Carbon vs Aluminium at the £1500 mark

Rilkal47

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at spending around the £1500 mark, at this range should I be looking for a Carbon frame or Aluminium? I am torn between the Canyon Endurace AL 7 Disk or the Ribble R872 Disc. Both weigh about the same, both have the Shim 105 groupset.

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-r (link is external) ... ano-105-1/

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes (link is external) ... ection-tab

https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=cany (link is external) ... z.LG|w.700

The main trade offs seem to be the Canyon has better wheels and an 11-34 cassette vs the Ribble having a 11-32 cassette with a carbon frame.

I’d prefer disc brakes however this caught my eye and I’m astounded that o could afford Ultegra

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-white-black-ulteg... (link is external)

It would mainly be for proper riding with a club and events like London to Brighton over commuting as I’ve got a gravel bike for that so I am not worried about the fragility of CF

Is CF at this price point a bad Idea or is it better from an upgradability standpoint?

joe_totale-2

I'd get an aluminium bike for that price. What I'd do is grab a frameset like a Bowman Palace or Trek Emonda ALR and a groupset like 105 or Potenza to fit on it. There's disc and rim versions of each but a rim build will be cheaper.

Finishing kit and wheels are up to you, sure you'll have to put it together but you may learn some good skills on the way.

You'll end up with a great bike that's tailored for yourself.

bondurant

Agreed

imposter2.0

Rilkal47 said:

Is CF at this price point a bad Idea or is it better from an upgradability standpoint?

Nothing wrong with carbon fibre at any price point, providing the source is reputable. The lower price is not an indication of lower quality - the R872 is affordable because of the way Ribble sources its frames.

deebeegee

Keep an eye on Merlin. I got a Evo Kanjers, now out of stock for 1500 and that had full ultegra. Might not be super, but it's damn site more comfy than the CAADX ive been riding for 6 years.

teisetrotter

joe_totale-2 said:

I'd get an aluminium bike for that price. What I'd do is grab a frameset like a Bowman Palace or Trek Emonda ALR and a groupset like 105 or Potenza to fit on it. There's disc and rim versions of each but a rim build will be cheaper.

Finishing kit and wheels are up to you, sure you'll have to put it together but you may learn some good skills on the way.

You'll end up with a great bike that's tailored for yourself.

Do this. There are some amazing frame deals out there. If you can find the right size Castelli Semper's are being sold off. But other options are available. You then get a bike fit and the stem, handlebars, crank lengths are set for you. USE a British company have great products at good prices to cover those bits. Then you can trial a saddle or two. Get some reasonable hand-built wheels which you can easily get repaired and replace the rims. Bob's yer uncle you have a unique bike, tailored for you all at a very reasonable price.

Because by the way, you will almost certainly start swapping bits out if you get hooked. So might as well start with the triggers broom scenario.

d00d4h

You can get a nice carbon bike for that sort of price, if you shop around:
https://startfitness.co.uk/cycle/bikes/road-bikes/cervelo-r2-105-mens-carbon-road-bike-2020-blue-63307019.html

Admittedly, it was cheaper when I got mine. I had money over to buy some nice wheels.

Rilkal47

joe_totale-2 said:

I'd get an aluminium bike for that price. What I'd do is grab a frameset like a Bowman Palace or Trek Emonda ALR and a groupset like 105 or Potenza to fit on it. There's disc and rim versions of each but a rim build will be cheaper.

Finishing kit and wheels are up to you, sure you'll have to put it together but you may learn some good skills on the way.

You'll end up with a great bike that's tailored for yourself.

I saw that orange bowman, it’s glorious but building is just too expensive.

Rilkal47

oxoman said:

The Decathlon link wasn't quite right, I suspect you meant this one.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-black-105-id_8529300.html

Carbon or Aluminium doesn't really matter tbh, I have a carbon bike at 8kg and a Alu one at 8.25kg but add water bottles saddle pack and they weigh a lot more. Carbon frames at this price point are ok but not earth shattering. The Decathlon bikes are good the one you link is just a rename of there better models, if only intending dry club riding I'd go with rim brakes, lower weight and decent wheels. You could also look at the trek domane or giant defy. Its better to try a bike out properly rather tham just guess. Ribble have a couple of places 1 in Birmingham somewhere and also Preston. The others have loads of outlets. Canyon you risk the mail order lottery of if its in, they have been poor in the past. Nothing wrong with there biķes though. Biggest issue is supply hasn't quite caught up with demand yet.

