Bianchi Alu or B'Twin Carbon?
Fritz_Frigursson
Posts: 19
Hello everyone
I'm a beginner, and am going to get a road bike. I have a lot of experience from an entry level MTB, so I decided to start with road bikes. I am also a quite able home mechanic. Looking into about 1300 euros max. There's a LBS Bianchi Impulso 105 aluminium bike and there's a Decathlon B'Twin Ultra 700CF on sale for 1300. Bianchi is 1240. B'Twin is full carbon frame, Fizik Antares, full 105 with direct mount, Reds cockpit and Mavic Aksiums. Meanwhile the Bianchi has 105 (apart from brakes and cranks), Selle SM saddle and Shimano RS10 wheels. What would be better for me? I heard carbon is the superior choice in comfort and stiffness but they have to be changed after a crash. I really like aluminium bikes but would like to try carbon if it's not really fragile. Bianchi does have the better reputation and I think it looks better (matte black and Celeste accents) and just feels as if it would last longer but B'Twin has the benefits of carbon and better components.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance
I'm a beginner, and am going to get a road bike. I have a lot of experience from an entry level MTB, so I decided to start with road bikes. I am also a quite able home mechanic. Looking into about 1300 euros max. There's a LBS Bianchi Impulso 105 aluminium bike and there's a Decathlon B'Twin Ultra 700CF on sale for 1300. Bianchi is 1240. B'Twin is full carbon frame, Fizik Antares, full 105 with direct mount, Reds cockpit and Mavic Aksiums. Meanwhile the Bianchi has 105 (apart from brakes and cranks), Selle SM saddle and Shimano RS10 wheels. What would be better for me? I heard carbon is the superior choice in comfort and stiffness but they have to be changed after a crash. I really like aluminium bikes but would like to try carbon if it's not really fragile. Bianchi does have the better reputation and I think it looks better (matte black and Celeste accents) and just feels as if it would last longer but B'Twin has the benefits of carbon and better components.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance
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3 pages?0
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Carbon is tougher than you think. And Aluminium is equally prone to being written off in a crash if it sustained a big enough hit. Carbon can be repaired depending on the area of damage. If you snapped a seat stay or cracked the top tube a carbon repair specialist could fix it. Although the value of the frame and repair costs would have to be taken into consideration. An alu frame if it sustained the same damage could also be written off. Aluminium is not easy to repair. Top triple butted frames are quite thin at their most vulnerable points.
Getting back to the two bikes you mention, A good Alu frameccan be just as good as a low end carbon for comfort and functionality. As much as I love Bianchi , I wouldn’t class their Alu frames as being top end Alu. Certainly not up to the same class as a Cannondale CAAD. But I wouldn’t class the B’Twin as being a brilliant carbon frame either. Certainly not noticeable better than the Bianchi so I would choose whichever you like the look of most as they are pretty much on par. Carbon is not the be all and end all and enjoying the bike and feeling joy in riding it is more important.0 -
The alu vs carbon debate causes plenty of issues on this site, be warned!Fritz_Frigursson wrote:Hello everyone
I'm a beginner, and am going to get a road bike. I have a lot of experience from an entry level MTB, so I decided to start with road bikes. I am also a quite able home mechanic. Looking into about 1300 euros max. There's a LBS Bianchi Impulso 105 aluminium bike and there's a Decathlon B'Twin Ultra 700CF on sale for 1300. Bianchi is 1240. B'Twin is full carbon frame, Fizik Antares, full 105 with direct mount, Reds cockpit and Mavic Aksiums. Meanwhile the Bianchi has 105 (apart from brakes and cranks), Selle SM saddle and Shimano RS10 wheels. What would be better for me? I heard carbon is the superior choice in comfort and stiffness but they have to be changed after a crash. I really like aluminium bikes but would like to try carbon if it's not really fragile. Bianchi does have the better reputation and I think it looks better (matte black and Celeste accents) and just feels as if it would last longer but B'Twin has the benefits of carbon and better components.
Any advice?
Thanks in advance
Just a few things about carbon fibre, in cycling terms...
