Will a different bike be that noticable??
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I went from Orbea Avant H30 to Bianchi Infinito CV. Much much more comfortable but stiffer, it turns way better, brakes much better. Maybe it will not make you way faster, but for sure it will make your rides much much more enjoyable, so yes, the overall experience worth my (a lot ) money that ive spend on my Bianchi0
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The thing is is that we all have different experiences. No one is right or wrong, our experiences have shaped our opinions.
My experience is that my winter bike, Trek Domane ALR 5 is absolutely awesome. Its a £1600 bike, nothing special, but its great fun. Rides really well, not uncomfortable. It doesn't feel un-stiff, road deflection feels no different than my other much more expensive bikes.
A lot of cheaper (and older) aluminium bikes were much more uncomfortable, I used to ride an old CAAD many years ago and it was a noticeably much harsher ride than the CAAD 12. My Domane though is a real bike of all trades. It can race cyclecross, it can go on gravel rides with 33mm knobbly tyres, it is a great commuter with 32mm slicks and full guards and I have no problems doing 60 mile club rides. Its not quite as "quick" as my much more expensive bikes, but pound for pound its a bike that makes me very happy. I like the Domane ALR that I went and bought a Domane SL5. There is about 600 grams difference between the carbon SL5 and the alu ALR5, this equates to on average a couple of minutes difference over a short 25 mile training loop.
When I was buying the Domane ALR I have to admit to feeling a bit unsure based on my previous experiences with knowing how harsh aluminium frames used to be. I'll be absolutely honest though, I don't think I've ever been on a bike that I haven't really enjoyed. Two cheaper carbon bikes were probably not suitable for me for racing on, but they were still great fun and would have made really good sportive or club rider bikes. (Not elevating me above them, but the bike didn't inspire confidence, in crit racing its important be confident in the bike)
The CAAD 12 is amazing for cornering, such little input needed, cheaper carbon felt to me like on a twisty circuit I was having to really steer - not quite the difference between power steering and not, but there was a real noticeable difference. On a circuit with heavy braking, sharp corners and sprinting into the next sharp corner, the CAAD was really good. Don't get me wrong, a lot of carbon bikes are just as good, lots will be even better. But for the price the CAAD is a real contender. I still haven't decided what bike to race next year. I could get a decent carbon bike to replace my Trek Emonda SLR, but at the moment I'm seriously contemplating getting a CAAD 12.
I'm not trying to say that anyone who says anything negative about an aluminium bike is wrong, but I do think they have a place based on budget. For example the Dura Ace CAAD 12 Disc is in my opinion a thing of beauty, but if I was spending that amount of money on a new bike it would likely be a different one and probably made of carbon.0 -
Oh look, it's turned into any old discussion about carbon vs aluminium, chucking in references to some of the best aluminium frames out there ...all very well, but not really addressing the OP any more. (Triban 300 vs something "full carbon" and "lightweight" possibly with "carbon wheels", which since turned out to be an entry level shout at that).0
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Lots of little differences in the quality, and functionality of some key components, add up to a whole lot of difference in the ride experience quality. The trick is to understand the components of the bike, and which ones make the biggest differences. Bicycle manufacturers are very good with marketing rhetoric, and can sell you a lot of expensive snake oil, if you’re not wary. You have to be able to work out if the bike you’re about to ‘upgrade’ to, is actually going to be an upgrade, by understanding what you’re actually paying for, and what isn’t worth the cost involved. Personally I like to concentrate on the frameset, then buy the components I know will make a difference, and build the bike up myself. I’ve then only got myself to blame if I get ripped off.0
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Milemuncher1 wrote:Lots of little differences in the quality, and functionality of some key components, add up to a whole lot of difference in the ride experience quality. The trick is to understand the components of the bike, and which ones make the biggest differences. Bicycle manufacturers are very good with marketing rhetoric, and can sell you a lot of expensive snake oil, if you’re not wary. You have to be able to work out if the bike you’re about to ‘upgrade’ to, is actually going to be an upgrade, by understanding what you’re actually paying for, and what isn’t worth the cost involved. Personally I like to concentrate on the frameset, then buy the components I know will make a difference, and build the bike up myself. I’ve then only got myself to blame if I get ripped off.
I thought you rode Decathlon bikes?0 -
cld531c wrote:Milemuncher1 wrote:Lots of little differences in the quality, and functionality of some key components, add up to a whole lot of difference in the ride experience quality. The trick is to understand the components of the bike, and which ones make the biggest differences. Bicycle manufacturers are very good with marketing rhetoric, and can sell you a lot of expensive snake oil, if you’re not wary. You have to be able to work out if the bike you’re about to ‘upgrade’ to, is actually going to be an upgrade, by understanding what you’re actually paying for, and what isn’t worth the cost involved. Personally I like to concentrate on the frameset, then buy the components I know will make a difference, and build the bike up myself. I’ve then only got myself to blame if I get ripped off.
