mikeE46

I like carbon and will take it over alu any time.
Because it feels more smooth ride and same time stiff for power transfer.
It seems everything is well balanced.

Fyi, I rode CAAD5, Felt F55(carbon seat stay), BMC SLC01( all carbon), Motobecane, and riding Fuji SST 1.0( all carbon) now.

bradtx

HazeT, Carbon fiber is the 'it' frame material at the moment. Nothing wrong with CF and I welcome it as a viable alternative to go along with the other three main groups of frame material. Just like the other frame materials there are different recipies, manufacturing procedures, stiffness levels and tubing (a term used figuratively WRT CF) available.

Brad

HazeT

Budget is not the issue here, is just is it worth it?

HazeT

I called the LBS and they said that I've 30 days to exchange the bike if I want to.
maybe I should take the AL, ride for 29 days and see if I'm feeling that I'm missing something

danvuquoc

If budget isn't an issue, $600 is a small price to pay for people to think you might belong as for the actual ride quality it's rather subjective and depends on the application and way the material was used.

Seattle Forrest

The difference is a little bit more fatigue in my back on the aluminum one vs the carbon one, after a 50 mile Sunday ride. That seems to come from the vibration dampening. I'm also a bit less tired in general because the CF road bike is a more efficient machine than the heavy CX ("offroad") bike, and we're talking 19 vs 32 pounds. During those 50 miles, I might do 3,000 to 3,500 feet of climbing. The first is a small issue, and would go away with a hot shower to relax the muscles; the second could be achieved with a better metal bike.

You already test drove a few, and don't seem to have seen a huge difference - which matches my experience. Go do another test drive over rough pavement, with the same tires ( and ideally the same wheels ).

Lanterne Rogue

You need a new carbon bike when the one you're already riding has its fork shatter without warning on a 40 mph downhill. This happened on a ride I did this summer and it cost the rider his ear, among other woes. Don't want to be Debbie Downer here, and I know that many swear by carbon, but still....

SBRDude

I think a case can be made for carbon or titanium if one rides on a lot of crappy chip seal roads or other surfaces with lots of minor shock. carbon forks and a rear triangle or even just seat stays are a reasonable tradeoff. I personally like titanium frames because I like to believe they're more durable.

CHAS

The Roubaix is a superb bike. It utilizes carbon fiber very well. You deserve and need it.

MegaTom

People have also had catastrophic failures on aluminum, steel, and titanium....

umd

Not to mention that most new metal road bikes have carbon forks too.

lazerzxr

Dont the Alloy bikes have a carbon fork anyway?
I ride an alloy Allez and initially I was happy with the frame but as my riding has increased in distance and speed I feel like I need a change. Mostly due to the flat back tire feeling I get on the Allez, I have stopped and checked it a number of times because the rear triangle is too flexy and makes it feel like I have a puncture. Add that to the badly made steerer/headtube (dont know which) that prevents any headset from staying tightly adjusted dispite 3 replacements under warranty and Ive decided to put it on rain duty and get a new bike. I'm also fed up of the old 105 that keeps needing adjustment and i dont think the spesh brakes are that good.

My upgradeitis reached its climax when I dumped 15k on a C59 with Di2. Ive always wanted a top end bike and the fact they happen to be carbon these days didnt bother me. I bought it for the love of cycling more than anything, I could have sorted out my problems with the allez for a lot less!

HazeT

and that's still such a low rate... if we were to worry about it we would not fly, drive or leave home... c'mon, if carbon was that unsafe all bike manufacturers would have gone bankrupt by now.
But I do have concerns about a small crack rendering the frame useless...

Eclectus

CF is the best material for bike frames, as it is for fishing rods, tennis racquets, golf club shafts...

At least for us Kansans, like Unagidon explained CF is really comfy. It doesn't beat you up on chip-and-seal, buckled asphalt (a major problem in areas that go from 0 F to 100 F) , and stuff like that as alu does.

If you're riding on silky smooth roads, the vibrations may not matter. Here CF is lghter than alu, but you can get lighter /better components for an alu bike at same price point, and achieve equal weights. CF cost is rapidly dropping. At some point, it may become as cheap as alu, for a better frame. Then alu will disappear from bikes.

If you find an alu bike and a CF bike that you kinda like, both, take them for 30-50 mi rides on roads you expect to ride, and see if you notice a difference or not. With an alu frame, you may be riding a CF fork. For example, Specialized went to CF/Zertz insert forks for their budget-conscious alu-framed bikes, and others also offer alu-frame/CF forks on their more-affordable bikes. They recognize that's where road vibes are most noticeably unpleasant. If that works for you, and the price is right, there you go.