-Carbon fibre is tough, but only in the direction it's designed to be tough. Riding it normally you'll be fine even over very rough ground. But you can damage if a bike falls over on a rock etc. Higher end frames aren't tougher than lower end bikes, often the reverse.
-It's more than high, medium or low end. It's all about who made the frame, the design and manufacture quality. Price point has more to do with the kind of carbon fibre sheets used, layup complexity, weight and prices the consumer will stand. If there's air voids in the carbon layup, too much or too little resin issues can arise.
-Carbon fibre can fail suddenly (usually due to an unseen issue, that can be very dangerous.
-Some people say high end carbon frames are much better than low end and they can feel the difference in the ride, others that they ride exactly the same, the only difference is weight.
That said I prefer a carbon fibre frame from any other material.0 -
It is your money so buy the one you like and feels the best when you sit on it, both should be good bikes to ride and own.
My money would go on the B’Twin because it has the better components and I just prefer carbon for frames.0 -
Bianchi !!!!
(1) Its got Bianchi written on it
(2) I like bikes with the word "Bianchi" on them
(3) The Bianchi looks nicer .. because it has Bianchi written on it
(4) It would match one of my T-shirts .. that also has Bianchi written on it
(5) when you sit in a coffee shop with an espresso and a biscotti and you look out the window and gaze at the bike, the experience will be better when you read the words Bianchi on your bike
(6) when people ask you what you ride and you say "Bianchi"
(7) the rs10 wheels are bullet proof and if you eve bother to buy new wheels you will still use these in the winter !0 -
If go down the carbon route then understand that you should take good care of the frame.
For example when transporting, most of the manufacturers advise against frame clamping!
https://auxtail.com/about/carbon-clamping/0 -
I’d say go with the B’Twin. I have a B’Twin Triban 560 CF, and a few other various B’Twin bikes, including an Ultra 720 AF. In my experience, just on VFM alone, the B’Twin would be a better purchase0
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Bianchi by a country mile. A cheap carbon frame has no great superior properties to a good aluminium one. Having been in unique position of riding both for a good few runs (my friend has the B'twin, I own the impulso)there is very very little to chose between either, but the bianchi looks way better (make sure it is in celeste) and , well, it's a bianchi, why buy a Renault when you could have a Ferrari! The bianchi is a little heavier and wheels aren't as good as those on the B'twin, but at this level, a few grams isn't going to concern you too much. Another note, I find the Bianchi more comfortable as it is slightly more relaxed position0
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shiznit76 wrote:why buy a Renault when you could have a Ferrari!
Renaults and Ferraris aren't made in the same factory in Taiwan....
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You mean made in China and then shipped to Taiwan to be painted where they can legally put 'Made in Taiwan' on it. Although some alu alloy bikes are made in Cambodia.inseine wrote:shiznit76 wrote:why buy a Renault when you could have a Ferrari!
Renaults and Ferraris aren't made in the same factory in Taiwan....0 -
ZMC888 wrote:
You mean made in China and then shipped to Taiwan to be painted where they can legally put 'Made in Taiwan' on it. Although some alu alloy bikes are made in Cambodia.inseine wrote:shiznit76 wrote:why buy a Renault when you could have a Ferrari!
Renaults and Ferraris aren't made in the same factory in Taiwan....
