first bike carbon or alu????????

cyclingwombat
cyclingwombat Posts: 20
edited May 2009 in Road beginners
I originally wanted to buy a first road bike for about £700, but became totally confused by the choice. Especially as i have now seen a dolan full carbon at formby cycles for £900. Im happy to pay more to get a better bike thats going to last me donkeys, but is it really worth it? As a new road rider would i notice how good a full carbon bike is (indeed is it going to be that much better than a £700 alu bike?) or will it be wasted on me? Any advice appreciated.......

Comments

  • The Dolan is a very nice bike for only £900, are you sure they've got your size though as the most popular sizes don't seem to be available?

    If you haven't got a lot of cash left for clothing/accessories etc I would get a £700 alu bike and buy some nice gear instead.
  • hi if you are looking for somthing that will last you forever and you could splash out a bit, a titianium frame is far superier
  • jimycooper wrote:
    hi if you are looking for somthing that will last you forever and you could splash out a bit, a titianium frame is far superier

    Yeah, but that wasn't the question was it, and it;d be way over budget.

    Which alu bike is it, as some will better than others?
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Steve I
    Steve I Posts: 428
    £700 buys you a very nice and capable bike, so does £900. I don't think there's any correlation between how much you spend, and how long the bike will last once you get to that price. For that matter, a bike in the £500 (+/-£50) will be very nice and capable, and last as long as one costing £900. It probably comes down to how much bling you want, and if you want carbon fibre or aluminium. People on old hacks will still blow you away, even if you're riding a 2 grand bike. People on old hacks seem to love doing that.
  • i would have thought £ 700 aluminum is going to be better than a £ 900 carbon ? they will last for ages if looked after . in the end they are only as good as you . i love blowing people away on my 30pounds dawes winter hack
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    Formby cycles tried to sell me that bike last year when I said I had a grand to spend.For some reason they seem to be pushing it hard. I didn`t like it and bought a cheaper alu bike and don`t regret it at all.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    If this is a first bike, I would get it from a trusted local shop. I would not recommend ordering your first road bike blind.
  • Gotta say im glad i bought my 1st road bike from a lbs and not a inmternet site, i was going to spend about a grand on something like a focus cayo or planet x durea ace which i know are both good bikes but just being able to be fitted and set up propperly by a local shop and after the 1st ride some spokes had worked a little loose which is normal and they were happy for me just to pop in with it and give it a quick once over whilst answering all my noob roadie questions (i know most things about mtbs but sill things like how do you take the wheel off a road bike, what tyre pressure and the hidden on the down tube cable adjusters all threw me out) whilst selling me some race blade clipon types mud guards that i now will fit, also the free service after a few rides is a bonus. If you know your bikes well and can do things likte wheel truing/spoke tensions and maintenance then you are not going to need these things but i wasnt even sure what frame size i even needed.
    You just gotta peddle
  • For your sort of budget you can't go wrong with a Cannondale CAAD9 - it's got (probably) the best Alu alloy frame - it's far better than most cheap carbon frames.
  • My LBS was pretty insistant that a good alu bike for 600-800 quid was a better value buy than a 'cheap' carbon thing (even tho' now all those out there with sub-1000quid carbons will rise up and attack my house brandishing burning torches now... :shock: ). Its not my fault - I'm just relating what they said. This was because I am known in the shop -- if I had been fresh-off-the-street with a grand or so in my sweaty mitt, they would have (quite rightly) taken it in exchange for a grand's worth of carbon...

    Your cash will buy a gret alu bike. I picked up a carbon Pinarello in the shop last week and it was heavier than my alu Bianchi...
    Spring!
    Singlespeeds in town rule.
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    [quoteThis was because I am known in the shop -- if I had been fresh-off-the-street with a grand or so in my sweaty mitt, they would have (quite rightly) taken it in exchange for a grand's worth of carbon...
    [/quote]
    I wasn`t exactly fresh off the street,we`ve bought half a dozen bikes there but it used to be privately owned and now it`s part of a chain.The bike fitting advice I got there was practically zero.I get my bikes serviced elsewhere now because they can`t even true a wheel or tighten nuts properly.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Aluminium should prove adequate enough for a first bike - you can easily get a reliable and light-ish Aluminium framed bike with Carbon forks for £500 - £700 - you could then simply sell the wheels & tyres on Ebay (as a set) and get some Fulcrum 5's, RS 20'S, Easton EA 50's (or similar) with GP4000's/Rubino Pros (or similar) - you'll then have a competent enough first bike.

