Quote Originally Posted by Jiffer View Post
It was my understanding, based on a big carbon verses aluminum lesson dh recently gave me, that aluminum is typically a stiffer ride than carbon (depending on other factors).

Anyways, yeah, I had an LBS guy try to sell me on less expensive tires than the one's my dh had told me to go in and get. He assumed my main goal was a tire that won't go flat easily, even though that was secondary to performance, plus I think maybe he thought the expense wasn't necessary for my level of riding or something. Not sure, but it kind of felt that way. I do know he's a good guy and was simply trying to save me some money.
It could be how they're defining stiff?

Aluminum is stiff - it really doesn't flex all that much, it's also a bit of a harsh ride.

The major advantage of carbon (it depends on how well it's made ) is complete power transfer - you don't lose any energy to flexing, vibrations, etc. - that's what I was referring to as stiffness, but it's also as well. It also can deaden road vibrations. The ruby that I test rode had an absolutely massive bottom bracket area to ensure stiffness and power transfer.

It's nice when the bike shop guys try to save you money, it's better than when they're pushing high level sales on you.... But you should definitely buy the tires you like.


Back on topic:

Zen, buy the cross bike if that's what you want. Or at least test ride it. If you like a more upright posture (I'm not sure if the bike shop guy just assumed that or not), you can always put a higher angle stem on it. I mostly ride the hoods on my road bikes or keep my hands on the top of the bar near the stem. I'm rarely in my drops.