Quote Originally Posted by Chile Pepper View Post
My current bike is a classic steel. It fits great--I'm really comfortable on it. But it weighs 24 pounds, has old-style gearing (42/52 up front and seven cogs on the back), and it isn't exactly zippy. So I've started wondering if it's time to upgrade.

My problem is that here in Chile, the options are aluminum or carbon. That's not what I would choose if I lived in the States. I've always had a bad impression of aluminum, and carbon is really expensive. I looked at the Madone 5.1 (14% over MSR) and 5.2 (20% over), but they seem like a lot of bike for someone who does maybe 5,000 kilometers a year and has very few options for organized rides (although it sure is tempting). The other carbon option I found is Fuji--I wasn't impressed, and they were 30–50% over MSR!

So, I'm wondering if aluminum is worth considering, despite my bias against it. I suppose I'd be getting something in a comparable range to what I have now (in terms of quality at the time of purchase), only with modern components. Is it worth it? Will I hate the ride compared to steel? Or will the lighter weight have me zipping up hills? Any thoughts?
Hi, not to be the devil's advocate, we always tell people to buy a new bike here, but maybe you could just upgrade?
First of all, let me write my usual disclaimer: I am no expert at all!!! These are just my two cents from the very litle I know about bikes, so don;t quote me too much
What frame do you have, and what kind of steel? The reason I ask is that from your description yes the complete bike is heavy - but the components sound quite old, and so I'm guessing that group, wheelset, fork, bars, seatpost, stem, etc may actually contribute a lot of that weight. You could try to determine is what percentage of those 24lbs come from the frame, and how much from the components. And if the most weight does come from the frame, then yes, it is time to test-ride new bikes until you find the one that is right for you. But if it ends up that the frame per se is not awfully heavy (some manufacturers like Luna bikes etc make really light steel frames) - maybe you could save money by changing components. Components can change everything: for example I swapped out most components on a steel bike, got rid of all that was stock and replaced it with lightweight carbon parts, and now the complete bicycle is like 6lbs lighter. Now that is a difference that you would notice on the hills
So if you like your bike and it is a good fit, try to find out if it's the frame that is really too heavy - or if maybe you can just make some changes.
If in the end the frame is heavy and you go looking for a new bike - I would suggest to let go of aluminum, and save money for either titanium or carbon or a Ti-carbon. Considering that you describe your roads as tough - I would place titanium as the best option. But either way, follow everyone's advice and ride, ride, ride: the moe bikes you test-ride - the closer you get to the one that is right for you!
Good luck!