I thought you rode Decathlon bikes?
I do, I use them as a good start point, because as anyone who actually knows what they’re talking about will tell you, they represent fantastic VFM, they keep the price down by skimping on certain components, most of which ( as anyone who knows what they are talking about will tell you) aren’t the crucial ones for making the bike work properly. But I guess that’s the difference between myself and the vast majority of the bleaty actually know SFA about what constitutes a decent bike, on certain forums. I’ve found the Decathlon framesets have all punched way above their weights, and are sound platforms for tweaking into bikes ( at no great outlay) that will easily mug off mid range ‘big brand bikes’ which cost twice what the Decathlon equivalent did. A fool and their money are easily parted, this saying is never truer than in the world of bicycles. I’ve also built up one or two bikes in the past, using framesets in the high end of middle range, from the ‘big brands’ and used decent parts scavenged from crash / wear and tear damaged ‘cheap’ bikes, as my bikes get ridden quite intensively, and do get knocks and bangs and damage, that would make it a pointless exercise to buy a ‘high end, off the shelf’ bike, for most of my needs, hence the bikes I do build up from more expensive framesets, generally don’t get as much use as I feel the costs warrant, and have mostly been vanity exercises, which have mostly proved that unless you’re spending big money ( relatively speaking) you might as well not bother with the ‘big brand’ mid range bikes, as they really don’t justify the cost, and if you know what you’re about, you can get a just as competent bike, for far less outlay.
For example
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-940-c ... 90340.html
Anyone trying to be a sneering little arse about this particular offering from Decathlon, needs to get their head read.0 -
Was that a bite?0
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“I like to concentrate on the frameset.....and build up the bike myself” to any sane person means I buy a frame and build up a bike, not I buy a complete bike and change a few bits.
Hence the reference to decathlon who, whilst selling good value complete bikes, do not sell stand alone frames as far as I am aware. Was not a dig at Decathlon, rather at MM. I have a Decathlon bike myself, but would not buy one to strip and rebuild.0 -
Milemuncher1 wrote:cld531c wrote:Milemuncher1 wrote:Lots of little differences in the quality, and functionality of some key components, add up to a whole lot of difference in the ride experience quality. The trick is to understand the components of the bike, and which ones make the biggest differences. Bicycle manufacturers are very good with marketing rhetoric, and can sell you a lot of expensive snake oil, if you’re not wary. You have to be able to work out if the bike you’re about to ‘upgrade’ to, is actually going to be an upgrade, by understanding what you’re actually paying for, and what isn’t worth the cost involved. Personally I like to concentrate on the frameset, then buy the components I know will make a difference, and build the bike up myself. I’ve then only got myself to blame if I get ripped off.
I thought you rode Decathlon bikes?
I do, I use them as a good start point, because as anyone who actually knows what they’re talking about will tell you, they represent fantastic VFM, they keep the price down by skimping on certain components, most of which ( as anyone who knows what they are talking about will tell you) aren’t the crucial ones for making the bike work properly. But I guess that’s the difference between myself and the vast majority of the bleaty actually know SFA about what constitutes a decent bike, on certain forums. I’ve found the Decathlon framesets have all punched way above their weights, and are sound platforms for tweaking into bikes ( at no great outlay) that will easily mug off mid range ‘big brand bikes’ which cost twice what the Decathlon equivalent did. A fool and their money are easily parted, this saying is never truer than in the world of bicycles. I’ve also built up one or two bikes in the past, using framesets in the high end of middle range, from the ‘big brands’ and used decent parts scavenged from crash / wear and tear damaged ‘cheap’ bikes, as my bikes get ridden quite intensively, and do get knocks and bangs and damage, that would make it a pointless exercise to buy a ‘high end, off the shelf’ bike, for most of my needs, hence the bikes I do build up from more expensive framesets, generally don’t get as much use as I feel the costs warrant, and have mostly been vanity exercises, which have mostly proved that unless you’re spending big money ( relatively speaking) you might as well not bother with the ‘big brand’ mid range bikes, as they really don’t justify the cost, and if you know what you’re about, you can get a just as competent bike, for far less outlay.
For example
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-940-c ... 90340.html
Anyone trying to be a sneering little ars* about this particular offering from Decathlon, needs to get their head read.
So what would you change on that one??? If the answer is nothing then you’re arguments are (again) invalid.0