No, I mean made in Taiwan.0 -
I dont think it matters "who" sticks the Bianchi sticker on the bike .... the important part is only one of them has the word "Bianchi" stuck to it0
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Quite. I'd never ride a Decathlon, or B'twin (terrible name). I'm not sure how much real difference there is between the bikes, though you might feel the extra 1.5kg of the Bianchi.fat daddy wrote:I dont think it matters "who" sticks the Bianchi sticker on the bike .... the important part is only one of them has the word "Bianchi" stuck to it0 -
inseine wrote:
Quite. I'd never ride a Decathlon, or B'twin (terrible name). I'm not sure how much real difference there is between the bikes, though you might feel the extra 1.5kg of the Bianchi.fat daddy wrote:I dont think it matters "who" sticks the Bianchi sticker on the bike .... the important part is only one of them has the word "Bianchi" stuck to it
He’s a beginner. He isn’t doing Mont Ventoux any time soon. Better to just have a bike that you feel proud of and like looking at as well as riding. Put the two next to each other the Bianchi stands out more. Italian style offers more than just functionality. That’s why we don’t all ride around on Giants and Treks. Some of us have souls0 -
Why only those two?0
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Trivial poursuivant wrote:inseine wrote:
Quite. I'd never ride a Decathlon, or B'twin (terrible name). I'm not sure how much real difference there is between the bikes, though you might feel the extra 1.5kg of the Bianchi.fat daddy wrote:I dont think it matters "who" sticks the Bianchi sticker on the bike .... the important part is only one of them has the word "Bianchi" stuck to it
He’s a beginner. He isn’t doing Mont Ventoux any time soon. Better to just have a bike that you feel proud of and like looking at as well as riding. Put the two next to each other the Bianchi stands out more. Italian style offers more than just functionality. That’s why we don’t all ride around on Giants and Treks. Some of us have souls
I think I was agreeing with you!0 -
Buy the B'Twin and put some custom decals over the logos.
I'm sure there is a decal post on here somewhere...0 -
Put some pictures up for us to drool over.0
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I have an aluminium Bianchi, I recently took the stock Veloce off and put 105 on, due to surgery I’ve not ridden it with the 105 yet. My son has a B’Twin with 105 which I’ve ridden too. Everything says the B’Twin should be the better bike, it’s lighter, has, or had, better groupset and compared to the Bianchi is better value. Yet I’d take the Bianchi anytime.0
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Thanks everyone for the comments0
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I live in China I been talking to industry insiders, sadly almost no frames are made in Taiwan any more.inseine wrote:ZMC888 wrote:
You mean made in China and then shipped to Taiwan to be painted where they can legally put 'Made in Taiwan' on it. Although some alu alloy bikes are made in Cambodia.inseine wrote:shiznit76 wrote:why buy a Renault when you could have a Ferrari!
Renaults and Ferraris aren't made in the same factory in Taiwan....
No, I mean made in Taiwan.
That's all the big players, Giant and all the brands they manufacture for including Trek, and Merida including all the brands they manufacture for including Specialized. There's a massive factory (highly secure) just 150 kms away from me making high end bike frames that are then badged 'Made in Taiwan' for the final end consumer. Two reasons are cheap labour costs and less pollution legislation.
Then the frames are shipped to Taiwan for paint and some are assembled in Taiwan others back in China. Your lovely new bike that you think is made in Taiwan isn't. Was a disappointment to find this out for me too. But think about it and follow the money. This is little known information.0 -
I visit the Taiwan factories building the frames (and wheels etc). Carbon and aluminiuom.0
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It’s a simple choice
If you are brand conscious and care what other people think, buy the Bianchi
If you want the better bike, buy the Btwin0 -
I used to drive an Orbea Alu, and now i own the Bianchi infinito. Carbon is better there is no comparison, but quality control is an essential and you have it from Bianchi. I dont know Btwin i cant comment them, but keep in mind that not all carbons are the same.0
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Someone will be along in a minute to suggest a super six.0
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Why swap the veloce for 105, aren't they around the same level of performance?ChippyK wrote:I have an aluminium Bianchi, I recently took the stock Veloce off and put 105 on, due to surgery I’ve not ridden it with the 105 yet. My son has a B’Twin with 105 which I’ve ridden too. Everything says the B’Twin should be the better bike, it’s lighter, has, or had, better groupset and compared to the Bianchi is better value. Yet I’d take the Bianchi anytime.0 -
When did Taiwan become a synonym for quality ? ..... back in the 80's having "made in Taiwan" was sign of something being crap and poorly made ...... when did this change, I seemed to have missed this .... I think I reached an age where I stopped caring where stuff was made .. must have happened after that.
Are Sony still considered a good brand and Skoda Crap .... or has that all changed now ?0 -
Skoda Estelle, nothing wrong with that!
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