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Are carbon bikes really worth the price? I keep going back and forth about purchasing the Giant Alliance XTC 29er and the Gary Fisher Superfly 29er. The Giant is part aluminum, part carbon. The GF is all carbon and just about everything on the bike is carbon. The price difference is also about $1,300.
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Depends on what type of riding you are doing, Carbon bikes are usually seen on cross country race bikes. Personally I do not think carbon bikes are worth the extra money if you are not a serious racer, with the money saved you can upgrade your bike extensively. I would recommend looking at a bike with Aluminum 7005 frame. This is the lighest aluminum and will save you lots of money when buying a bike compared to a full carbon bike. Hope this helps and good luck!
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I have never road a carbon bike, but if you want a top notch carbon bike have a look at this link.
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/20239- … es-RLC.htm
On Sale right now for 2000 bucks and it is normally the 2700 dollars. They are selling it for the same price as the lower model with the RS SiD. The Phantom with the Fox Fork is also lighter than the Model with the SiD. It is one heck of a deal.
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i dont think its worth it, my next bike will be a remedy 8 and thats cuz i rode the remedy 9.9(which is the 8 but carbon) and the weight difference wasnt worth $2500….
plus the biggest problem i have is carbon fiber bikes are NOT reparable so if you crash and get a slight crack or nick in the frame then your just threw a couple grand in the toilet….cuz that crack will just spread.
they have the "carbon armor" stuff on the 2010 Trek bikes but i still dont want to take a chance of a crash costing me more than it normally would,,,,
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plus if you mess up an aluminum frame and dont have the $$$$ to buy a new one you can always weld aluminum, or so i would think…can you?
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"FBTrek321" wrote
plus if you mess up an aluminum frame and dont have the $$$$ to buy a new one you can always weld aluminum, or so i would think…can you?
No not really, and due to the properties of aluminum, if you get a crack in the frame you NEED to get it replaced, because aluminum when it fails, it blows apart. Steel bends, aluminum doesn’t.
Most decent bike companies will warranty a cracked frame though.
And I agree, the weight difference doesn’t necessitate the massive price difference (unless, like chili said, you’re into hxc xc) when comparing carbon and alum.
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Aluminum frames can be repaired however the process is:
Clean up frame around weld and remove some material so that there is full penitration.
Weld frame set up.
Re-heat treat to manufactures spec..Which means you have to contact the manufacture for the process (which they will probably not tell you).
But more than likely there is an underlying reason in the first place for the crack called fatigue. (Limit of life) Once frames are cracking its time to replace…Nothing is designed to last forever…..Nothing.
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but you can always buy Trek and have a lifetime warranty on your frame.
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"bpmcginty74" wrote
Are carbon bikes really worth the price? I keep going back and forth about purchasing the Giant Alliance XTC 29er and the Gary Fisher Superfly 29er. The Giant is part aluminum, part carbon. The GF is all carbon and just about everything on the bike is carbon. The price difference is also about $1,300.
Everyone’s scared of carbon, but I don’t think there is a good reason. Properly made it’s a great material. It is costly though.
How many people have you heard of with broken carbon frames? What about aluminum? I know I know…there’s a lot more aluminum frames running around, but still. I haven’t heard of anyone breaking a name brand carbon frame yet.
But – I think your decision is made. Giant killed the Alliance 29er, they’re not going to make it. According to my local Giant dealer they had problems with the two piece dropouts. Also, the aluminum frame is already so light (3.1lbs) there wasn’t enough weight savings to justify the extra cost.
It’s not on their websiteanymore.
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"FBTrek321" wrote
but you can always buy Trek and have a lifetime warranty on your frame.
Yeah, exactly! The guy that got me into riding rides a trek. I think he’s cracked his rear triangle 2x now, and I think his front once. Got it warrantied every time.
Of course, some would say that there’s something wrong with the frame then, which there probably was. Actually, I think I was reading about that model online recently, and heard that it had chronic problems with the rear triangle.
But they did warranty it.
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Companies will warranty their carbon frames too. GF has a lifetime warranty on the Superfly don’t they?
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There are several other companies that run lifetime warranties. I’ve been told I have one on my Jamis.
Element 22 probably knows better off the top of his head…
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Every company have slighly different policies that they would consider before granting warranty and all companies only give warranty to the first owner. So if you plan on purchasing a used carbon bike at a "deal" price then your out of luck.
I will try and put together a list of companies that provide lifetime warranty…Now crash replacement that is another story…Some provide a crash replacement program where if you crash they will sell you a frame set at or close to cost.
If you think about it that is fair…It is not the manufactures fault at that point if you toast the bike due to a fault that is not their’s.
For example. Some people think they can do what Sam Hill does or what Steve Peat does. Yet when folks try the same course using the "same" equipment they crash and destroy the frame set… Then the same people say WTF the frame has cracked or snapped. Some will naturally blame the Manufacture, when really it’s not their fault…However as a gesture of good will they are willing to sell you a frame at cost.
