carbon: is it worth it?

I have an all alloy frame ( carbon forks, seat post, stem and bars) and have considered going carbon myself. But i have been told by a number of people that the carbon rear stay ( if you are used to alloy) can feel "spongy" or gives a little (obviously you would expect some slight flexion in a carbon rear stay) when you put the power down. If your happy with alloy, i would stay alloy. But give some carbon rear stay bikes a spin to see what you think, it might be just what your looking for.
Cheers

Utah roadie said:

Hey everyone,

I am selling my bike, and I am looking to purchase a new one.
Right now I am looking at a Cannondale, and I can't decied if I want the aluminum frame, or the frame with carbon inserts. The added carbon adds a boat load to the price, is it worth it? Or would I be better to buy the solid aluminum frame and use the savings on a new set of wheels?
Thanks for any help.

_________________________________________________________________
I do to have a life! It's called a bike.

Assume you're talking about the six13 frame vs. the CAAD7? I'd test ride both frames before deciding which one you want. You may like the CAAD7 ride better.

From the website, I see the weight difference is 50 grams, a non-issue, so it really gets down to ride, looks, and your need to have the latest high-tech offering.

I'm in the same Boat as you and have narrowed my new Bike choices down to include the six13...if I DO go for it I'll be getting the Red Saeco Bike with full D/A...the msrp on this bike is around $5500.00 but I've been offered a new one at $4000.00...this is the kinda Bike I'm looking for because with my limited knowledge, and by looking at the Bike, nothing will need to be upgraded, it already comes with K-Wing Bars, Fizik saddle..and other nice stuff..so it comes delivered and ready to ride...Just add a couple of Carbon cages, Pedals of choice and...see ya!!

My LBS owner is Italian, an ex-pro, he sells Colnago and Cannondale..he rode a six13 for 2 weeks and said it's the closest Cannondale has ever come to a Colnago...he loves the six...which has aluminum seat stays and carbon frame, the opposite to what most other manufacturers have been doing...

Anyway, you can take all my comments with a pinch of salt, it's best to ride one and compare to another 'Dale...then see whether it's worth the extra bucks or not....

Utah roadie said:

Hey everyone,

I am selling my bike, and I am looking to purchase a new one.
Right now I am looking at a Cannondale, and I can't decied if I want the aluminum frame, or the frame with carbon inserts. The added carbon adds a boat load to the price, is it worth it? Or would I be better to buy the solid aluminum frame and use the savings on a new set of wheels?
Thanks for any help.

_________________________________________________________________
I do to have a life! It's called a bike.

Jaguar27 said:

I'm in the same Boat as you and have narrowed my new Bike choices down to include the six13...if I DO go for it I'll be getting the Red Saeco Bike with full D/A...the msrp on this bike is around $5500.00 but I've been offered a new one at $4000.00...this is the kinda Bike I'm looking for because with my limited knowledge, and by looking at the Bike, nothing will need to be upgraded, it already comes with K-Wing Bars, Fizik saddle..and other nice stuff..so it comes delivered and ready to ride...Just add a couple of Carbon cages, Pedals of choice and...see ya!..

If that price includes a bunch of POSEUR' stick on labels for your forehead,go for it.

Jaguar27 said:

I'm in the same Boat as you and have narrowed my new Bike choices down to include the six13...if I DO go for it I'll be getting the Red Saeco Bike with full D/A...the msrp on this bike is around $5500.00 but I've been offered a new one at $4000.00...this is the kinda Bike I'm looking for because with my limited knowledge, and by looking at the Bike, nothing will need to be upgraded, it already comes with K-Wing Bars, Fizik saddle..and other nice stuff..so it comes delivered and ready to ride...Just add a couple of Carbon cages, Pedals of choice and...see ya!!

My LBS owner is Italian, an ex-pro, he sells Colnago and Cannondale..he rode a six13 for 2 weeks and said it's the closest Cannondale has ever come to a Colnago...he loves the six...which has aluminum seat stays and carbon frame, the opposite to what most other manufacturers have been doing...

Anyway, you can take all my comments with a pinch of salt, it's best to ride one and compare to another 'Dale...then see whether it's worth the extra bucks or not....

