Carbon or Metal ??

Carbon,steel,aluminum? The second biggest debate of all times on this forum and is overshadowed only by doping threads.

Go carbon it's cooler!!! and I find it has a nicer feel to ride on

irishmans diary said:

Hi guys, maybe you can help me.

I'm in the throws of spending a few euors to upgrade my existing road bike (Giant).
Problem is, I can't get any clarity in whether to go for carbon or metal frame.
I'm more of a semi-serious recreationalist doing club tours, ameteur time trialing, duathlons and the odd hill climb.
I'm serioulsy looking at the 'Cervélo Soloist Team' due to the excellent reviews and versatility but would also be prepared to consider a carbon frame around the same price such as Ridley etc if considered a better ride!.
I'd be greatful for opinions for any against and particualy from any 'Soloist Team' owners. Cheers.

irish... Let me give you a quick rundown...

Steel: Very strong but heavy and may rust at some point
Carbon: (traditionnally in layers embedded in a resin) very cool and sexy forms, very strong due to resin and form, very light but prone to scratches that may result in tears and breaks of the frame. Somewhat expensive.
Titanium: Strong, light and durable... but expensive
Aluminum: Somewhat of a compromise but prone to all kinds of noises.

and finally Carbon Nanotubes... The difference to traditionnal carbon is that there are very tiny strings of carbon in the resin as well so if you scratch the frame it does not matter since you will not tear any layers of carbon. Very very strong... very sexy and very expensive too. BMC makes them (check them out at http://www.bmc-cycling.com/.

It depends hom much you want to spend. Oftentimes you can go with a carbonframe and a good SHimano group (105 or higher) for 2000€.

Or go with a Aluminum frame with carbon fork and a better group (Ultegra or dura Ace) for the same price.

Let me know if you need more info....

Cheers. 😄

hillmonster said:

Go carbon it's cooler!!! and I find it has a nicer feel to ride on

It's also easier to move at a coffee shop in case its in someones way. There is nothing worse than having to move a heavy metal clunker after you've downed 3 skinny soy lattes!

cheers

Okay, someone has to say it...

Go with steel! Nothing says 'I'm a badder 4$$ rider that you are' like a nice steel frame. And they will last far longer than anything else you can buy. That extra pound of weight? Big deal, you can still build up a bike that weighs less than 17 pounds if you are careful in your parts selection.

And the coolest thing, though I'm not sure if this works everywhere; is that you can actually trip the sensors for most traffic lights if you are riding steel. That never worked with my aluminum mountain bike...

irishmans diary said:

Hi guys, maybe you can help me.

I'm in the throws of spending a few euors to upgrade my existing road bike (Giant).
Problem is, I can't get any clarity in whether to go for carbon or metal frame.
I'm more of a semi-serious recreationalist doing club tours, ameteur time trialing, duathlons and the odd hill climb.
I'm serioulsy looking at the 'Cervélo Soloist Team' due to the excellent reviews and versatility but would also be prepared to consider a carbon frame around the same price such as Ridley etc if considered a better ride!.
I'd be greatful for opinions for any against and particualy from any 'Soloist Team' owners. Cheers.

hey, i have an OCR3 aluminum frame, and love it. it is a little bumpy when hitting some cracks in the road or bumps, compared to the carbon fiber where i hardly felt riding over it at all! the carbon fiber really rolls right over it without transferring the impact.

i've picked up a carbon frame and then my own aluminum. the carbon frame was a lot lighter.

i've looked it up on the internet though, and noticed the carbon frame weighs 107 grams or ~2 lbs; however, so does the aluminum. when i noticed that i decided to keep my aluminum frame and just upgrade some things on it instead of buying an all out new bike (which would be fun if i had the $$$):p

If you're considering Ridley, take a close look at their new Orion carbon frame.
I just got mine delivered a week ago with Campagnolo Centaur groupset and Zonda wheels. My first impression is wonderful, a great combination of speed, stiffness and comfort.
I haven't tried a Cervélo Soloist Team, but I'm sure the Ridley Orion will give it a good match! And it looks really cool with black Campy Zonda's and red tape on the handlebar. 😎