jgjulio

Went to a local LBS (a Specialized store) and was looking at bikes.

I have been looking at the Roubaix Elite.

He showed me the 2010 Secteur (an exact frame copy of the Roubaix in aluminum). This new bike will replace the Sequoia - no longer made (sob).

He said that if I were to ride a Roubaix (or any full carbon bike) I would double my distance due to the increase in comfort compared to an aluminum frame bike.

That sounds like BS from a LBS - what do you guys think?

jesspal

Bs

Mr Danw

magic

Tom Stormcrowe

The CF would absorb a tremendous amount of the road buzz. An Al frame does ride harsher, guaranteed.

jgjulio

Tom that is exactly what he said. The vibration from the harsher aluminum would tire me much faster than the carbon bike.

For those that have ridden a full carbon and aluminum bike(s) - is the difference in comfort that great that it would double your distance?

Shimagnolo

So just put a CF fork on your existing bike, and increase your distance by 50%.

txvintage

I call BS on the LBS, laced with a helping of truth.

Yes, CF reduces some road fatigue. Aluminum can transmit a lot of the road to your arms and band body. Some of that can be overcome with a CF fork though. Tire selection can make a difference too.

As for doubling your distance, nit unless it comes with CAT 2 legs and lungs as free accessories. It's still about the motor, no matter what frame you ride. They didn't double the distance of the Tour, the Vuelta, or the Giro when CF frames hit the market. They are all about the eame distance as wehn they were riding some seriously simplistic steel machines.

Can't argue with the Bling factor though

fosmith

i work for a company that makes some damn fine carbon bikes...and i can say, that while a carbon bike might perform better and be more comfy than an aluminum bike, the "double your mileage" claim is bs. unless you are so stoked by having a new fast bike that you actually DO double your mileage! which is possible with new bike enthusiasm!

Snapperhead

Total BS IMHO. While carbon may give you a more comfortable ride, I know plenty of guys that ride both carbon and aluminum way faster and way slower than I do. The components are pretty much the same, as are the bike weights. The only true differences are the frame material and the engines. I let you guess which one is making them faster or slower.

127.0.0.1

CF is a comfy ride


but it is no subsitute for getting yer butt in the saddle and doing tall miles on any bike, aluminum
or cf. I used to spit out rides of 230 miles on a stiff aluminum bike and you didn't see me whine about it, the
freaking bike rocked the house ! CF bike change made that 230 mile loop more comfortable though.

DennyV

I don't suppose they mentioned a recumbent would triple your miles did they?

Barrettscv 

Steel and Titanium are also very plush riding.

Many riders are happy with aluminum frames. Others (like me) don't like the ride quality and might feel uncomfortable on an aluminum bike for more than short rides.

It takes a while for a most novice riders adjust to long distance travel, bike frame material is only one part of the dynamic.

Bike fit is most important
tire size and inflation
shoe performance
seat
frame material
fork material

All of the above become a factor after several hours of riding.

Michael

prxmid

Ask him what he thinks of Titanium. You might not even have to pedal

mtclifford

Will Aluminum be more harsh than CF?

Yes.

Double your distance? Hardly.

Ranger63

Here's my .02
I've ridden steel for decades.
Last year I got a Monocoque CF ultegra and FSA equipped.
"What" I discovered was: When the legs had little left in them and there were several climbs left before getting back to the ride start, I 'wanted' the CF under me.
The CF frame seems to deliver more oomph for every ounce of energy one puts into the cranks.
I highly doubt it'll make you a top contender (if you wern't before) or double your mileage but-from my point of experience-it's made life on the road easier.
And at 66 I'll take all the easier I can get.

brian669

what he may have meant is that you will go farther in the same time than you would on an alum frame. that would be because of weight reduction, though, not because of cf sprcifically. and also the roubaix has better aerodynamics but i don't think that would be as big a factor. but double the distance - highly unlikely!

with that said, a friend of mine owns a very reputable shop here in ny. he sells specialized and cannondales and was saying specialized is blowing out 08 models at up to ~50% off to dealers. what that would trickle down to you i don't know, but the top end transition i was shown an out the door price of more than 3k off. and this is the last year before they move full production to asia so keep that in mind, too. good luck.

