Would a beginner benefit from Carbon

ElliesDad

Following my post a couple of days ago, I'm about to forage into road bikes after mountain biking for a couple of years as I quite enjoy riding on the road but the MTB obviously saps a lot of energy. I was looking at the Boardman Road Comp or Cube Peleton on the Cycle2work scheme but have now discounted the Cube as I want the stronger wheels on the Boardman (heavy rider!). Anyway, I'm now tempted by the Boardman Road Team Carbon, would the extra £300 be worth it for my level of riding? I understand the carbon frames are a bit more forgiving and comfortable!

Links to the two bikes are as follow:

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_team_carbon.html

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_comp.html

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

steve6690

As a newbie myself I would say yes. I went from an old aluminium Claud Butler, on which I felt every bump and rough surface, to a Specialized Roubaix last year. Much less vibration and "buzz" and massively more enjoyable to ride.
My mate bought a Specialized Secteur (aluminium) initially and then bought a Roubaix a few months later. Same geometry but the carbon frame of the Roubaix seems to make a big difference.

Anonymous

What do you mean by 'your level of riding'? You have not said what your road bike plans are.
You do not need a special 'beginners' bike, you need one suitable for the future.
How long do you plan on being a 'beginner'?
Will you buy a new bike when that period ends?

If you are getting a road bike because the MTB is a pain then I would get the road bike that is least like the MTB ;-)

'Begginers' would benefit from the carbon bike of the bikes you are looking at.

As you are not considering a Cannondale CAAD 10 for racing on a budget, I would say £300 extra spent on the carbon Boardman is a wise move for most people.

imposter2.0

Beginners get the most benefit by simply riding a bike...

jonny_trousers

Definitely worth the £300 extra.

markhewitt1978

You're a beginner now but two years down the line you most certainly won't be and you would hope that bike will still be going strong! So I would say yes, spend the £300 extra now, as you can't just spend £300 later to upgrade to carbon.

In general when buying a bike you should look to get the best frame you can afford, everything else can be easily swapped out later.

ElliesDad

Thanks for the replies. When I say beginner I mean the only cycling I have done is MTB trails and using the MTB on road to get fit. I dare say I will be like Bambi on ice to start with on a road bike with skinny tyres and narrow bars!

At the moment I do a circuit of about 13 miles with no off road sections so feel the MTB is overkill for this and feel that a road bike would allow me to go further without feeling as pooped at the end of it. I have no intention of racing or doing anything serious but I do enjoy being out on the road from a leisure/fitness point of view.

Yes Carbonator, I have decided to get a road bike as it is completely different to a MTB. I did consider a Cyclocross for a short while but decided if I want to cycle on anything other than a paved road then I could use the MTB!

I have been reading up on carbon frames recently and although I like the idea of the increased comfort I would be forever fearful of damaging/scratching/gouging the frame somehow so I am thinking more and more that carbon isn't for me so I will explore aluminium frames a bit more.

I came across the Specialized Allez Elite last night which I can pick up for £800 (reduced from £900), it gets great reviews and people say it does a really good job of reducing road buzz etc, so I will go and have a look at that to see how it is fit wise etc.

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... -elite-int

It is better specced than the Boardman and effectively only about £70 more after I take into account the tax savings via the Cycle2Work scheme.

Miles253

Carbon might be slightly less resilient to damage than alluminium, but it is much more repairable. As someone who spent about £800 on an Allez a few years ago, I wish I had plumped for a Planet X or Boardman, at only a few hundred extra. My Allez does not dampen vibrations much at all, even with a carbon post. I mean I've ridden it plenty, but it's not the most comfortable.

The 'better spec' on that Allez you have found, is likely because the frame is cheaper, leaving more room in the budget for components. Take the other advise here and buy something future proof, otherwise in a year you will wish you did. However if you assume you will be buying another bike in a year anyway, then sure go for the cheaper option. If you absolutely wanted to go for alluminium I would suggest the Caad10, Specialised Allez E5 or the Canyon Ultimate ALX, probably some if the best alluminium frames money can buy these days, meaning they should, last you a good long time. They might however be a touch racey for your needs, but have a look.

king_jeffers

Not really I'd plump for a better spec 1k alumni frame option than a low end carbon. Nothing wrong with aluminium. We have someone in out club who picked up a 2k+ Ribble, after 3 years still only manages about an average of 12/13mph tops. For £700 + you can get a great bike the would more than meet your needs.

markhewitt1978

That guy with the 2k+ ribble would be doing 12/13 mph no matter what he's riding. The fact is that carbon *is* nicer than aluminium, it's a more comfortable ride, is stiffer, is often lighter. IMO it's not really a matter of you being able to justify a particular level of bike, I'm sure that person on your club likes his Ribble.