I did link the wrong one but it’s this.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-white-black-ultegra-id_8569095.html

Ultegra for £1300 is interesting.

joe_totale-2

Rilkal47 said:

oxoman said:

The Decathlon link wasn't quite right, I suspect you meant this one.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-black-105-id_8529300.html

Carbon or Aluminium doesn't really matter tbh, I have a carbon bike at 8kg and a Alu one at 8.25kg but add water bottles saddle pack and they weigh a lot more. Carbon frames at this price point are ok but not earth shattering. The Decathlon bikes are good the one you link is just a rename of there better models, if only intending dry club riding I'd go with rim brakes, lower weight and decent wheels. You could also look at the trek domane or giant defy. Its better to try a bike out properly rather tham just guess. Ribble have a couple of places 1 in Birmingham somewhere and also Preston. The others have loads of outlets. Canyon you risk the mail order lottery of if its in, they have been poor in the past. Nothing wrong with there biķes though. Biggest issue is supply hasn't quite caught up with demand yet.

I did link the wrong one but it’s this.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-white-black-ultegra-id_8569095.html

Ultegra for £1300 is interesting.

Don't be blinded by Ultegra. It's good but it's not really that much better than 105. they both basically function the same, Ultegra is a little lighter but I doubt you'll notice it.

helterskelter

You can get a nice carbon frame with 105 components well within budget. Ultegra is just a bit lighter not much in the performance. Unless you are doing mountain descents I wouldn’t bother with discs either to be honest.

Merlin seem to have a lot of nice premium ones in stock and their own branded ones get good reviews too.

Put your own together, all guides available on YouTube and you’ll save a fortune on servicing in the future.

rik.j.rayner

I recently built a Planet X EC130 Aero frame set into a complete bike with 105 R7000 rim brakes for £1250 (excluding pedals and wheels) using a combination of new/new old stock parts and a used saddle from eBay and learned a lot about cycle mechanics whilst I did it.

As for the R8000 v R7000 debate - I have both group sets on different bikes and really struggle to tell the difference. They feel exactly the same in my hands, the changes are crisp and positive on both and the braking performance is comparable if not identical. Absolutely nothing wrong with the R7000 groupset.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

You could buy the new Boardman SLR 8.9c Limited Edition and a nice set of deep section rim brake wheels for £1500.

I wouldn't, but others might be tempted, disc brakes for me these days which also should prolong the life of nice wheels.

rik.j.rayner

Just looked at the Ltd - nice option 👍🏻

thegreatdivide

What the guys above said - buy an Emonda ALR frameset then scour online for the bits to bolt on it. It’s still the lightest alu frame on the market, the super smooth welds make it look like carbon and the paint job quality is lush!!!!

Rilkal47

Ultegra for £1300 is interesting.

Don't be blinded by Ultegra. It's good but it's not really that much better than 105. they both basically function the same, Ultegra is a little lighter but I doubt you'll notice it.

''I see'' said the blind man, I will go with that.

Rilkal47

oxoman said:

At your budget your right to stick to rim brakes, just allow for fitting decent cartridge blocks like swisstop or similar. A lot of people are discouraged from getting the decathlon bikes because of brand snobbery, don't be put off by this. Just buy what you fancy and more importantly what fits you. Merlin or planet x are both mail order with good reputations. Decathlon aren't that bad as they have or had their own race team using their own bikes.

I want discs, regardless of extra weight they just stop better than rims with less damage to wheels. With most bikes it is only a £100 upgrade so I do not mind spending that little bit more.

Rilkal47

thegreatdivide said:

What the guys above said - buy an Emonda ALR frameset then scour online for the bits to bolt on it. It’s still the lightest alu frame on the market, the super smooth welds make it look like carbon and the paint job quality is lush!!!!

It is extremely pretty but is it Bowman palace pretty? Definitely my N+1.

https://bowman-cycles.com/products/bowman-palace-3-frameset

imposter2.0

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

imposter2.0

oxoman said:

Rilkal47 , if your set on disc,s make sure they're hydraulic and not cable. I have rim, hyd and cable disc,s and not fussed as they all stop.

