The Diference Between.......

[sunnysang]

Hello again. I was wondering what is the difference between an aluminum frame and a carbon frame? Right now i am looking to buy a road bike, im leaning towards the cervelo soloist team which comes with an aluminum frame, but i heard it was a good idea to look a price level above and below. Soo i looked at the trek madone 5.2, it had the same ulteagra parts, but had a carbon frame. Im sure carbon is lighter, but what other factors are playd? I live in the central valley of california were it can get upto 115 one day and 75 with a lot of wind the next day. I heard that in heat, carbon can become squirmy, if that makes any sense?? Thank you

 

[capwater]

Do a search on this forum, loads of opinions on this very topic that need not be re-keyed.

 

[jstock]

Hello again. I was wondering what is the difference between an aluminum frame and a carbon frame?

Your first priority should be to find a bike with a geometry that suits you and that you like to ride. I wouldn't worry to much about whether it's aluminum or carbon (or steel or Ti). It's perfectly possible to build a superb frame in both aluminum and carbon. It's not that hard to build a crappy one either.

No material normally used in bikes will explode if the temparture rises a bit.

Search for a tiny bit and you'll find out much more than you ever wanted to know regarding different opinions on materials.

 

[sunnysang]

Oh there are other topics? Were is the search button in this forum? sorry ima noob

 

[bobbyOCR]

Oh jesus. We need a sticky for this.

A good carbon frame will usually have thousands in R&D into it so it will be comfortable and stiff at the same time. Now, this is where the misconception is. Most aluminium frames are stocked on cheap entry-level bikes that don't have as much R&D, so they turn out jittery and uncomfortable with very basic frames. But, an aluminium frame that is at the same price level as a good carbon frame (eg Madone) will also be fairly comfortable, amazingly stiff in the right places and reasonably light, like the SL01. The most common feature of really good alloy frames is a carbon wishbone seatstay, which adds very little stiffness but is a huge contributor to the ride of a bike. The properties of alloy aren't great for the seatstay, so more compliant carbon is used for comfort, to great effect in good frames. Hence why the SL01 is an amazing machine.

there you go. Pricey steel & ti frames are also very,very good.