How to choose -- any advice welcome!

[Veronica]

I ride steel, so I'm biased that way. I tested some CF frames when I decided to buy a new bike, but was concerned that the geometries wouldn't suit me over the long haul.

V.

[mimitabby]

I haven't noticed any of the aluminum bikes around me (including my own Raleigh) having any "breakdown" problems...

However, I have friends who have had problems with CARBON components.
A broken handlebar, a broken crank... These things rarely break when
they are aluminum. Bend, maybe.

[Eden]

I love my carbon bike, but if you crash you can ruin carbon- it does not bend, it breaks. Of course you can ruin aluminum too, as once it bends it fatigues- you cannot bend it back or ride it without risking failure, though it is fairly hard to do. I certainly have heard about "wearing out" an aluminum frame *but* we're talking about 180lb guys racing on aluminum frames and putting huge amounts of stress on the frame.

If you are looking for durable and comfortable and money is not a big factor, why not try titanium? Ti frames are often very forgiving, soaking up road noise and bumps and also are very durable. Then there is always steel, some people swear by it for comfort and there are super light steel frames being made these days.

Do be aware that there are other factors than frame material that will affect how comfy a frame is, the geometry, how stiff the frame is, the tire pressure / width all are factors. My steel bike was no better than my alumimum one as far as soaking up bumps went. My ti bike really dampens everything, but another person I know said that the ti bike she raced for one season was so stiff that it transmitted every little bit of the road.

[Mimosa]

If you are looking for durable and comfortable and money is not a big factor, why not try titanium? Ti frames are often very forgiving, soaking up road noise and bumps and also are very durable. Then there is always steel, some people swear by it for comfort and there are super light steel frames being made these days..

Ti a good option too, with brands like Merlin and Litespeed.

I forgot to mention that, personally, I am also going for the carbon for my next bike. I never rode one but the people who drive (good) carbon bikes love them so I want to give it a go.

[maillotpois]

This thread makes me want to shop for bikes.....

As Grog said - TRY the bikes. I rode a 600k brevet on an aluminum (scandium) Eddy Merckx Team SC (the old Lotto race frame). The only thing that really bugged me at the end (besides my BUTT ) was the bar height - I've remedied that issue with a proper fitting. I figure it is probably the only Merckx scandium bike that's done a brevet of that distance... But the ride was not harsh. This bike has done 6 double centuries and many rides over 100 miles.

Few folks have mentioned ti..... What I love about that (it's what my other bike is) is that it is indestructable. It is pricey, though.

I decided a while back that I am too clumsy for carbon. I have crashed in the past, and if I crashed and trashed a frame, I'd be very sad. It's probably not likely to happen.

[salsabike]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

[KnottedYet]

My 10 year old Waterford full steel and lugged weighs 21.5 lbs. And that's with the seatbag on it, too!

[Mimosa]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes

Heavier can be relative, with heavier I mean a difference of 200-500 grams. Which in a world where every gram counts means enough.

For instance an alu/carbon frame of Stevens costs 999 euro with a weight of 1225 gram and the steel/carbon counterpart of 995 euro of Duell weighs 1900 grams.

[bcipam]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

Glad someone came to the rescue of steel bikes. In looking for new bikes, many discard even looking at steel equating it with a "WalMart" bike. Good steel is likeweight, extremely durable, comfortable to ride and with a carbon fork is smooth. smooth, smooth. I've been riding a Lemond Zurich since 2002. It's a beautiful steel bike. I curse Trek for turning the Zurich into a carbon bike but Lemond has again come out with a steel bike and other manufacturers (such as Bianchi) have as well.

And a word on "racing" frames... not all racing bikes have agressive geometry, some - for instance the Trek Pilot, have a very relaxed geometry making it almost a touring bike. Things to watch for - the angle of the front fork. If almost straight up and down, the bike will be quick and "twitchy" more suited to fast club rides, crits etc. If the fork is angled forward, than the geometry is more relaxed and the bike is more suited towards long club rides, centuries, maybe even touring.