Mr. Beanz

2 alum bikes. Design and geo makes the biggest difference. One alum frame replaced with a mostly carbon frame, same geo and design, no difference in feel. The frame tha snapped, an aluminum frame.

As far as fatigue, if I do a century on the aluminum bike without proper training, I feelm fatigue. If I do a century after some good preparation, I feel zero fatigue. Conclusion, get into shape, the alumimun will ride like carbon!

When do you "need" a carbon bike? As soon a you can afford $1500 climbing wheels to help you over the fwy overpasses!

cappuccino911

seriously, get the carbon already cuz you obviously want it, just understand your big ass is gonna be as slow as you were before you got it but you'll feel better about it!

Brazos

[QUOTE]Bingo! SBRDude nailed it. If you ride regularly on decent raods then it won't matter so save your money. If you normally ride on crappy chip seal roads then go carbon over aluminum. I ride an aluminum Synapse and it is great. I live and ride on great roads. A few times a year I go on charity rides with some stretches of mean chip seal roads. These few rides and the amount of tough chip seal does not make it worth my while to spend more $$ for carbon. If that type road was my daily ride then maybe carbon would make sense (thought to be honest I would ride a mtb bike instead). I find though the carbon riders camplain as much as the aluminum riders so in the end everyone suffers. When I went thru the same bike buying process I decided great aluminum bikes are cheap right now. Great carbon bikes are still expensive. I decided to get a good aluminum bike for cheap then a so-so carbon bike for more. Give it 5-10 years and today's best carbon bike will be at today's cheap aluminum bike prices. My advice is if you have decent roads buy a nice aluminum bike and learn to ride. In 5 years you are still riding and enjoying it buy a great carbon bike for today's aluminum bike prices.

Eclectus

I've owned steel, alu and CF. They were all fun. CF is the best. It's going to be even better in the future. The best designers are not concentrating on making alu better. The've given it up. They recognize CF is better, and that's where they want to focus. They're having a blast, "This stuff is really cool." You have to decide what you want to ride now. Buy today's CF, which the smartest designers are really loving, realizing it will be better tomorrow, vs. alu, which the best designers are saying, "I don't want to work with that anymore. Its potential is passe. I want to play with CF."

JoelS

This.

OneIsAllYouNeed

Answer: When the world's supplies of aluminum, iron, and titanium are exhausted.

knobster

The Roubaix's really ride nice. The one thing I didn't like about it gave a sort of dead feeling to the ride. I didn't feel anything while riding. While it is very comfortable, I felt sort of disconnected from the road on that bike. I still have a carbon frame, but I don't ride it anymore. It was very stiff and was designed more for racing than comfort so I ended up building up a nice Bianchi steel frame. Love this bike and the ride it provides.

Like others have said, it's more about how the frame is built. My Aluminum Specialized Tricross rides as good as the Roubaix with the same tires. I would not have believed it if someone told me this after owning a very harsh riding Aluminum Trek.

akansaskid

You'll never need it, but someday you may want it. That won't come until you can tell the difference. If the Secteur and Roubaix feel the same to you, get the Secteur. More miles down the road you may start to feel the difference. If not, you've saved money. If you do, you'll long for the Roubaix. After 30 years on steel, I rode the Roubaix once and wrote the check when I got back to the shop. 28,000 miles later I have no regrets.

ErichM

+1. I think this sums it up.

HazeT

Not sold on it, and I never expected carbon to make me faster, it's in my original post where I stated that any weight gain would be neglected by my fat ass.
But I'm interested on the second proper that is the vibrations absorptions, this is the one that I'm trying to figure out if it's as good as some people claim to be or overrated.
I believe both bikes are terrific in terms of weight and components for my needs; The only question is: Can I comfortable ride 50-80 miles on AL? Would CF make enough of a difference?

agarose2000

+1. You NEVER need a carbon frame. Ever.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't get one if that's what excited you and fires you up about cycling. Go for it if your wallet can deal with it - I haven't met too many folks who have hated buying a high-end bike.

But in terms of ride, keep in mind that carbon fiber does not necessarily = more comfort. On these forums and others, I constantly see people posting about how smooth and shock-absorbing their new Cervelo is compared to their other bike - when the truth is that carbon Cervelo bikes are SUPER stiff. They're made that way on purpose for racing responsiveness and feedback. There's nothing soft (or mushy) about them, and they will literally rattle the components off your bike if they're not tightly secured. (Happened to two of my friends for real.) When I bought my P2C, that was also the first thing all the experienced roadies in the store commented on - how super-stiff the BB and frame was.

Sure enough, I bought a Giant Defy aluminum bike about a year and half later, and it definitely rides "smoother" than my Cervelo in that it definitely absorbs more shock. I actually prefer my Giant aluminum bike for all my non-hammerfest rides, which is the majority of them.