high end alu vs low end carbon

jrstevens said:

there was a poster somewhere on the forum a couple days back trying to decide between low end carbon and high end aluminum I think primarily within the Felt line. check out this bike from Pinarello. a fellow racer has this model from a few years back and absolutely raves about it. for $2200 that's a lot of bike!

competitivecyclist.comCCYOpen ↗

I would hardly consdier this a review, as it is charicterized, of an entry-level bike. Not with a price tag north of $2K. Sorry, entry-level, in my opinion, is south of $1k. That said, it looks like a good budget, "high end", bike.

jrstevens said:

there was a poster somewhere on the forum a couple days back trying to decide between low end carbon and high end aluminum I think primarily within the Felt line. check out this bike from Pinarello. a fellow racer has this model from a few years back and absolutely raves about it. for $2200 that's a lot of bike!

competitivecyclist.comCCYOpen ↗

I'll take the Felt. Better components plus $101 retail cheaper.

feltracing.comindex.htmlOpen ↗

Lw

I stopped thinking of ever getting a Pinarello the first time I saw those wavey "onda" forks.

DiabloScott said:

I stopped thinking of ever getting a Pinarello the first time I saw those wavey "onda" forks.

I have a a couple Pinarello's both without the "onda". I agree, it looked interesting when I first saw it on the Dogma, but now the have it on all of their mid-high end bikes and it's getting a bit tired. I have been riding a Pinarello Surprise for a few years. It is a step down from the Galileo, but it's an ok value and one tough frame. I also have a Pinarello Opera (steel) and it's an absolute pleasure to ride. Pinarello's aren't super light, but they are attractive (Onda notwithstanding) and they are excellent bikes for racing or club rides. Stiff, responsive and comfy. A tad pricey though.

Insight Driver said:

I would hardly consdier this a review, as it is charicterized, of an entry-level bike. Not with a price tag north of $2K. Sorry, entry-level, in my opinion, is south of $1k. That said, it looks like a good budget, "high end", bike.

don't recall where I said it was an entry-level bike. the OP was looking at high end alu which is what this bike is.

Forget about these other brands and go with what feels right: a specialized tarmac expert. With ultegra, a carbon frame, ksyriums, and looks that kill, you can't go wrong for that price.

Exactly, go with what feels right. I have a 05 giant TCR 2 and I am getting a 06 Cervelo Soloist Team Aluminum bike. Why not another carbon bike. Because after taking the ALUM Cervelo out it is hands down faster and I can make it lighter than a carbon bike by changing out a few things, wheels specifically. Weighing 152lbs at 5'10" helps too. Also, I do not have $5200 for the Cervelo Carbon.

before someone chimes in....lighter than an low end carbon bike.😄

Interesting that almost all CSC riders are still on the Alu version too. I'm looking at the Soloist Carbon but it's a lot of money for an Asian built frame

886014 said:

Interesting that almost all CSC riders are still on the Alu version too. I'm looking at the Soloist Carbon but it's a lot of money for an Asian built frame

The Soloist Carbon is Canadian built and Cervelo has one of the best quality control systems in place when it comes to bikes. Some of the TRI bikes are made in the USA too. After seeing the 06 Soloist Carbon and riding one I'm leaning towards the Carbon now.

Cervelo is a Canadian company, however I believe the Soloist Carbon is actually made in Asia under supervision from Cervelo. Given the company has just 30 employes, 8 of whom are involved in engineering, by the time you take out accounting/marketing/administration/etc I can't see there'd be anybody left to build them!

DiabloScott said:

I stopped thinking of ever getting a Pinarello the first time I saw those wavey "onda" forks.

You're right. how on earth Petacchi ever allowed himself to ride one I can't understand🙄