MTB - Carbon vs Aluminium
Discussion
Open to the masses...
Is a Carbon MTB a big step up from its ally alternatives? I've been riding a Trek Fuel Ex8 for a couple of years and have certainly enjoyed it - yes the components could do with an upgrade but I dont have many complaints. I ride mainly trails, lots of hill work and endurance...
A couple of the guys I ride with have gone down the carbon route and I am tempted. My thoughts are though apart from the extra bling factor and having 'the best' is there a massive difference? I've ridden both carbon bikes (S-works), but they are both not setup for me so didnt get a good comparison.
I'm not looking for any replies telling me to be happy with what I currently have but I would like to know of any first hand experience.
Is a Carbon MTB a big step up from its ally alternatives? I've been riding a Trek Fuel Ex8 for a couple of years and have certainly enjoyed it - yes the components could do with an upgrade but I dont have many complaints. I ride mainly trails, lots of hill work and endurance...
A couple of the guys I ride with have gone down the carbon route and I am tempted. My thoughts are though apart from the extra bling factor and having 'the best' is there a massive difference? I've ridden both carbon bikes (S-works), but they are both not setup for me so didnt get a good comparison.
I'm not looking for any replies telling me to be happy with what I currently have but I would like to know of any first hand experience.
It depends on your riding style and the application. I love the look and feel of a carbon bike. I had a carbon hard tail but it didn't last long, I have ridden a few and they are great but I have seen loads of failures amongst my riding buddies, one competition rider is on his 4th top fuel. The only one I would own is a sants cruz. Out of my riding buddies I have seen a good 80-90% failure rate. Yetis, niners, treks and giants have all died of quite small knocks you would hardly notice on a alu frame. The remainder have used armour from cut up tyres to loads of helicopter tape to stem the damage.
If you see the frame as a disposable item then carbon is the material for you!
If you see the frame as a disposable item then carbon is the material for you!
Sam the Mut said:
Interesting video. Doesn't really prove much. Typical failure is due to rock strike in the bottom bracket/ down tube area. High energy small impacts crack the CF. Though the damage may only be to the surface layers, it is very hard to judge the damage through the frame and a bike shop will write off the frame. My alu frame must take a good belt that would kill many CF frames at least once a month.Interestingly I sat down to a Xmas dinner with the UK distributer of Santa Cruz and he promised me he has had minimal returns of the CF bikes. He also bet me that if I baught one it would not break. This was after the owner of the LBS who replace my broken kit told him my rather extensive breakage history. I have demo'd a CF blur and it is just wonderful. By no means an everyday bike but one I am saving for!
Impact strikes is the one thing that puts me off a carbon On-One 456. I'm tempted as I'd save ~2lbs over my current steel hardtail, and the carbon 456 gets a good name for strength. I'm still not convinced even though they seem to be holding up to a lot of abuse from what I read online...
I have a carbon road bike and an ali mtb.
I wouldn't dream of having them the other way round. The properties of carbon make it extremely strong for its weight but it cannot cope with small point impact damage. Also, one of the main benefits of carbon is the loss of muscle tiring high frequency road buzz. This isn't an issue on a suspended bike.
I wouldn't dream of having them the other way round. The properties of carbon make it extremely strong for its weight but it cannot cope with small point impact damage. Also, one of the main benefits of carbon is the loss of muscle tiring high frequency road buzz. This isn't an issue on a suspended bike.
the shop i work at is the largest independant ibis dealer in the country, based mostly on the sale of the Mojo frame (140-160mm all mountain weapon), that is to say, we have sold lots of them, but never had one returned for any reason.
and these are full carbon heavy duty frames that very often get taken to the alps and such.
that being said, like a lot of other people i have heard all the usual horror stories about how fragile carbon can be.
and these are full carbon heavy duty frames that very often get taken to the alps and such.
that being said, like a lot of other people i have heard all the usual horror stories about how fragile carbon can be.
I think my next bike will probably be Carbon, I wouldn't have worried about having one when I changed late last year, it was just the carbon bike were a lot more money.
If I was really worried about it I'd make sure I got a mainstream brand with a good long warranty, I think Spesh still offer at least 5 years now (down from 'life' of course).
Lots of people say "Carbon does this" or "Carbon does that" but it can't be thought of as a solid material like steel or alu, the way it's laid and the thickness of it gives the makers huge amounts of options in regards to flex and strength.
It's not like we're going to be given much of a choice with new bikes anyway, I'd put money 90% of all mid-high end bikes will be sporting a Carbon frame in the next 2-3 years anyway.
If I was really worried about it I'd make sure I got a mainstream brand with a good long warranty, I think Spesh still offer at least 5 years now (down from 'life' of course).
Lots of people say "Carbon does this" or "Carbon does that" but it can't be thought of as a solid material like steel or alu, the way it's laid and the thickness of it gives the makers huge amounts of options in regards to flex and strength.
It's not like we're going to be given much of a choice with new bikes anyway, I'd put money 90% of all mid-high end bikes will be sporting a Carbon frame in the next 2-3 years anyway.
I've got a Trek Fuel EX 8 and a Trek 9.8 Elite and while they are worlds apart for ride and feel that is to be expected as one is a full susser and the other a HT. I've had various bikes over the years, aluminium and carbon full sussers and steel, aluminium and carbon HT. They all ride differently and I suggest you try and get some test rides. Personnaly from the type of riding you say you do it sounds like you'd be better off with a HT as opposed to FS but that is a personal choice. I've had the 9.8 for 6 years and had no problems with it even after being hit by a car which resulted in me flying throught the air and hitting a post and the bike also being launched and that was 3 years ago and I still have the bike. Out of the 2 I reckon I use the 9.8 twice as much as the EX8.
I built up a bike around a Trek carbon frame (STP400) then rode it around for 3 years in Wales, the Lake District, Dartmoor and lots of local stuff around Kent (lots of flint trails). The only thing that needed replacing after that time was my knees.
Even back then there was a lot of naysayers claiming I'd end up with a carbon enema at some point - I find it hard to believe that the technology has not matured even further and that they're even better now.
Even back then there was a lot of naysayers claiming I'd end up with a carbon enema at some point - I find it hard to believe that the technology has not matured even further and that they're even better now.
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