Carbon Frames Are they really needed.

[miremare]

Hello

im looking at a road bike.

my budget is £1500 tops.

as an example im looking at a

Cube Agree GTC Pro 2011. ( given weight is 8.3kg ) carbon
vs


Cube Agree SL 2011 ( given weight 8.1kg) triple butted non carbon


both have the same spec ( apart from carbon frame)


is carbon really giving a massive advantage for a bike around £1500

 

[Evil Rabbit]

I have only limited experience of CF frames, but to me they ride differently and it comes down to personal feel/preference. I would have no issue buying an Ali frame or a CF - it would depend on which ride I preferred.

 

[xxmimixx]

ohhh lucky youuuuu I'd love a Cube bike they are stunning!

 

[smokeysmoo]

IMHO, and after 5 years carbon ownership consisting of a Trek Madone 5.5, a Focus Raven MTB and a Focus Cayo Pro, NO.

Check THESE out instead

 

[brockers]

IMHO, and after 5 years carbon ownership consisting of a Trek Madone 5.5, a Focus Raven MTB and a Focus Cayo Pro, NO.

Check THESE out instead

Are you on commision?

 

[smokeysmoo]

Are you on commision?

You'd think wouldn't you
Truth be told, I just can't praise the CAAD10 highly enough, but you've probably figured that out by now

 

[JonnyBlade]

Try a Boardman

 

[Fletch456]

Cannondale are known for building fantastic aluminium frames. It's a sign of how much they believe in them and how much interest there is when they sell one for £2500 too.

Though I recently got my first carbon, though my alu was 7 yrs old and ok but not the best. The Trek 4.7 I bought is a lot more comfortable and faster and a pleasure to ride.

A pal is a long term fan of Cannondale and has a CAAD that was about 10 years old but has just got his first carbon. I rode with him when he went on his first ride and he fell in love instantly - faster and smoother over bumps and manhole covers for him too.

He stuck with Cannondale - got something a bit above your budget in the Super Six 105 at £1800. I had a very short ride on it and the ride is a just a bit more to my taste than the Trek as it's just a little bit sharper. I'd have definitely looked at and tried the Cannondale but they were too late getting into the shops, which I've found out was due to their process of changing distributor this year.

You quoted weights above and I was kind of focussed on this and I still pick up bikes when a pal gets a new one but I know it's more about other things too now. Like the feel of the ride and how well it fits you or is fitted to you. I don't give it the priority I did before. The alu bike I didnt test ride when I bought but totally endorse trying a few bikes and may have missed THE best value for money on bikes I couldn't test ride or were too far away for me to try. I really wanted to remove the rough feel I was getting from the alu as a result of feeling every tiny bump in the road.

 

[Black Sheep]

No, carbon frames are not needed.

my steel framed tourer is the same weight as my friend's specialized carbon racing bike and in my opinion, nicer to ride

don't bother with alu either - thats like taking a BMW M3 with its harderned sports suspension and stiffening the ride some more!

steel is good, very good.

 

[amaferanga]

As I understand it the Agree GTC Pro is Shimano 105 where as the Agree SL is Ultegra. The Agree SL also has better (read lighter) wheels and probably some other bits are a bit better/lighter hence why the weights are so close.

If this is your first decent road bike then I duobt you'd be disappointed in either, though you might want to look at the Planet X SL Pro and Planet X Nanolight. Think there's an offer on the SL Pro at the moment and there'll probably be one on the Nanolight soon (since they're currently at full price - Planet X rarely sell stuff at full price for long).

 

[amaferanga]

No, carbon frames are not needed.

my steel framed tourer is the same weight as my friend's specialized carbon racing bike and in my opinion, nicer to ride

don't bother with alu either - thats like taking a BMW M3 with its harderned sports suspension and stiffening the ride some more!

steel is good, very good.

Really? There must be some seriously heavy components on the Specialized and/or some seriously lightweight bits on your tourer. I bet your frame/forks weighs around a kg more than his.

 

[John the Monkey]

Good and bad frames can be made out of any material - what matters is how the bike feels to you.

I ride a steel tourer that *is* heavy (but largely because it has robust wheels, large tyres, a Brooks...) but is incredibly comfortable (42c tyres'll smooth out a lot of the bumps),

I ride an aluminium frame with carbon forks that's far lighter, and more direct in it's handling, but that's at least partly because I've put lighter parts on it, and the geometry is compact, with a longer stem and lower riding position.

I can go faster on the aluminium framed bike - I accelerate quicker (the Tourer HATES being "muscled" up to speed) and have a faster top speed. Averages are 2-3mph quicker than averages on the tourer.

But I'd hesitate to carry more than a commuting load on the aluminium bike, and I have to get creative to fit a rack to it. I'd not belt it along towpaths or gravel like I do with the tourer either - speed and lightness in a bike isn't everything.

If you ride a few bikes, and the one that sings to you is carbon, buy that! Don't get too hung up on stuff like this.

Sheldon Brown on Frame Materials

 

[Rebel Ian]

Really? There must be some seriously heavy components on the Specialized and/or some seriously lightweight bits on your tourer. I bet your frame/forks weighs around a kg more than his.

I read that and thought the same. I've be very very surprised if that was the case, unless you're bringing rider weight into the equation!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

He stuck with Cannondale - got something a bit above your budget in the Super Six 105 at £1800.

I was at my LBS on Saturday picking up some components that I got on the C2W scheme and noticed a Cannondale Super Six Hi-MOD SRAM RED bike. I am pretty new to cycling and my Secteur is the first road bike that I have owned and I find it very comfortable but have nothing to compare it to. Where I work there are a few people that have lower end carbon road bikes and I have picked them up in the bike shed, and I have thought that they are a little lighter than my bike but I was hardly amazed by it. I also thought that this weight difference would make very little difference to somebody of my ability. Back to the Super Six Hi-Mod, I picked this up and I was amazed at how little it weighed. It had a very hefty price tag of around 3.5K but for once I could actually appreciate why such a bike cost so much. Then again as mentioned, you could maybe get an alu bike that was just as light by paying a decent amount too. I think I need to start saving.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'd rather walk than ride an aluminium or steel road bike. The Brommie is fine for shopping, but if I want to feel alive and in control without having my arms turned to jelly, it's got to be carbon.