Funny thing is that I was talking with another manufacture just yesterday about this exact thing of cracking frame set…
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let me know if im wrong but, im seeing some stuff in here about weight. and IF it was me, im a 230lb guy and if i go and ride an extra 2 or 3 time a week ill loose 5-10lbs, and that would make up the diff rather than buying it. right? so i dont see why someone would get one if its just weight that they are trying to shed, if they can loose it on there own.
am i right or worng on this, or am i just way out in left field?
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I can tell you from my experience losing weight off your body is not the same as losing weight off your bike.
I have lost 10 pounds or so in the last little bit, and I feel just the same on my bike. My bike has lost 5 pounds in the last year, I feel that is more noticeable especially when you lose it off your wheels.
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i just thought id chime in and say that not all carbon bikes are light or are they just for XC racing, for example the GT Fury is a carbon DH bike and still weighs around 40 pounds just like most DH bikes.
i wonder if this will be the new trend to make a stronger DH bike that weighs the same as its aluminum counter part but is stronger and more stiff instead of using carbon to shave a few pounds or grams.
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"The_Germ" wrote
let me know if im wrong but, im seeing some stuff in here about weight. and IF it was me, im a 230lb guy and if i go and ride an extra 2 or 3 time a week ill loose 5-10lbs, and that would make up the diff rather than buying it. right? so i dont see why someone would get one if its just weight that they are trying to shed, if they can loose it on there own.
am i right or worng on this, or am i just way out in left field?
Ah yes, you are totally right on the ball! Many of your average joe’s don’t realize that that’s the easiest solution.
But, if you were a legitimatly hardcore cross country racer, you wouldn’t have any more fat to shed, and thus would try to shed weight by spending thousands of dollars on a light weight bike frame.
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"ChiliPepper" wrote
[quote="trailrider247":2vo9i5v5]i just thought id chime in and say that not all carbon bikes are light or are they just for XC racing, for example the GT Fury is a carbon DH bike and still weighs around 40 pounds just like most DH bikes.
i wonder if this will be the new trend to make a stronger DH bike that weighs the same as its aluminum counter part but is stronger and more stiff instead of using carbon to shave a few pounds or grams.
You can have those carbon DH bikes, I will stick with the aluminum framed ones. 😉[/quote:2vo9i5v5]
He’s right though, it’s all the new rage. Maybe you’re getting old fashioned chili 😆 😆 😆
Haha, j/k man!
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C’mon people, hop into the 21st century. Are you still watching VHS movies?
1) There are MANY carbon bikes that are definitely not designed for XC racing. How about the SC Tallboy? In fact, there are DH bikes coming out in carbon fiber.
2) I recently saw a test (can’t remember where…maybe thru Niner (?)) that compared a carbon vs. aluminum fork. Carbon was tougher to break.
3) Lifetime warranties are not the same as crash replacement warranties. If you go huck you XC bike of a 5′ cliff, good luck collecting.
4) Carbon, depending on the extent of failure, CAN be repaired. Aluminum cannot. Check out Calfee bikes.
With all that being said, the cost difference is huge and depending on your riding style and budget may not be worth it. Just don’t get hung up on past perceptions or past truths. Carbon technology has evolved a great deal in the last few years.
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"Beaker" wrote
2) I recently saw a test (can’t remember where…maybe thru Niner (?)) that compared a carbon vs. aluminum fork. Carbon was tougher to break.
It was indeed Niner, and it was carbon vs steel. And a stupid comparision in my opinion. How often do you beat the hell out of your fork with a hammer? Doesn’t at all duplicate the forces that fork will see under normal use.
The steel fork dented, the carbon didn’t. A dented steel fork could still be ridden out of the woods. When carbon fails, you aint riding! The video is on Niner’s website for those who haven’t seen it.
The carbon fork has a rider weight limit and a brake rotor size limit. The steel does not. BUT – that carbon fork is primarily designed to be light, not uber strong.
I have a White Brother’s Rock Solid rigid carbon fork on my 29er and really like it. It’s strong enough for what I do (XC with a few small jumps here and there, nothing crazy) and it only weighs 1.7lbs. I do keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t have any deep scratches that could lead to catastrophic failure.
I like carbon. But I also know it’s limitations.
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="Beaker":iuj0baar]2) I recently saw a test (can’t remember where…maybe thru Niner (?)) that compared a carbon vs. aluminum fork. Carbon was tougher to break.
It was indeed Niner, and it was carbon vs steel. And a stupid comparision in my opinion. How often do you beat the hell out of your fork with a hammer? Doesn’t at all duplicate the forces that fork will see under normal use.
[/quote:iuj0baar]Thanks for clearing that up.
True it may not be realistic to smash your fork with a hammer but it is realistic that you may hit a rock or two in its lifetime. Also, I think the whole point is that carbon isn’t as vulnerable to hits as once thought. You can crash a carbon MTB and not trash your bike.
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Im just afraid Ill wreck it at a funky angle and shatter the damn thing.
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