Robert A

The question in my mind isn't about specifics of one frame or another, I'm wanting to know what kinds of things expensive frames offer compared to lower cost quality frames like the CAAD12, the SuperSix, or similar frames from other manufacturers.

Frames are basically static -- they don't do much beyond holding everything together. But the other parts, such as groupsets, wheels, have direct impact on the operation of the bike. Generally speaking, what does a more expensive frame bring to the equation?

Robert A

I'm curious why you cannot articulate the difference that a better frame makes for you. It makes me wonder whether you even know yourself. When I bought my CAAD, I knew exactly how it was different and why I liked it. I can explain those differences to anyone.

Dean V

High end frames are typically lighter, stiffer, and have a more lively feel to them when riding.
They are also more expensive and not as tough. That is more easily damaged when subjected to loads not from normal riding (crashing and other stupid stuff).
Are they worth it? That is totally up to you.

canklecat

Oh, in my babbling about the Diamondback Podium frame I just built up, I forgot the dang point I intended to make. It was related to a video I found about another person building up a Diamondback racing frame

The fellow in this video (in his notes below the video, above the comment section) says there are differences between frames built for the pro and consumer markets, despite having the same model designation. No idea whether this can be verified.

From video maker's comments:

znomit

There's definitely some princess and the pea stuff going on here. If you can't tell the difference between a $1,000 and a $10,000 bike you ain't no princess.

AlgarveCycling

Lighter, stiffer, more aero as you go up the tiers. The benefits are real, even if some folks don't get to appreciate them. Small gains you see, not all that important to the casual cyclist or Club rider who will mainly benefit from the feel-good factor of a nice shiny thing that has potential, even if they do not realise it themselves - much like someone who buy's a Porsche but never tracks it, races it or gets anywhere close to its true capability.

If you are in peak physical condition, competitive and want every second for those Strava KOM's or that extra acceleration for Crits, that lighter bike for the Gran Fondo hills, then yes, you will see a benefit in buying the top tier machine.

vespasianus

As people have mentioned, one thing you can get is a very custom bike that is made specially the way you want and to fit you perfectly. Lot of companies do frames in steel, aluminum, titanium and even carbon this way. And often they are similarly priced or cheaper than an off the shelf high end offerings from the big companies.

Are these bikes better? Hard to say. Often they are heavier and less stiff than cheaper frames but often for a purpose. Also, I do feel they are loved more. And that says something.

GlennR

I find the SLR frame is more responsive and has more compliance than the SL. That's from actually riding experience.

GlennR

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esoteric

Like I already said, if you can't tell the difference, buy the cheaper bike.

Sy Reene

I've seen a few references to lighter, stiffer, more aero.. but I thought generally the bike makers are comparing to their own prior generation model. Otherwise, isn't typically the frame just lighter than it's non premium cousin? Or, put another way, it's stiffer and more aero on a Per-LB basis, but not necessarily on a per-frameset basis.

znomit

However a good salesman will convince you that you have some royal blood.

downhillmaster

What does a higher-end golf club offer the golfer?
What does a higher-end racquet offer the tennis player?
How about shoes? Are Louis Vuitton shoes worth it because experienced shoe wearers can notice the difference?

Koyote

I didn’t know that Louis Vuitton make shoes, so I went to the website and looked. A thousand bucks for a pair of sneakers?

downhillmaster

Yeah?
Then why did you pose that exact question in your OP?
You could have saved a lot of time and instead just posted “I know exactly why I bought a relatively cheap aluminum frame and I dare anyone to tell me different”
Good stuff

znomit

It depends.

seypat

Has a lighter wallet been mentioned yet?

vespasianus

You talking whole bike or frame? I doubt many could tell the difference between an off the shelf carbon $1000 frame or a $4000 frame.

asgelle

And I wanted to date Dianna Rigg. As I wrote, the only general answer is that the more expensive frame will come closer to the performance the designers were aiming for. Beyond that, it gets down to the specifics of the frames being compared.
This is incorrect. Frames, when being ridden, are constantly in motion responding to the forces imposed by the rider, road, and environment. On top of that, they damp vibration. An extreme example of this, and of a designer getting it wrong, is high speed shimmy or wobble where the head tube and seat tube are oscillating out of phase with growing amplitude.

MinnMan

I started with a friendly, "I'm sure the OP means well", and you clap back with "It makes me wonder whether you know yourself"
This reveals your real purpose, which is not actually to learn something. So....bye. Enjoy your ride.

topflightpro

For road bikes, higher end frames tend to just be lighter. They use different carbon and different layups to make the frames lighter, and in some cases may be marginally stiffer or more comfortable than other frames. There is a lot of marketing involved, which raises the price, but in theory, there is also more effort put into the production. But really, if you don't need that extra 200g of weight savings, you can save a lot of money by buying one of the below top-tier frames. Few will notice a difference in the ride quality between the top of the line version and the next one down - that said, I do think you are more likely to notice a difference as you get farther apart in terms of model level.

When you get to other disciplines, like track, time trial or mountain bikes, there is a greater difference between lower and higher end frames. You see it in the aerodynamic qualities, stiffness, weight, suspension....

Koyote

Going beyond cf, consider steel frames. At the entry level for good bikes, such as Surly, you'll mostly find butted cro-moly steel -- which is good stuff, but not metallurgically advanced. A bit higher up the price spectrum, you will get into some better grades of steel, and at the top end you will find the latest air-hardened and heat-treated steels such as Reynolds 853 and True Temper Platinum OX. The better grades of steel have a higher strength-to-weight ratio, and so the tubes can be drawn with thinner walls and still be sufficiently strong; air-hardened steels also grow stronger where they are heated up in the welding process, resulting in stronger joins. These higher grades of steel result in frames that are not just lighter, but often have a "livelier" ride quality, since the thinner walls (if used in the appropriate tubes) can both dampen road noise and feel more responsive.

The bicycle market is plenty competitive, which means that -- just as economic theory would predict -- you get what you pay for.

tagaproject6

An unnecessary rationalization that the frame is better by leaps and bounds.

Zaskar

Comparing "brand names" to Chinese "generics" isn't really fair. The companies - "brands" that spent a ton of money on R&D to develop that design and material spec have to be compensated to cover those costs. When a Chinese company copies that brand's frame (design, materials, etc) and sells it for 1/3 the cost, that's just ****ty. In most countries, it's ****ty enough to be illegal.

swifty

Sure, but I don't think this thread is about comparing fakes to original frames.

tomato coupe

Yep, this is just another thread where an OP really just wants to let everyone know that they have precisely determined the location of the point of diminishing returns.