OP
OP
jamin100
Guru
- Location
- Birmingham
14stone (ish) although that's coming down
To carbon or not to carbon?
- Thread starter jamin100
- Start date
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Big Nick
Senior Member
I have a carbon framed Bianchi and an aluminium framed Boardman, the difference in ride comfort is night and day with the Boardman feeling like a bone shaker. Also up hills the lighter Bianchi is much better even though it's higher geared than the Boardman
Get the lightest bike you can and if that's carbon and gets decent reviews then it's a no brainer in my opinion
Get the lightest bike you can and if that's carbon and gets decent reviews then it's a no brainer in my opinion
albionbri
Active Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
Have to agree with Big Nick. I've had a Boardman Team, aluminium frame for a couple of years and thought it was the bees knees. Just upgraded to a Cannondale Synapse 5 and the difference in comfort has really surprised me. The synapse seems to simply float compared to the Boardman. Cost almost twice as much though. Oh, should mention only done about 60 miles on it so far, first week.
doog
....
- Location
- The beautiful south
OP
OP
jamin100
Guru
- Location
- Birmingham
As opposed to the 10kg of the boardman cx I already have
doog
....
- Location
- The beautiful south
gotcha. Yep I went from a Specialized Tricross cx to a CAAD10...like night and day.
Also have a cannondale supersix (carbon) but prefer the alu framed CAAD10
ayceejay
Guru
- Location
- Rural Quebec
Forget the material the frame is made from for now. You will find a difference in the geometry between a CX frame and a road frame that will favour your new routine and weight is no indicator here. A shorter wheel base will mean the road frame is more 'responsive', meaning that the effort you put into climbing a hill will be more productive. How much the frame flexes under pressure will be another factor that ensures your power gets the est use. So a well sorted frame made of steel will be better than a crap frame from carbon or titanium or whatever.
Most frames are made in the Far East and Planet X make no secret of this and their prices seem to demonstrate a no BS approach to this fact.
Most frames are made in the Far East and Planet X make no secret of this and their prices seem to demonstrate a no BS approach to this fact.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
I've heard this said before, but don't really understand. What does it mean exactly?
Whilst I need some convincing, I'm not saying it's wrong necessarily
LSAF2011
Active Member
- Location
- Nottingham
I've been to Planet X today and looked at the SRAM Carbon Pro, so light and sturdy its almost unbelievable.
I've been used to the B'twin from Decathalon but you can tell the difference, it looked slick, felt slick, and top notch customer service.
The SRAM gears felt odd compared to what I'm used to but they felt smooth and I'd feel they would be easy to get used to.
I've been used to the B'twin from Decathalon but you can tell the difference, it looked slick, felt slick, and top notch customer service.
The SRAM gears felt odd compared to what I'm used to but they felt smooth and I'd feel they would be easy to get used to.
I couldn't decide on what to get when I bought via C2W last year. Had the £1,000 to spend via Halfords and they sourced a 2014 Defy 1 for me. The toss up was decent Alu frame and groupset (105), or a cheap bottom end Carbon frame with lower groupset. Was a no brainer to me tbh, especially reading opinions on here as above and the web. It's not always about the material, its more about the quality. I was comparing the bigger brands though, as Ribble and Planet X do not sell through other vendors and so Halfords could not source those. Their kit is more keenly priced, and therefore allows better groupsets for similar money.
I was lucky and got a planet x carbon pro Ultegra, just before they went up £200. It's about 3kg lighter than my Boardman hybrid. It is smoother on the road despite the boardman front suspension. Had it a week ish and cycling around 10% faster and less tired. I am changing 11-28 cassette for an 11-32 for the more challenging hills. It's. Smashing :-)
albion
Guest
http://nytimes.com/2014/07/27/sport...ster-it8217s-the-cyclists-falling-harder.html
This will be useful for some who need to decide.
This will be useful for some who need to decide.
Useful if they plan to buy bikes over £5k maybe. The bikes that most people on here ask about are very different things frame wise. They are heavier than the pro frames for exactly the reasons in that scaremongering report.
When was the last time you saw a report saying how any vehicle in a high speed sport was made for longevity rather than speed?
The bikes in the above article are built to last a few races rather than last them years.
