I love steel and carbon both. Here are some fun facts to spice up the conversation. People who will smoke me when I am riding my steel Merckx: 1) The version of me riding a carbon bike 2) Eddy Merckx 20 years ago riding a steel bike 3) Most of the same people who would smoke me when I am riding a carbon bike People who I will smoke when I am riding my steel Merckx: 1) Most of the same people I will smoke when riding a carbon bike. The biggest class of exceptions being: anyone with a W/kg really really close to mine but riding a superlight bike on a long climb or flat section. 2) All of the same people I will smoke on a carbon bike on a descent. 3) Everyone who slows down to gawk at my awesome, 80's Merckx. People who will smoke me when I am riding one of my carbon bikes: 1) Eddy Merckx 20 years ago riding a steel bike 2) Tons and tons of other people Steel has a huge added bonus: you can get 2 or 3 vintage, top-of-the-line steel frames for the price of one top-of-the-line carbon frame. But there are some carbon frames that I simply cannot resist. Look, feel, everything is amazing. Of course carbon is stiffer. Of course steel is heavier. But the real question for consideration is: how much fun will you have blowing by a fleet of carbon junkies on your super rad steel, 80's paint-job, hats-off-to-the-gods-of-yesteryear weapon?
