The Brewer
Shed Dweller
- Location
- Wrexham
Carbon melt in the rain hence the adverts "only ridden in the dry" 
carbon vs aluminium
- Thread starter ianwoodi
- Start date
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OP
OP
ianwoodi
Well-Known Member
- Location
- buxton derbyshire
Thats right only ridden in perfect dry conditions
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
The fear of an off and trashing your carbon frame will slow you down. Save you some road rash, though....
Mr Haematocrit
msg me on kik for android
- Location
- Out of the saddle
According to the London Metal Exchange it is.
http://www.lme.com/home.asp
Aluminium 1,841.00 (US$/tonne)
Steel billet 165.00 (US$/tonne)
400bhp
Guru
Mr Haematocrit
msg me on kik for android
- Location
- Out of the saddle
Do the raw materials not effect the price of production and products?
The OP made a reference to aluminium bikes being cheaper than carbon which is a questionable statement imho, some of carbon unbranded frames available from the east are priced very compeditively with regards to frames made from other materials including aluminium.
What I was hoping to progress onto depending upon the answer I got, was pointing that 'bamboo' is a cheaper material than steel and asking where the line is drawn with regards to saving money.
The material does not define how good a frame is. Not all frames are created equal. There are some great frames and some not so impressive frames made from a different materials.
Perhaps I went about it in a arse about face way, but I was attempting to point out that to have a blanket statement about all frames based on the material alone is wrong
The OP made a reference to aluminium bikes being cheaper than carbon which is a questionable statement imho, some of carbon unbranded frames available from the east are priced very compeditively with regards to frames made from other materials including aluminium.
What I was hoping to progress onto depending upon the answer I got, was pointing that 'bamboo' is a cheaper material than steel and asking where the line is drawn with regards to saving money.
The material does not define how good a frame is. Not all frames are created equal. There are some great frames and some not so impressive frames made from a different materials.
Perhaps I went about it in a arse about face way, but I was attempting to point out that to have a blanket statement about all frames based on the material alone is wrong
BimblingBee
Guest
Research has shown that lighter, better etc gear will make a rider 'faster'. So in answer to your question its likely to be 'yes'. How much an effect this will have depends on your fitness level but greater improvements have been shown in riders who are less fit.
Pedrosanchezo
Veteran
- Location
- Perthshire, scotland
I take offence to that!!!Well, perhaps waste is the name of the game these days.
We eat too much, what a waste. We pay for 'stuff' we don't need what a waste. We buy cars instead of cycling, what a waste. We throw away perfectly good clothes instead of repairing just because they have one hole in, what a waste.
On the other side of the coin, if you've got the money who are we to say what is waste. If the average bloke feels good on his mega expensive carbon bike fair play to him.
At least he's not spending his money on loose women and booze!
What's wrong with booze????
Yes. Save that money under your mattress and lose it in a house fire.
Doh!
Concluding that other people are wasting money on their purchases is really really dumb. What worthy things do you spend yours on?
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
Yes.
Probably not, not to an extent that you'll notice. i never noticed a difference between mine. and when i went with my brother to look at the carbon -v- alu/carbon forked bike in Halfords, after studying the bikes, i realised that my brother would be paying out an extra £300 to go full carbon... and the difference being only something like 300grams in weight (all the same groupset wheels and kit etc) which is nothing! you won't notice that weight difference (go in your food cupboard, find something that weighs 300 grams and tell me if you think that is worth an extra £300!!??. that made me think about my own bike and whether i'd just been a carbon snob when i bought it. now i think, if i was on a budget. say, for £1000, I'd rather buy an alu bike with carbon forks and upgrade the wheels and groupset for the extra money, rather than go full carbon and have bottom end wheels and groupset. ultimately tho, i would buy the bike that was the best looking... because when you look at your nice shiny new bike in the colour that excites you... you will want to go out on it, and that will be the thing that makes you fitter and, ultimately, faster.
jazzkat
Fixed wheel fanatic.
- Location
- The Cumbrian Riviera
Just for a laugh I've just weighed an empty water bottle. With its lid and no water at all in it = 85g!
It is frightening when you think what people pay for less weight, but it's their money. They can spend it how they want.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
It depends hugely on the intended use. It also depends greatly on what "better" means.
I recall some study about commuting where the carbon bike with all the bells was no faster than a "lesser specced bike".
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
It is not all about the weight!
It is about ride quality, stiffness where it is required, compliance where it is required, etc etc.
Carbon allows much greater manipulation of frame shape whilst maintaining low weight, thus it is possible to design features such as oversized bottom bracket areas etc to aid in power transfer without the weight penalty you would pay with other materials.