New Fuji Pro carbon,i think is full DA for around 3K
Tarmac full DA and some with FSA crank for around 3K

[quote="Utah roadie"] supergo scattante CF 2004 with DA 9: $1899.

Ive ridden steel, aluminum, Ti, and carbon. Ive said before this isnt a popular answer, but for me, carbon is the best of the 4. Its light, stiff, strong (at least I have never broken a frame or fork and I weigh 202). It is forgiving in a long race or century. I love the romantic idea of a finely crafted steel frame, but when Im putting in the training miles, I really enjoy the carbon most of all. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

}[quote="boudreaux"]

Utah roadie said:

supergo scattante CF 2004 with DA 9: $1899.

shokhead said:

}

Nice bike but i'd feel better with more then a {if its still}a 5 year warr. I've only heard good things about them.

spare me the warranty [censored].

Giant and Trek both uped their warranties on carbon fiber bikes to lifetime of the original owner as of this year. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

boudreaux said:

spare me the warranty [censored].

Gee,sorry.

bikeshop said:

Giant and Trek both uped their warranties on carbon fiber bikes to lifetime of the original owner as of this year. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

All these "lifetime" warranties from the major brands that I've read cover only failures due to defects in materials and workmanship. They exclude "normal wear and tear", ie, fatigue damage. So, if you race a frame for 20,000 miles, and the rear chainstay breaks due to fatigue, the company isn't required to replace your frame.

C'dale is up front about explaining that their CAAD 7 frame isn't made to last forever in their written warranty info. The other manufacturers seem to want to let buyers believe that whenever their frame wears out, they can just get a free replacement.

Our local framebuilder has specific wearout/fatigue coverage, in addition to the usual "lifetime" warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. This coverage is for 3-5 years, depending on the frame material. I'd guess other custom race-frame builders offer similar warranties.

bikeshop said:

Giant and Trek both uped their warranties on carbon fiber bikes to lifetime of the original owner as of this year. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

Trek has been lifetime for years.If Giant has just done it they are trying to play catch-up.

bikeshop said:

Giant and Trek both uped their warranties on carbon fiber bikes to lifetime of the original owner as of this year. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

Specialized offer the same, and from what I've heard, they are pretty good about honoring their waranty.

OCRoadie said:

Specialized offer the same, and from what I've heard, they are pretty good about honoring their waranty.

I've already done specialized, I wasn't happy. But they are very good at the honoring their waranty policy.

Utah roadie said:

Hey everyone,

I am selling my bike, and I am looking to purchase a new one.
Right now I am looking at a Cannondale, and I can't decied if I want the aluminum frame, or the frame with carbon inserts. The added carbon adds a boat load to the price, is it worth it? Or would I be better to buy the solid aluminum frame and use the savings on a new set of wheels?
Thanks for any help.

_________________________________________________________________
I do to have a life! It's called a bike.

Maybe it depends as much upon how much you can afford and where you are with your cycling, as it does upon improved performance, i.e. is the addtional expense worth you buying a good carbon-framed / mixed material bike?

This is, of course, totally subjective, but just be honest with yourself. Also, make sure that you test-ride enough of these differing types to get a real feel of the differing rides. Look around and seek objective-as-possible opinion; don't just splash the cash if it looks good but doesn't feel quite right for you and if you haven't really tried out / considered other possibilities.

Enjoy whatever you end up getting.

Utah roadie said:

I've already done specialized, I wasn't happy. But they are very good at the honoring their waranty policy.

Which Specialized did you have, why weren't you happy with it? I've been riding an Specialized m4 alloy frame for a few years and just got a Roubaix Pro which i haven't built up yet. Being very happy with the Specialized products I've used, I'm just curious to hear the flip side.

OCRoadie said:

Which Specialized did you have, why weren't you happy with it? I've been riding an Specialized m4 alloy frame for a few years and just got a Roubaix Pro which i haven't built up yet. Being very happy with the Specialized products I've used, I'm just curious to hear the flip side.

I rode an allez comp. I thought it was a good bike for climbing, but it's alround use was limited. I felt a bit out of control descending, and it wasn't great on the sprints. I liked it, but I want something else.