How to choose -- any advice welcome!

[salsabike]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

[KnottedYet]

My 10 year old Waterford full steel and lugged weighs 21.5 lbs. And that's with the seatbag on it, too!

[mimitabby]

This thread makes me want to shop for bikes.....
.

yeah, me too. Imagine though, a bike shop full of bikes in your size!
wouldnt THAT be cool?
the last shop i went into did not HAVE a bike in my size...well, okay, they probably had a mountain bike i could have ridden..

[Mimosa]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes

Heavier can be relative, with heavier I mean a difference of 200-500 grams. Which in a world where every gram counts means enough.

For instance an alu/carbon frame of Stevens costs 999 euro with a weight of 1225 gram and the steel/carbon counterpart of 995 euro of Duell weighs 1900 grams.

[bcipam]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

Glad someone came to the rescue of steel bikes. In looking for new bikes, many discard even looking at steel equating it with a "WalMart" bike. Good steel is likeweight, extremely durable, comfortable to ride and with a carbon fork is smooth. smooth, smooth. I've been riding a Lemond Zurich since 2002. It's a beautiful steel bike. I curse Trek for turning the Zurich into a carbon bike but Lemond has again come out with a steel bike and other manufacturers (such as Bianchi) have as well.

And a word on "racing" frames... not all racing bikes have agressive geometry, some - for instance the Trek Pilot, have a very relaxed geometry making it almost a touring bike. Things to watch for - the angle of the front fork. If almost straight up and down, the bike will be quick and "twitchy" more suited to fast club rides, crits etc. If the fork is angled forward, than the geometry is more relaxed and the bike is more suited towards long club rides, centuries, maybe even touring.

If you are used to a comfort bike, and sitting straight up in the saddle, it will take some getting use to the new geometry of a race style bike. Just give it time. Remember to stretch after each ride, work on flexibility. Personally I can't ride a comfort bike. That upright positionins is uncomfortable and scary to me but I'm just so used to being stretched out over the top bar.

[Carm]

I purchased a Pilot 2.1 two years ago after riding a hybrid for about 10 years. It has an aluminum frame and a carbon fork and seat post. I thought this bike was a comfortable ride and a good transistion from my hybrid. I figure if it wears out, it's time to buy a new one - good thing too as cool new bikes are coming out all the time. I really liked the Pilot that was all carbon but couldn't afford it. I think Trek warrantees their carbon frames for life but you should verify this with your LBS. Good luck on your decision.

[Trekhawk]

Ti a good option too, with brands like Merlin and Litespeed.

I forgot to mention that, personally, I am also going for the carbon for my next bike. I never rode one but the people who drive (good) carbon bikes love them so I want to give it a go.

If you decide to check out Ti have a look at these
http://lynskeyperformance.com/

These guys are the founders of Litespeed. Sold Litespeed in 99 and have started up Lynskey. I have major lust for one of these but I think it will be a cold day in hell before I can buy another pricey bike.

Dont forget to let us know what you decide on and pics please, we love oggling new bikes.

[sbctwin]

I have a lightspeed bella. I was very limited in my selection of a new road bike because I am only 4'10" . I love my titanium lightspeed. I had to also settle on 650 wheels because of my height. This will hopefully be my last bike, but at least I finally got one that fits me....I think it is a VERY comfortable bike.

[spokewench]

Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.

Hey Salsa: The reason that aluminum tubes are oversized is because the material is not as strong as steel so in order to make the bike strong enough laterally, etc., they oversize the tubes. This engineering makes the tube strong enough and enables the thickness of the aluminum in the tube to be less. Just because they look bigger, does not mean that they are heavier. In most cases, an aluminum bike is not heavier than a steel. I will not say that some steel bikes may be lighter than some aluminum bikes, but on general, steel is heavier. A lighter weight steel bike may be weaker due to the fact that they must decrease the thickness of the steel in the tube. For instance, the old Bridgestone Zip (mountain bike) which was touted to be one of the lightest steel mountain bikes of its time was a "one race season bike" because it would fatigue due to the thiness of the tubing and would not stand up to the stressors applied to it.

Anyway, back to the question: I like carbon very much. I like the feel of the ride. I like the way it makes climbing so much easier cause of the less weight, etc. I ride a Giant TCR with Dura Ace components and Mavic Cyrium (I can never remember how to spell that word) SSL wheels. It is a full on race bike, but I ride it for everything and it is very comfortable for me. I ride a small. They make an x-small too. My friend rides a Giant OCR more laid back geometry. This might be the better bike for you, but you should ride them and see what you like.

I rode a steel Bridgestone RB 1 for years and loved that bike as well. It had laid back touring geometry so it was very stable and forgiving. So, just go out and ride the bikes and see how you like them.

[anakiwa]

Don't forget about fit!!!

You'll find people who like and dislike every material.

I started out on a Trek 5000 3 seasons ago. It was the perfect bike to get me into road riding (far lighter than anything I'd ridden before), but now I know it isn't the dream bike for me.

The ride is very dampened- at first this feels so smooth and comfortable. Now it just feels dead by the end of a ride. In addition the geometry of the non-WSD Trek bikes is not right for me (top tube is too long and I couldn't adequatetely reach the drops). A professional fitting, shorter stem, and straight seatpost helped immensely, but I think it could still be better.

I'm in the process of buying a custom steel or ti bike. That said, if you're new to riding, you don't want to put the money into a custom bike since you don't really know what you want. There may be fewer stock steel bikes out there and titanium is pretty pricey.

Try out some different bikes and see what you like. Whatever you get, make sure it fits reasonably well.

[Trekhawk]

Don't forget about fit!!!

You'll find people who like and dislike every material.

I started out on a Trek 5000 3 seasons ago. It was the perfect bike to get me into road riding (far lighter than anything I'd ridden before), but now I know it isn't the dream bike for me.

The ride is very dampened- at first this feels so smooth and comfortable. Now it just feels dead by the end of a ride. In addition the geometry of the non-WSD Trek bikes is not right for me (top tube is too long and I couldn't adequatetely reach the drops). A professional fitting, shorter stem, and straight seatpost helped immensely, but I think it could still be better.

I'm in the process of buying a custom steel or ti bike. That said, if you're new to riding, you don't want to put the money into a custom bike since you don't really know what you want. There may be fewer stock steel bikes out there and titanium is pretty pricey.

Try out some different bikes and see what you like. Whatever you get, make sure it fits reasonably well.

Anakiwa is right fit is so important. LOL - Anakiwa that you should mention the top tube as mine is a little short. My new bike has a slightly longer top tube and even though my Trek is comfy I can tell the difference when I ride my new bike.