Carbon v Aluminum

[indysteel]

Out of curiosity, how do you compare the ride between steel and TI frames? I love how my LHT rides, though she is far from light.

Honestly, I think it depends on the bike and its geometry. My Moots Ti frame rides very harshly, but I'm not sure if that's the geometry, the material or both. Of course, that wasn't my intent. That bike just didn't work out for me. At all.

Ti done right should be pretty plush....but it's also pretty expensive. I'd also note that my Moots isn't all that much lighter than my steel Bianchi. If you want decent bang for your buck, stick with steel IMO. If you go custom and use the right tubing, it will be plenty light for you.

[Norse]

I have had my all-carbon Trek 6+ seasons now and I still love it. I have ridden it over and through just about everything including nasty potholes, gravel ... and bumps that jarred the bike so bad that my red blinkie light flew off. No cracks. What I love best is though is how the carbon makes ME feel going over all this stuff - it is such a plush, smooth ride compared to aluminum (I have an aluminum hybrid I still use for trail riding).

[GLC1968]

Honestly, I think it depends on the bike and its geometry. My Moots Ti frame rides very harshly, but I'm not sure if that's the geometry, the material or both. Of course, that wasn't my intent. That bike just didn't work out for me. At all.

Ti done right should be pretty plush....but it's also pretty expensive. I'd also note that my Moots isn't all that much lighter than my steel Bianchi. If you want decent bang for your buck, stick with steel IMO. If you go custom and use the right tubing, it will be plenty light for you.

I'd have to say the same thing. My steel bike and my Ti bike are very similiar in geometry, have identical wheels, tires and saddles and they give me about the same ride quality. My Ti bike is significantly lighter and has nicer components, so I opt for it over the steel one (it's way prettier too!), but I really do get a similiar ride from both. Oh...and yeah, the Ti one cost me 5 times what the steel one did!