You seem to be contradicting yourself?

mpatts

Rilkal47 said:

oxoman said:

At your budget your right to stick to rim brakes, just allow for fitting decent cartridge blocks like swisstop or similar. A lot of people are discouraged from getting the decathlon bikes because of brand snobbery, don't be put off by this. Just buy what you fancy and more importantly what fits you. Merlin or planet x are both mail order with good reputations. Decathlon aren't that bad as they have or had their own race team using their own bikes.

I want discs, regardless of extra weight they just stop better than rims with less damage to wheels. With most bikes it is only a £100 upgrade so I do not mind spending that little bit more.

Without extending the debate, I am always intrigued by this argument, given how expensive rotors are.

To answer the OP question - and to contradict myself - with that budget recently I bought a Cinelli Semper Potenza Disc, which is Alu. I only have 1 carbon frame in my stable, a trek boone, I honestly believe that - all things being equal - a metal alternative will be better than a carbon at the same price point. For example, my Crockett is as good as the boone most of the time, at half the price.

In summary:

By the one that you like the look of best and that gives you a funny feeling in the nethers. They are all essentially the same, performance wise.

thegreatdivide

imposter2.0 said:

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

Bowman frames look like they’ve been welded by a pi$$ed sloth. Really ugly joins.

Ben6899

thegreatdivide said:

imposter2.0 said:

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

Bowman frames look like they’ve been welded by a pi$$ed sloth. Really ugly joins.

I honestly don't see how they differ from a Dolan Preffisio, which is a fine frameset but only cost £199 and you got a seatpost thrown in.

Rilkal47

thegreatdivide said:

imposter2.0 said:

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

Bowman frames look like they’ve been welded by a pi$$ed sloth. Really ugly joins.

Are they that bad? I've no clue

Rilkal47

Ben6899 said:

thegreatdivide said:

imposter2.0 said:

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

Bowman frames look like they’ve been welded by a pi$$ed sloth. Really ugly joins.

I honestly don't see how they differ from a Dolan Preffisio, which is a fine frameset but only cost £199 and you got a seatpost thrown in.

It is mostly just colour, so many I have looked at have rather meh paintjobs, the Canyon and the purple Trek frame someone linked excluded. I like the teal of the Ribble but I would prefer another colour but I'm not paying £200 with a 42 day delay for the privilege

Rilkal47

mpatts said:

Rilkal47 said:

oxoman said:

At your budget your right to stick to rim brakes, just allow for fitting decent cartridge blocks like swisstop or similar. A lot of people are discouraged from getting the decathlon bikes because of brand snobbery, don't be put off by this. Just buy what you fancy and more importantly what fits you. Merlin or planet x are both mail order with good reputations. Decathlon aren't that bad as they have or had their own race team using their own bikes.

I want discs, regardless of extra weight they just stop better than rims with less damage to wheels. With most bikes it is only a £100 upgrade so I do not mind spending that little bit more.

Without extending the debate, I am always intrigued by this argument, given how expensive rotors are.

To answer the OP question - and to contradict myself - with that budget recently I bought a Cinelli Semper Potenza Disc, which is Alu. I only have 1 carbon frame in my stable, a trek boone, I honestly believe that - all things being equal - a metal alternative will be better than a carbon at the same price point. For example, my Crockett is as good as the boone most of the time, at half the price.

In summary:

By the one that you like the look of best and that gives you a funny feeling in the nethers. They are all essentially the same, performance wise.

TBH this is probs the best advice I have gotten, s**tt or get off the pot. Get the one that gives you the Top Gear style fizzy penis.

thegreatdivide

Rilkal47 said:

thegreatdivide said:

imposter2.0 said:

I don't really get all the fawning over the Bowman frame. A lot of excitement over what is fundamentally just another far eastern alu frameset with a nice paintjob.

Nice enough - don't get me wrong - but I'm not sure it really warrants the hype.

Bowman frames look like they’ve been welded by a pi$$ed sloth. Really ugly joins.

Are they that bad? I've no clue

Check the photo of the headtube in this review, then go and find a close up pic of the Bowman. It’s night and day!

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a22665975/trek-emonda-alr-review/

janwal

https://www.dolan-bikes.com/dr1-carbon-disc-road/
Just slightly over budget with 105 build.

helterskelter

I have two bikes with discs, nice when you need them but oh my what a faff to keep maintained and sharp. I’d still recommend building from the frame up, the acquired knowledge of setting up the brakes will come in handy down the line.