CliftonGK1

So if I get a CF frame after I finish my 300k in a few weeks, I'm ready for the 600k, right?


If you're happy with the bike you have now, see about putting a CF fork on it to cut down on some road chatter. Maybe even go all-out and get a carbon bar, too. It would still be cheaper than a whole new bike. (Unless a whole new bike is what you really want.)

bautieri

Wait a durn second here. Is the salesman talking base miles or personal best for longest ride? I too would call BS on the LBS but would like to inquire about the milage you are currently riding and whether or not you disclosed this to the salesman.

If you are already pounding out centuries on a Alum/Steel/whatever then a carbon fiber bike is not going to magically double your milage unless it comes with a tiny motor powered by unicorn farts. It's a higher octane yeild or so I've heard.

If you are riding 5-10-30 miles then it is not unreasonable to think that a with the increased comfort and efficency offered by a Ruby that you could double your milage in a relativly shorter amount of time than you could on your current ride. It comes down to training and putting in the miles. If I had a bike with the price tag that Ruby comes with you can bet my base milage would shoot up to justify the amount of cash I just dropped.

jgjulio

Actually my Sequoia has a carbon fork. I am starting my obsessive shopping for my goal bike.
The goal is 100# loss. I have lost 71 so far.

I am thinking about the Roubaix. I am also thinking about a recumbent.
The difference between the Sequoia and the Roubaix is less than the difference between my Sequoia and a recumbent.

Do I want a more comfy DF bike or venture out into the world of recumbent?

The delicious pain of obsessive bike buying decisions......

Darth_Firebolt

LBS
i would be concerned about the longevity of the frame, depending on how far north of 200 you are.

Hill-Pumper

In this case LBS must stand for Lots of BS Seriously, carbon is not the wonder material that some make it out to be for comfort. Case in point is my is my two bikes, my road bike is a 2/3's carbon relaxed geometry offering that I have done a century on along with a ton of metrics. The other bike is a CX with all aluminum frame and a steel fork. Given that information, one would think that the carbon bike would be more comfortable, but since the CX bike big 35c tires, plus a softer saddle, it is more comfortable to ride. Now if I were to put my 23c tires on my CX , that comfort advantage might go away, but who knows. So as other have pointed out, there are many other factors to comfort and distance then frame material. I personally will never buy another carbon bike though. My road bike has a good size nick in the upper stay , which means that I have to take it to the dealer that I bought it from to have them inspect it to make sure it did not get deep enough to harm the fiber. Most likely everything will be a okay, but it is a pain to worry about every time it might get a rock chip or other good ding. Therefore my next road bike is going to be titanium when I can afford to buy or build one.

evblazer

Hmm... Double your distance what a sweet claim. On a bike I just picked up the ad copy said:
"Think of a long ride and double it. That’s how far you’ll be going in your first week "
Not even double your distance but double the distance of uh any long ride you can think of? RAAM x2 in one week anyone

But it is true perhaps sometimes depending on how long a ride you have been on. If you drop a ton of money on a carbon bike and your longest ride is 10 or 20 miles you'll be doing 20 or 40 miles just to show you didn't unwisely spend that money

kache_98

BS. Probably more like doubling his commission.

The_D

I never liked Al bikes and have done most of my riding on steel, Ti and CF. That said, nothing except more riding has ever doubled my mileage. And even for me, Al was fine in crits, (even though I was crap in crits).

If you are presently stopping your rides due to discomfort, and are wanting to give LBS the benefit of the doubt, maybe he just meant, "opportunity to double your mileage."

If not, it's BS.

Missbumble 

I say if you like the bike - get a different salesman. You need someone that KNOWS bicycling... and if everyone hear says BS - why not get a salessman who won't BS you. Lot's of people love that bike! Have fun....