    Also, personally, I'd get a Compact or Triple if it's your first Road bike.
  • Rich-Ti
    Rich-Ti Posts: 1,831
    jimycooper wrote:
    hi if you are looking for somthing that will last you forever and you could splash out a bit, a titianium frame is far superier
    Yeah, but that wasn't the question was it, and it;d be way over budget.

    Which alu bike is it, as some will better than others?
    Check the classifieds - I reckon if you could bargain with me on a price for my Omega, got the odd second hand or cheap part and a 'compromise for now' set of wheels you could build that up with 105 or Mirage / Veloce for around £1000

    8)
  • antfly wrote:
    [
    I wasn`t exactly fresh off the street,we`ve bought half a dozen bikes there but it used to be privately owned and now it`s part of a chain.The bike fitting advice I got there was practically zero.I get my bikes serviced elsewhere now because they can`t even true a wheel or tighten nuts properly.[/quote]

    :lol: wasn't having a dig at you nate - I meant that the good advice was aimed at a reg customer, as opposed to a fresh punter. If your LBS is crap then use this forum for accurate advice.
    A good alu bike is good value over a cheaper carbon, unless the latter is a good bargain IMHO, but thats MY opinion. :D
    Spring!
    Singlespeeds in town rule.
  • thanks for all your comments, i think im gonna go for a alu frame machine.....save some dosh for buying some more snazzy accessories! now then, which alu bike????!!!!
  • Squareroot
    Squareroot Posts: 11
    antfly

    Apologies for contacting you directly, please ignore if I have offended you.

    I was reading through some old post on and came across some comments you made about not using Formby Cycles anymore (since they've been taken over by Taskers) and I was just wondering who you would recommend?

    I live a few miles from Formby Cycles (crosby) and am looking to buy my first bike, so went to them because their shop looked really good. I don't have any association with them, I'm just looking to go to a bike shop and get some good advice, particularly sizing and hoped I could learn from someone with more experience than me (which is everyone really).

    Thank you
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    Hi,you didn`t contact me directly I just happened to see this.Anyway re. Formby Cycles I don`t get any work done there anymore because of the daft mistakes they have made so haven`t been in for over 18 months.I would still consider buying a bike there now that I know what I am doing but would get it serviced elsewhere,and always ask for a discount if you buy a bike there.If you want better advice the original owner of Formby Cycles opened a shop across and down the road from the original location,which was next to Waitrose in Formby.I don`t know what his stock is like but he will give you good advice.There is also a small place in Southport called Mosscrop cycles where you will get good advice but they have very a limited selection.There is also leisure lakes near Tarleton,they have a massive selection.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    Doesn't alu have the shortest lifespan of any frame material ?

    I'd go for the carbon tbh.
  • cheehee
    cheehee Posts: 427
    Bengdogg i know most things about mtbs but sill things like how do you take the wheel off a road bike.................................. all threw me out)

    eh??
  • kingrollo
    kingrollo Posts: 3,198
    Cheap and alu - and downtube shifters would be adequate. !!!! - What it really comes down to ..is what you want ...and how much you can afford \justify. I always go for looks over specification - wheels over groupset - I m not saying thats right - but just how I buy a bike.

    The aren't many bad bikes - some will suit you more than others - I would make a list of what you want - and see what matches that.
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    This thread is a nearly a year old,he`s probably bought one by now.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • crikey i cant believe this threads popped up again! And yes i did get me a machine. i went off the idea of the formby cycles carbon jobby because they were really pushy and were more interested in getting my cash then getting me the right bike. i eventually got me a merida that was reduced to 350 squid in my lbs, and its been a great introduction to road cycling. ok its got a very basic (possibly crap!) spec but it feels good for me and looks good and now that i know i love roadie life i probably will upgrade to a better bike soon, so i didnt make any costly mistakes by buying a 1grand bike and then thinking hmmm i wish id stuck with my mtb. skinny tyres rule!!
  • ACMadone
    ACMadone Posts: 300
    i would have thought £ 700 aluminum is going to be better than a £ 900 carbon ? they will last for ages if looked after . in the end they are only as good as you . i love blowing people away on my 30pounds dawes winter hack

    Agreed. Much rather have a good quality Aluminium frame with Carbon forks than a cheap carbon frame such as the Planet X's they're knocking out.