Carbon or aluminium

[Bill-H]

I had a Carrera tdf confidrnce suffered on it as couldn't reach drop handlebars properly since selling it I realised it had a really long stem
I currently ride a gt hybrid I am happy with but am hankering for a proper road bike fitted correctly triple chain set or compact but the crux is what is the main difference in carbon to alloy in the ride

 

[Lee_M]

comfort, some people will disagree but i find al frames really uncomfortable, whereas my carbon is luvverly

and weight

and stiffness

 

[Bill-H]

do you mean less road noise?

 

[Easytigers]

Have a similar problem...a guy at work is willing to sell me a Kuota carbon bike for £400 but not sure if it'll make a big difference over my Triban 3 or whether I just have n+1 syndrome!!!

 

[Stu Smith]

Have a similar problem...a guy at work is willing to sell me a Kuota carbon bike for £400 but not sure if it'll make a big difference over my Triban 3 or whether I just have n+1 syndrome!!!

At the risk of looking stupid..Whats N+1 I've seen it a few times and can't work it out....

 

[Easytigers]

It's where you always want a new bike whether you need it or not i.e. the only good number of bikes to have is n+1...n being the number of bikes you have and +1 being the need to add to it!

 

[Stu Smith]

It's where you always want a new bike whether you need it or not i.e. the only good number of bikes to have is n+1...n being the number of bikes you have and +1 being the need to add to it!

Ahh right...guilty of that one.

 

[smokeysmoo]

What is the main difference in carbon to alloy in the ride

IME, nowt. I've had carbon road bikes and a carbon MTB, I've also had alu bikes and steel bikes too.

If a bike is uncomfortable IMO it's not set up correctly for the rider. FWIW I can ride my current alu road bike farther than I ever could any of my full carbon ones.

As for weight, my current alu road bike is also lighter than any cf road bike I've owned too, go figure.

Alu, carbon, Ti, steel? They are all just different materials, none of which are right, none of which are wrong. No particular one has any major benefit over the other IMO.

Carbon is generically assumed to be an upgrade over any other frame material, but I've yet to have anyone give me a good reason why this has become the case.

 

[mark st1]

Carbon is generically assumed to be an upgrade over any other frame material, but I've yet to have anyone give me a good reason why this has become the case.

Because its bad ass.

 

[Lee_M]

Because its bad ass.

and in my case a load bloody lighter than the smaller alu it replaced

 

[smokeysmoo]

Because its bad ass.

Your balanced and reasoned argument for cf is just not going to cut it Mark

 

[smokeysmoo]

and in my case a load bloody lighter than the smaller alu it replaced

Obviously depends on the bike. Not all alu is the same, equally not all steel is the same, and certainly not all cf is equal either etc.

You could probably save more weight in wheels and other components anyway, and rider weight will always be the biggest factor.

@ the OP. If you have the budget then buy whatever you fancy, but if your budget is low then IMO concentrate on getting a higher end alu or steel frame rather than a budget cf one, and FWIW I wouldn't entertain buying a second hand/used cf bike either.

Many do but I never would TBH, you pays your money you take your chance.

 

[Matthew_T]

The stem on my old racer is too big for me. I think its 100mm compared to my new racer which is 90mm (I think).

 

[Brandane]

I was considering a 2012 Specialized Roubaix Elite carbon framed road bike when one came available at a good price in the end of year sales. That was until I realised that it was only 0.55 kg lighter (according to Evans website) than my current roadie, a 2010 Specialized Secteur Sport. From my understanding, the Secteur is pretty much an alloy framed version of the Roubaix. So spend an extra £700 to save 0.55kg in weight? I went on a diet instead, and I still love riding the Secteur!

 

[Lee_M]

Obviously depends on the bike. Not all alu is the same, equally not all steel is the same, and certainly not all cf is equal either etc.

very true

You could probably save more weight in wheels and other components anyway, and rider weight will always be the biggest factor.

true but it is still a lot easier for fat lardy me to go up a hill on my 7k CF

@ the OP. If you have the budget then buy whatever you fancy, but if your budget is low then IMO concentrate on getting a higher end alu or steel frame rather than a budget cf one,

defintely agree there

and FWIW I wouldn't entertain buying a second hand/used cf bike either.

Many do but I never would TBH, you pays your money you take your chance.

i would but it would have to be checked out by a friendly LBS