Is Carbon that much better than aluminium ?

[Globalti]

I have fitted some £85 carbon rigid forks on my Global titanium mountain bike and they ride so smooth you hardly notice they aren't telescopic until you jump off a kerb. Doing stoppies I have complete trust in them.

I rode an ali Scott for 60 miles and felt absolutely shattered; I can ride my carbon Roubaix for the same and still feel fresh.

Carbon frames are built to a price because they are damned expensive to build, that's all. It's nothing to do with planned obsolescence.

My Roubaix has bendy seat stays that are so flexy that you can feel the bike bounce if you go over a bumpy surface. With Roubaix tyres the underneath of the bridge contacts the tyres when I ride over bumps.

 

[Svendo]

Carbon has it's place of course depending on what you want in a bike, I do think that the major manufacturers are missing a trick by not offering carbon frames that are slightly more simple and over built and capable of taking guards or a light rack.

Instead it all seems to err on the side of being high and race orientated when they could be churning out really good winter commuters and training frames that withstand road salt and corrosion, but then again where is the money in offering a frame that doesn't rust/corrode and lasts you for 20 years no matter how wet or salty it gets?

Dolan Dual: Dolan Webite HERE Carbon Frame, mudguards and rack bosses.

 

[snailracer]

... a frame that doesn't rust/corrode and lasts you for 20 years no matter how wet or salty it gets?

That's not quite correct. Carbon itself appears to be fairly inert, but it is electrochemically very active - it accelerates corrosion of metal fittings attached to it, especially aluminium.

 

[I like Skol]

"Is Carbon that much better than aluminium ?"

Perhaps the question should be is aluminium that much better than carbon? I had a huge accident in my early twenties when my Ali MTB bars snapped while zooming down a farm track. Since then I have had concerns about the fatigue resistance of aluminium components. With hindsight I had had warning signs and had even stripped down the stem and handle bar clamp a few weeks earlier and reassembled it all with a smear of grease to try and cure a creaking problem

I guess both carbon and ali can be problematic if not executed correctly.

 

[JonnyBlade]

I have both and find the rides fairly similar although the carbon needs a little less effort for me to throw it around the roads of Hampshire

 

[fossyant]

Horses for courses folks.

Stuff fails some times / or it doesn't.

Ride the bikes hard, but treat them with kid gloves in transport. My 'old' race bike has had more scuffs from transport/maintenance than racing..... it's steel and hasn't rusted.

My new'ish commuter is now 2 years old -it's alloy and carbon, and looks like new, it's battered every day, my forks haven't melted or collapsed, the alloy not snapped. Not much steel on it but...

My employer asked me recently to do written procedure for a business system, only because I had a magnetic attraction to cars, I replied my new bike was aluminium and carbon... heh heh.... ... Still have to do the work though...boooo

Just ride a bike - pick what material YOU want.

 

[Alembicbassman]

Planet X Carbon SL (£1099) now enters the fray under that of their Team Alu bikes (£1199)

So carbon is not now more expensive or exclusive.

Decathlon now do full carbon with 105 bits for £899

You chose a bike for the type of riding.

Stiff frames allow maximum power transfer, energy gets lost if things bend.

Flexible frames make for a comfy ride, frame absorbs lumps and bumps.

All frames of all materials can be made stiff or flexible, just depends on the fabrication.

That's why you need to try before you buy.

If you're going to blow your hard earned cash it's best not to end up a fashion victim.

 

[MacB]

Interesting Alem, I do wonder sometimes about the various reviews/opinions you get online, even after discounting the usual fanboy type stuff declaring whatever to be the bestest ever. As I understand it material science, in relation to bikes, has really developed around racing priorities. What's good for a superfit pro cyclist is not necessarily good for the weekend warrior.

I have very limited experience of aluminium but the Giant I had was a half alu half carbon frame, with carbon forks, and very comfy. Not as comfy as my steel Crosscheck or the newer steel Vaya, but quite different bikes as well. Choosing a new bike I ended up going for a ti frame & carbon disc forks, a full carbon frame would have been too expensive to go custom for what I wanted. But I borrowed heavily form Roubaix geometry in the design, if the Roubaix had been available with disc brakes and bigger tyre clearance I'd have bought that. My new 29er will have rigid carbon disc forks as well, so I'd guess I'm ok with carbon.

But I can't see me ever going with carbon parts like seatpost, bars, full forks, etc.

 

[lukesdad]

Planet X Carbon SL (£1099) now enters the fray under that of their Team Alu bikes (£1199)

So carbon is not now more expensive or exclusive.

Decathlon now do full carbon with 105 bits for £899

You chose a bike for the type of riding.

Stiff frames allow maximum power transfer, energy gets lost if things bend.

Flexible frames make for a comfy ride, frame absorbs lumps and bumps.

All frames of all materials can be made stiff or flexible, just depends on the fabrication.

That's why you need to try before you buy.

If you're going to blow your hard earned cash it's best not to end up a fashion victim.

Very true its how the framset is made not what its made of.

 

[PaulSB]

Dolan Dual: Dolan Webite HERE Carbon Frame, mudguards and rack bosses.

I was going to mention this as I've had one for six weeks now. Part of the choice was made because of mudguard clearance and rack bosses. A great bike, handles well, very comfy and 2-3 mph faster than my old one. Only issue I have is getting used to the double shift system for the gear change as it's a compact double, but that's a different subject. I have now cracked it but do miss the change from time to time.

As the LBS pointed out it's the idiot using them not the shifters that are the problem!!!!

 

[gb155]

I averaged 18.2 Mph Yesterday, my quickest ride for about a month

I was on my Cheap Carbon bike

and I only used the 39t (small) ring

Carbon RULES

 

[GrasB]

I dont want to replace it yet but still like studying the bikes available etc .It seems to me that if you are happy with ally you can get a much better specced bike for the same money. Is Carbon really that much of an improvement in ride quality?

I found that the Cervelo S1 frameset was just as compliant or more so than every carbon framed bike where the frameset cost less than £800. Spend similar money on a frame (900-1100) in carbon or aluminium & you got a light, stiff & compliant frame. One thing I did notice was that you only got carbon frames right at the extremes of compliancy & weight envelopes where as stiffness was dominated by the aluminium frames. Basically the more expensive the frameset the better it is, from there its a case of picking your preferred blend.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Planet X Carbon SL (£1099) now enters the fray under that of their Team Alu bikes (£1199)

The bike of champions!

Funny how that's turned around price-wise, when I bought my Team Alu it was a good £400+ cheaper than carbon and that was with Ultegra kit too.

 

[david k]

how do i find out if my apollo mountian bike is carbon?

 

[515mm]

how do i find out if my apollo mountian bike is carbon?

Ride it really fast into a wall.

If it bursts into flames, it was carbon.

That's true that is.