Camcycle1974

markhewitt1978 wrote:

That guy with the 2k+ ribble would be doing 12/13 mph no matter what he's riding. The fact is that carbon *is* nicer than aluminium, it's a more comfortable ride, is stiffer, is often lighter. IMO it's not really a matter of you being able to justify a particular level of bike, I'm sure that person on your club likes his Ribble.

It's not about the bike really in performance terms. I did London-Southend with a guy on a £5k Condor. I was much quicker than him on my singlespeed. Comfort wise it might be worth investing in a carbon frame though, especially something like a Roubaix,Defy, Synapse etc. I was given the carbon is fragile spiel when I bought an Alu Defy. It was so uncomfortable (for me) that I sold it and bought a carbon Ribble within 6 months!

Colinthecop

But if you get a nice carbon bike first you wont appreciate it as much as if you had a crap first road bike. You wont know any different.

Anonymous

Colinthecop wrote:

But if you get a nice carbon bike first you wont appreciate it as much as if you had a crap first road bike. You wont know any different.

That is a very good point

passout

You will benefit from having reliable components (2300 up then), a light frame that fits you and light wheels. I think the frame material is secondary if I'm honest. It's not like a nice alu Cayon with decent wheels and mid range gruppo would suffer at the hands of a broadly equivalent carbon ribble o rplanet x.

Anonymous

Did not think it would be long before the Canyon got a mention.
Do Canyon do cycleshceme now then?

passout

Carbonator wrote:

Did not think it would be long before the Canyon got a mention.
Do Canyon do cycleshceme now then?

Don't think so. UK only.

cycleclinic

You will benfit most from a bike that fits well. As I run frames of differing materials I can honestly say it is not the frame material that controls the ride quality but the tyres. I have a aluminium framed bike made from large diameter Oria tubing but with wide Pave tubs rides so smoothly even over the roughest of roads.

I would not worry about the frame material so much but on the fit and the components. Nothing wrong with a claris equiped bike or even a sora one. I would rather have one of them like a Genesis Volare but replace the wheels and tyres with something proper than a more expensive bike with ultegra and still have low rent wheels and tyres.

MisterMuncher

To be honest, I'm in the minority that doesn't find Aluminium harsh or buzzy. To me it's communicative. The issue, as flagged above, is that the "best" (lightest, stiffest, best reviewed) Aluminium frames tend toward the racier end of the spectrum (geometry-wise), whereas equivalently priced carbon includes some more relaxed frames. You can always add spacers and fettle about to relax a frame a little, but you're working against the nature of the frame. Conversely, if you go more relaxed initially, you run into issues if your flexibility and fitness increase to a degree you want something longer and lower.

If you sort your fit, wheels, tyres and contact points first and foremost, frame material is very much a secondary issue in terms of comfort. That'll require experimentation, possibly some trial and error, but you'll not go too far wrong with shallow drop bars, 25mm tyres, wider profile rims and plenty of spokes. Saddles are always very personal, though.

Anonymous

Of course frame material is secondary to fit in terms of comfort but surely you sort out fit on whatever bike you buy?
You have to decide on frame/frame material first or you have nothing to hang the bits on!

Don't even think of buying an 'equivalent priced carbon'. They cost more, so just decide if they are worth it to you and go from there.

£300 seems a no brainer to me.
When you are no longer a 'beginner' you either ......

A/ Have a nicer bike to ride that you are not itching to upgrade
B/ Have a more saleable bike when you upgrade (probably to a carbon)
C/ Have a winter bike you enjoy riding nearly as much as your new carbon summer one.

Do not see the point in clinging on to Ali as a frame material unless cost is the key factor.

If you prefer it then fair enough.
Some people prefer steel but they never come on these posts heatedly defending the material and suggesting an actual steel bike that the OP should buy.