Are Carbon Frame Bikes Worth it?

[bozmandb9]

Carbon fibre is just a frame material. Steel, alloy and titanium are likewise frame materials. How that material is used and the geometry of the bikes made from all frame materials varies greatly. Just because something is made of carbon fibre does not make it good, nor bad come to that. A good bike is a good bike, whatever it is made of. Sadly, you can usually tell the good ones from the less good by looking at the price ticket. You get what you pay for, in cycling as in most things.

Hhhmmmm. I think when you pay £10k for a bike, you pay 8k for the label/ association/ endorsements and possible a few grams less (but not necessarily). When you spend £2k, you're paying a much higher proportion just for the bike, components etc (although still marketing/ distribution, etc etc will be part of the equation).

Or you buy direct from a company like Dolan, and you're paying a much higher proportion for the bike/ frame, components, since they don't have the distribution/ retail margins to factor in.

So ok, you get what you pay for, but what do you want to pay for? Labels/ association, or a bike?

 

[screenman]

Hhhmmmm. I think when you pay £10k for a bike, you pay 8k for the label/ association/ endorsements and possible a few grams less (but not necessarily). When you spend £2k, you're paying a much higher proportion just for the bike, components etc (although still marketing/ distribution, etc etc will be part of the equation).

Or you buy direct from a company like Dolan, and you're paying a much higher proportion for the bike/ frame, components, since they don't have the distribution/ retail margins to factor in.

So ok, you get what you pay for, but what do you want to pay for? Labels/ association, or a bike?

So nothing left for R&D I feel your figures may be slightly off. There is I doubt £8,000 margin in a bike.

Just a thought do you have a £2,000 bike?

 

[Venod]

I have owned had a carbon bike and would have no problems owning another, chips to the paintwork etc are common on any painted frame ( thats why a raw titanium frame is my favourite frame choice) most frames run carbon forks and you don't get a lot of scare stories about these, but when I crashed my CAADX the forks snapped in half and the rear triangle shifted to one side, I had to fit new forks but was able to manipulate the rear triangle back true, of course I don't know how much the frame has been compromised by straightening it but it rides OK and has had some off road beatings since the repair.

 

[bozmandb9]

So nothing left for R&D I feel your figures may be slightly off. There is I doubt £8,000 margin in a bike.

Just a thought do you have a £2,000 bike?

I guess I could have listed every element in the cost composition of a bike, but I think most understood my point without my needing to do so. My bike cost me £500, I believe it was originally £1,850, then discounted to £1,249. How about yours? What point are you trying to make?

 

[screenman]

The point is I think your numbers are wrong.

My 6 bikes vary from £700 to £1750.

 

[bozmandb9]

The point is I think your numbers are wrong.

My 6 bikes vary from £700 to £1750.

???

Really?

The numbers are made up, and totally irrelevant, I was making a point, and using pretty arbitrary numbers to illustrate it, they are not intended to be accurate. If you're trying to say the £700 to £1,700 price range represents the sweet spot in terms of getting full value for money, you may well be right, in a sense, however it is of course subjective.

My point was just about the statement 'You get what you pay for', which at higher price levels, does not equal a corresponding increase in the quality of the bike, with every hundred pounds spent.

 

[Apollonius]

Law of diminishing returns. As with most things, double the price and get slightly better. This applies to most desirable consumer products. Hi-fi, cameras, possibly cars, but since I own a cheap Vauxhall, I am in no position to say. You bail out when your pocket depth is exceeded.

 

[screenman]

Law of diminishing returns. As with most things, double the price and get slightly better. This applies to most desirable consumer products. Hi-fi, cameras, possibly cars, but since I own a cheap Vauxhall, I am in no position to say. You bail out when your pocket depth is exceeded.

Brilliant, can I borrow that last line please.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

The point is I think your numbers are wrong.

My 6 bikes vary from £700 to £1750.

Yes, but how long ago did you buy them?

 

[screenman]

My point was just about the statement 'You get what you pay for', which at higher price levels, does not equal a corresponding increase in the quality of the bike, with every hundred pounds spent.

I am sure you maybe correct, however without owning a £ 10,000 bike you are unlikely to know how much pleasure it may bring. I spent £2000 on a bike 20 years ago and raced on it and enjoyed it a lot, so money well spent, if I had not enjoyed it my feelings about the cost may have been different.

 

[screenman]

Yes, but how long ago did you buy them?

The £700 one about 22 years ago.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I love my carbon. Made my DD ride as smooth as butter. I could not ask for a better partner for my budget!

 

[GuyBoden]

Harrier 2 has carbon fibre wings, no problems.........

 

[RoubaixCube]

Harrier 2 has carbon fibre wings, no problems.........

Military grade

 

[S-Express]

Military grade

What is 'military grade'..? I get that it is CF made for the military, but how is it different?