced at the same price point. Road bikes have come a long way in recent years with new technology and materials available. Aluminium, carbon fibre, and titanium are all used now as well as the more traditional steel tube sets. They all have their advantages: aluminium offers a very stiff responsive frame with good performance at a reasonable price, steel offers comfort over performance and is a long term investment, titanium offers ultimate all round performance and comfort while carbon fibre offers superb comfort, low weights and high performance. Some manufacturers like to mix the materials to give the benefits of all the materials in one frame - a carbon fibre rear end on an aluminium frame, for example is a very popular design. The technology hasn't stopped at the frame either every component has been through development allowing, road racing bikes to become featherweight, responsive machines that offer a performance never seen before.