If you are used to a comfort bike, and sitting straight up in the saddle, it will take some getting use to the new geometry of a race style bike. Just give it time. Remember to stretch after each ride, work on flexibility. Personally I can't ride a comfort bike. That upright positionins is uncomfortable and scary to me but I'm just so used to being stretched out over the top bar.

[Carm]

I purchased a Pilot 2.1 two years ago after riding a hybrid for about 10 years. It has an aluminum frame and a carbon fork and seat post. I thought this bike was a comfortable ride and a good transistion from my hybrid. I figure if it wears out, it's time to buy a new one - good thing too as cool new bikes are coming out all the time. I really liked the Pilot that was all carbon but couldn't afford it. I think Trek warrantees their carbon frames for life but you should verify this with your LBS. Good luck on your decision.

[spokewench]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

Hey Salsa: The reason that aluminum tubes are oversized is because the material is not as strong as steel so in order to make the bike strong enough laterally, etc., they oversize the tubes. This engineering makes the tube strong enough and enables the thickness of the aluminum in the tube to be less. Just because they look bigger, does not mean that they are heavier. In most cases, an aluminum bike is not heavier than a steel. I will not say that some steel bikes may be lighter than some aluminum bikes, but on general, steel is heavier. A lighter weight steel bike may be weaker due to the fact that they must decrease the thickness of the steel in the tube. For instance, the old Bridgestone Zip (mountain bike) which was touted to be one of the lightest steel mountain bikes of its time was a "one race season bike" because it would fatigue due to the thiness of the tubing and would not stand up to the stressors applied to it.

Anyway, back to the question: I like carbon very much. I like the feel of the ride. I like the way it makes climbing so much easier cause of the less weight, etc. I ride a Giant TCR with Dura Ace components and Mavic Cyrium (I can never remember how to spell that word) SSL wheels. It is a full on race bike, but I ride it for everything and it is very comfortable for me. I ride a small. They make an x-small too. My friend rides a Giant OCR more laid back geometry. This might be the better bike for you, but you should ride them and see what you like.

I rode a steel Bridgestone RB 1 for years and loved that bike as well. It had laid back touring geometry so it was very stable and forgiving. So, just go out and ride the bikes and see how you like them.

[mimitabby]

This thread makes me want to shop for bikes.....
.

yeah, me too. Imagine though, a bike shop full of bikes in your size!
wouldnt THAT be cool?
the last shop i went into did not HAVE a bike in my size...well, okay, they probably had a mountain bike i could have ridden..

[Trekhawk]

Ti a good option too, with brands like Merlin and Litespeed.

I forgot to mention that, personally, I am also going for the carbon for my next bike. I never rode one but the people who drive (good) carbon bikes love them so I want to give it a go.

If you decide to check out Ti have a look at these
http://lynskeyperformance.com/

These guys are the founders of Litespeed. Sold Litespeed in 99 and have started up Lynskey. I have major lust for one of these but I think it will be a cold day in hell before I can buy another pricey bike.

Dont forget to let us know what you decide on and pics please, we love oggling new bikes.

[sbctwin]

I have a lightspeed bella. I was very limited in my selection of a new road bike because I am only 4'10" . I love my titanium lightspeed. I had to also settle on 650 wheels because of my height. This will hopefully be my last bike, but at least I finally got one that fits me....I think it is a VERY comfortable bike.

[GLC1968]

If you are looking for comfort and not necessarily speed, you might want to try the Trek Pilot line. They put the rider a little more upright than most road bikes and they come in some nice carbon frame designs. My husband has the 2006 Trek Pilot 5.0 and loves it. He's ridden a number of centuries on it and while he's got old wrist injuries, this bike has kept him comforable even over some rough roads.

Now he's moved on to a steel bike and he loves it even more. The ride and feel is similar between his two bikes, but he loves how the steel feels more indestructable. He bought the carbon Trek figuring that it had enough of the new advances to last him a long time, but ended up falling in love with a 10 year old steel framed bike instead!