Carbon vs. Ti for racing//Advice on choosing a versatile bike

[Eden]

I'm 5'0" 105 and I can feel the difference between a stiff bike and one that is compliant... my old alu bike was slooooooooooow to accelerate once I knew what I was looking for I swear I could feel the energy going into flexing that bottom bracket... It was quite a difference between that and my carbon bike. That said, geometry and construction have as much to do with feel as materials.

I know someone who sold a Ti bike because it was too stiff for her liking and I've known people who've had carbon bikes with no snap. Steel can be a smooth and cushy cadillac ride or can be turned into a swift racer.

P.S. - Ti isn't necessarily a forever frame... I have a teammate (who is not big - not much bigger than me) who has totaled not one but two Ti frames...

[SheFly]

I race on a carbon frame with carbon wheels and LOVE it. Handles perfectly, climbs better than I do, and corners well also. It's great for racing road races and crits, and I've done some long rides (100 miles) on it as well. I had a titanium bike at one point (that I did NOT use for racing), but it was not as nice of a ride as the carbon is for me.

Like Eden, I went from an aluminum to a carbon frame, and I swear I will never race anything else now.

FWIW - I have two carbon road bikes, a carbon TT bike, and two carbon cyclocross bikes.

I also think, however, that your experience will depend a lot on other factors as well, including geometry and fit, as Eden has pointed out.

SheFly