nunoza Posted January 10, 2019 Share I disagree with my Friend....he is an experienced MTB rider and has suggested that I upgrade from an aluminum MTB frame to carbon BEFORE I upgrade to carbon wheels. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddaman Posted January 10, 2019 Share Agree, a carbon frame will last longer and will give more smiles than a new set of wheels. Who rides carbon wheels on an alu frame anyway? Edited January 10, 2019 by Paddaman slickjay007, arendoog, ChUkKy and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypot Posted January 10, 2019 Share The difference between carbon and aluminium wheels is far greater than the difference between a carbon and aluminium frame.I upgraded to carbon hoops last year on an aluminium frame and the difference was huge. After that I changed to a carbon frame, and excluding the geometry changes, the difference in feel wasn't nearly as big as the different wheels. Reg Lizard, Kranswurm, Grubscrew and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W@nna-BE Posted January 10, 2019 Share Guess a lot depends on the frame in question..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunoza Posted January 10, 2019 Share Specifics: I have a KTM 294 ALU frame which is about to be replaced. I also have the option of paying in R10 000 TO upgrade to a KTM ELITE Carbon frame. 10k can be used upgrade wheels instead.... GMBN says wheels upgrade is a good idea - Edited January 10, 2019 by nunoza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted January 10, 2019 Share I'd personally never buy carbon hoops. Dinged too many rims on too many rocks to risk a cracked rim. Alu can bend back, carbon needs to be fixed or fails. There's a reason the EWS pros run Alu. IMO, of course. varkie2, Dirkitech, BogusOne and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boerklong Posted January 10, 2019 Share I will change the frame. I will probably wreck the wheels before I wreck the frame. Wayne pudding Mol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne pudding Mol Posted January 10, 2019 Share Depends on what sort of riding you do. I know little but I know carbon wheels made me climb better and the weight saving on the hoops is an effective saving. Good alu wheels trump 10k carbon wheels though.Not often you get to chip in 10k and get a brand new carbon frame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me rida my bicycle Posted January 10, 2019 Share I think lots of people mistake the advantage of carbon wheels. It's not about the weight a good set carbon wheels weight pretty much the same as a good set alu wheels in my experience, with less flex acceleration is more immediate can push harder in corners(these are things you will notice if you are a serious rider) but get tyre pressure wrong on a rock garden and say good buy carbon doesn't buckle it breaks,chips and cracks and replacements are not cheap and riding China carbon will be a no way for me! Carbon frame on the other hand is much easier to feel the difference on carbon frame is much stiffer than alu and more comfortable that's another thing carbon wheels on a HT is going to be a harsh racy ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunoza Posted January 10, 2019 Share Thank you all for the feedback so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowManiac Posted January 10, 2019 Share I'm another who will never go back to carbon wheels. If your trails are rocky it's a recipe for disaster. That said though - the carbon wheels where a huge upgrade IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splat Posted January 11, 2019 Share I disagree with my Friend....he is an experienced MTB rider and has suggested that I upgrade from an aluminum MTB frame to carbon BEFORE I upgrade to carbon wheels. What do you think? What is your current frame and wheelset? The size of the upgrade will depend on your starting point.What is your budget? Wheels or frames probably range between R10 and R45k.What new carbon frame or wheelset do you have in mind?What are you looking to get out of the upgrade? Weight savings or stiffness gains? As mentioned in posts above: there are alu wheels that weigh about the same as carbon wheels, but the carbon is stiffer. Depending on what sort of riding you do, that may or may not be a good thing. On most occasions, a carbon frame is an upgrade over alu. Usually lighter and definitely stiffer, and most of the time, thats a good thing. Edited January 11, 2019 by splat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Posted January 11, 2019 Share Agree, a carbon frame will last longer and will give more smiles than a new set of wheels. Who rides carbon wheels on an alu frame anyway?The new Giant Trance comes standard alu frame / carbon wheels. Some bikes have aluminium swing arms but carbon water bottle cages? Some places the material matters a lot more and I think wheels benefit greatly from the stiffness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allrounder Posted January 11, 2019 Share On the road, I would say wheels. It made the biggest difference for me. For the mountain i would rather get a nice hand build with alu hoop, and ccarbon frame. Except if you can buy these: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunoza Posted January 11, 2019 Share What is your current frame and wheelset? The size of the upgrade will depend on your starting point. KTM 294 Frameset - 29er What is your budget? Wheels or frames probably range between R10 and R45k. No more than 10k What new carbon frame or wheelset do you have in mind? KTM Elite frameset, open to any widish profile wheels (27mm) What are you looking to get out of the upgrade? Weight savings or stiffness gains? Primary requirement is to improve control Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted January 11, 2019 Share Wider bars, shorter stem, wider tyres, skills classes, even a better (longer than 100mm) fork. A carbon frame or wheels won't give you extra control. You're riding an xc race bike. It's not designed to give you confidence or oodles of control if you're not experienced. Edited January 11, 2019 by Captain Fatbastard Mayhem Me rida my bicycle, JohanDiv, dee_biker and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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