I love the carbon ride. Some of it is about absorption of road buzz, but a lot of it is about responsiveness that comes from lateral and torsional stiffness. As a new cyclist, I didn't really know what this meant. Now I can discern the differences between frames more. However, when I got on carbon after trying out some aluminum bikes, I just loved it. So, yeah, if you want to race on it, I vote for carbon, but I'm biased. Whether it's worth your money is up to you. Plenty of people love steel, aluminum, or ti.