Aero Bike - Full Carbon or Aluminium?

[PietSw]

Sometime in the near future I might be looking at upgrading..

 

Obviously the argument for Carbon bikes is one that has been discussed over and over..

 

I have another consideration though. Specifically referring to the Merida Reacto range would it not be wise as far as longevity is concerned, to rather opt for something like the Merida Reacto 400 (Aluminium) instead of the Carbon 4000.

 

My reason being Carbon fiber and chances of breaking on crashes..

 

Isnt Aluminium a much safer bet, taking into consideration our roads.

 

I mean If I had bigger budget or was racing, the weight advantage of CF would be worth it.

[26er]

Hi Piet,carbon will always out perform Alu on a road bike

This does not mean you need a carbon bike

Today's alu bikes are also relatively light and stiff

If you are buying new,you do not have to worry about a broken frame though

Merida's warranty's are very good,

Even if second hand and out of warranty,carbon can be fixed..

Buy the best you can afford..

[Rocket-Boy]

Insurance, its what its there for.

[chiefhum69]

I have a question on this topic, Does carbon Only offer a lighter bike? or are there other advantages. Does 2kg make a big difference given a 20k price tag. Or should I loose 2kg instead. 

[Longbarn Killer]

In cycling terms 2kg is massive on a bike. Carbon is more than just weight savings, it provides a much smoother ride without compromising stiffness.

 

Alloy frames are a compromise. They are either flexible, comfortable and slow or stiff, uncomfortable and fast.

 

Carbon can be layered to make it flexible vertically (comfortable) and stiff horizontally (fast)

 

Carbon frames will last as long as any aluminium frames and as mentioned earlier much easier to fix than aluminium.

[Bub Marley]

Unless you can consistently average speed above 30kmh perhaps even more, there will be no performance advantage for you with carbon over aluminum. What carbon will do however, is give you a more comfy ride.

[PietSw]

Valid points.. all of them..

 

I guess Insurance is one way of insuring you not too much out of pocket.

 

At this stage it will be much easier for me too loose the 2kg around my gut than forking out an Extra R10k for carbon... but I guess every bit helps..

 

Would it be worth it to look 2nd hand.. or will the 2nd hand carbon bikes be out of warrantee.. not to mention it might be a FongKong carbon bike?

[Martin PJ]

The paint job on a carbon bike lasts much better than that on an aluminium bike. After a few years the aluminium bikes I have seen always start to corrode in the areas where the sweat drips and there is water (like under the BB and on the seat tube area), the salt seems to get under the paintwork and cause corrosion from the inside out. It looks terrible.

['Dale]

Carbon = comfort

['Dale]

Alu = value

[Rick Sanchez]

Unless you can consistently average speed above 30kmh perhaps even more, there will be no performance advantage for you with carbon over aluminum. What carbon will do however, is give you a more comfy ride.

I would rather say: Unless you can average above 30km/h in your rides, stay away from Aero as it won't be beneficial.