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There's a difference between weight weenie carbon and using carbon to improve ride feel and aerodynamics. I've got an old bike made out of Reynolds 853 steel th

by wl 4y ago

There's a difference between weight weenie carbon and using carbon to improve ride feel and aerodynamics. I've got an old bike made out of Reynolds 853 steel that's lighter than my recent vintage full carbon bike.

MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
The "ride feel" argument is something I quite frankly never understood. I guess it's because I don't do competitive road racing (more of an ultra / bikepacking sort of guy). When I was shopping for my current frame (Kona Rove), I picked up the steel version mostly for maintenance / mechanical reasons more than anything else. Don't see much of a difference in "feel" from my old aluminium road to be honest (other than what's caused by the different geometry / fit). I'd like to build up some chinese carbon frame next year just for fun, so we'll see. Maybe I'll change opinion then. But yeah, I 100% agree that the aerodynamics on modern frames is significantly better. Just not really at the speeds at which I end up riding and with the amount of gear / packs I end up putting on the frame / handlebars.
- wl 4y ago
  While the Trek Émonda is as weight weenie as Trek gets, it can provide an apples-to-apples comparison between aluminum and carbon with basically the same geometry, wheels, bars, tires etc. My experience is that the carbon version feels significantly nicer. For bikepacking, I'm with you: A traditional steel frame (albeit one with discs), nice wide tires to eat up road chatter, and plenty of places to mount gear.
- qqqwerty 4y ago
  It is subtle, but you will know it when you feel it. Aluminium frames can be engineered to have more flex, and some steel frames can be overbuilt to a point where the "steel feel" is diminished. So comparing any two random frames may not be sufficient to capture the feel. Also the feeling is subtle enough that the components on your bike can be the larger factor. Tires, crank arms, handlebars, tire pressure, etc.. will all play a factor. Swapping all of your components from one bike to the other would be the best test, but unless your components in aggregate provide a "neutral" feel, it is possible that they could overwhelm the feeling that a different frame will provide.

by wl 4y ago

MezzoDelCammin 4y ago

The "ride feel" argument is something I quite frankly never understood. I guess it's because I don't do competitive road racing (more of an ultra / bikepacking sort of guy). When I was shopping for my current frame (Kona Rove), I picked up the steel version mostly for maintenance / mechanical reasons more than anything else. Don't see much of a difference in "feel" from my old aluminium road to be honest (other than what's caused by the different geometry / fit). I'd like to build up some chinese carbon frame next year just for fun, so we'll see. Maybe I'll change opinion then. But yeah, I 100% agree that the aerodynamics on modern frames is significantly better. Just not really at the speeds at which I end up riding and with the amount of gear / packs I end up putting on the frame / handlebars.

wl 4y ago
While the Trek Émonda is as weight weenie as Trek gets, it can provide an apples-to-apples comparison between aluminum and carbon with basically the same geometry, wheels, bars, tires etc. My experience is that the carbon version feels significantly nicer. For bikepacking, I'm with you: A traditional steel frame (albeit one with discs), nice wide tires to eat up road chatter, and plenty of places to mount gear.
qqqwerty 4y ago
It is subtle, but you will know it when you feel it. Aluminium frames can be engineered to have more flex, and some steel frames can be overbuilt to a point where the "steel feel" is diminished. So comparing any two random frames may not be sufficient to capture the feel. Also the feeling is subtle enough that the components on your bike can be the larger factor. Tires, crank arms, handlebars, tire pressure, etc.. will all play a factor. Swapping all of your components from one bike to the other would be the best test, but unless your components in aggregate provide a "neutral" feel, it is possible that they could overwhelm the feeling that a different frame will provide.