rray

I realize I can run a search on the endless debate of frame materials but here's my specific question.

I don't own a car. I have a steel road bike. (A Rivendell / Heron). A fine commuter. (A Breezer Uptown 8). I ride about 100 miles a week year round with most of the miles coming from the commute especially in the winter months. Most of those miles are solitary rides and speed is not my primary or even secondary goal.

Is there a need for a carbon fiber bike in my life? Will it significantly improve my riding enjoyment?

I'm not a curmudgeon but I'm definitely not a "collector". If I buy something it must increase variety and enjoyment.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Barrettscv 

I will always own a steel bike and I have also owned a titanium road bike.

I added a carbon fiber bike several months ago, I'm very happy with the ride and performance. I notice higher speeds and less fatigue than with my prior bikes. The Carbon fiber frame is far stiffer than any of my steel bikes, yet the ride quality is very good with filtered road feel that I like more than steel.

However, the gain in performance depends on many factors that have nothing to do with frame material. While my steel bikes are versatile enough for utility, commuting and gravel trails, the carbon fiber road bike is built for higher speeds and moderate distances on pavement without any load capacity. Narrow tires, lighter rims, aerodynamic fit all contribute to speed and sacrifice versatility.

The carbon fiber bike has helped with faster group rides and with fitness, it rewards increases in effort and I work harder. The more versatile steel bikes do not pick-up speed quickly once I break the 20 mph ceiling, but the carbon fiber bike will continue to pick-up speed and hold speed with better results above 20 mph.

I like having both and often take my steel bike out on solo rides. Milking my legs for speed on a daily basis is not the only reason why I cycle. I love exploring scenic places and will take a gravel path through a forest preserve over road riding anyday.

wobblyoldgeezer

Maybe I chanced on this first, so I get to express my preferences first!

As a teenager, I raced a bit on Reynolds 531 steel. Used the same bike for road racing, time trials, cyclo cross - not unusual at the time. Put a big Carrimore saddle bag on the same one to go touring too.

So, I have warm feelings about steel.

Bought a Specialized lugged steel 1990 bike, which has taken me London to Marseilles and back, Helsinki to Stockholm, London to Copenhagen, all over Oman, up and over Sonora Pass Calif to Nev

I still have warm feelings about steel

I bought a RockyMountain ST 50 - steel in the middle, carbon at the corners. I honestly can't imagine any benefit from any other material.

(However, and quite rightly, every enthusiast will voice the enthusiasm they have from thier choices)

big john

It's like anything else, only you can say whether you would enjoy it. If I say your Riv is a tank and you will fly on a 15 pound bike, will that matter?
If you see a bike you want and would enjoy having/riding, then get it. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

rray

I'm looking for personal experiences not validation. For instance, I never knew how enjoyable an internal rear hub was until I bought a commuting bike that had one. A short test ride on a carbon bike doesn't tell me much.

stapfam

N+1 is good. But it has to be right for you.

C.F. is not a wonder material and not all are a good ride. I have a good C.F. in my TCR-C but I also have a better one in Lightweight race spec and geometry Aluminium. Then there are the components and wheels being the main one. A good set of wheels will improve most bikes- providing they are suitable for the rider. The groupset does not always improve the ride but it will enhance the ridability of a bike. May be a bit heavier if a lower group is chosen or may be a bit slow on changing but all of them work. Same on gearing- Various connotations of gearing set up and providing it is not a compromise for you will not be a problem.

So next bike has to be researched. There are certain bikes around that have proved to be good for the use- such as The Specialised Roubaix but is it the right bike for you? I am currently researching CX bikes but it may be that I am a bit unusual. I want it as a "Do-it-All bike and it may not exist in standard form. I want it for Road use aswell as Off-road XC and gearing is not right on most of them. Found the quality and they do not seem to be set up as I want them. Looks like I may have to allow another few hundred to the price to get the bike I want.

So is a New bike on the cards and will it improve your ride? Dunno but look hard enough and you may find one- but test rides will prove if you have.

Lightingguy

I do my fast rides on a cheap Tomasso carbon, my hill rides on my Soma Smoothie (steel) and my commutes on my steel Miyata tourer. My Soma replaced a Heron that was too big with the Soma essentially replacing it. Each does different things with the Soma having 27mm tires and a triple, the carbon a double compact and tight cluster.

In truth, the Soma and Tomasso are a very similar ride, the carbon just goes faster with a bit less effort. But I would't commute on the carbon as it can't take a tire larger then 25mm and that's a key difference - tire sizing for utility.

Thus the only reason I could see you wanting a carbon, is for the fast group rides and want to keep a bike setup for that. In truth, it would be cheaper maybe, to get a good set of light wheels with 23mm tires and a tight cassette and use that in the Heron

rray

That's the answer I keep coming up with in my head. I just wondered if someone else has experienced something different. I'll probably try and rent / borrow a carbon bike for a full day ride and see for myself. The Orbea "Diem" looks interesting and relatively affordable. I might just be responding to another shiny object though.

NOS88

See if you can get a longer test ride somewhere. With that said, owning steel, titanium, and carbon all in the same basic configuration, I personally like the titanium ride better. It's not as light as the carbon, but lighter than the steel. It gives me a great road feel... once again a cross between the steel and carbon. It's as stiff as my carbon and much stiffer than my steel rides. Is there a carbon bike out there that might knock the titanium off the top of the list? I'm guessing so, but I don't feel any need to look for it. The fact that you're looking suggests to me that you really should try longer and more test rides on carbon.

ModeratedUser150120149

My first road bike was carbon fibre. Since I frequently travel to one area and it is cheaper to leave a bike there than rent I bought a second road bike. It is carbon fibre also.

I own carbon for one reason and one reason only. I rode bikes made from other materials on a chip coat road. Where I ride there is lots of chip coat. Carbon fibre was the most comfortable on the roads I ride.

Since then I've ridden these bikes on some really rough places. I've jumped curbs and drop offs up to nearly a foot. No problems.

All that to say: No you do not "need" a carbon fibre bike. If what you have is doing the job for you on the roads you ride there is no need to mess with success. But, if you just have a New Bike Itch check out carbon. See how it feels. If you like it buy it. If not don't. There is no mystery about the material, or any material for that matter. They all work. The only mystery is how you will like a specific bike and whether you will get passionate about it.

stapfam

Several points have come up-Quality does pay- but good wheels can transform a bike. I started on a Giant OCR and wasn't that enamoured with it. Put a decent set of handbuilt wheels on it and it transformed the bike. Everyone has given a good sign for comfort with C.F.--That is not always the case as I found out. I am happy with my C.F.Bike but prefer to ride the Aluminium one. Just what your body is used to but the main thing is the quality difference between a $5000 bike and a $2,500 one.

But one thing I did learn --Some of the big name bikes and some of the high end models are not for me. Mostly C.F. but some gave no feel- some shook me about too much and some were very flexible. I actually rode a top end Cannondale last week-not far but this was a Full race bike with top end equipment. Fit was near enough but 5 minutes on that bike and I handed it back to the owner. I felt every bump in the road but I could feel the frame flexing. Most disconcerting for someone that likes a bike to be stiff but smooth out the road.

StanSeven

Test rides between several bikes can tell you a whole lot - I mean long test rides like the better part of a day.

Several years ago I had the intention of buying a CF bike. I spent several months test riding various bikes (maybe close to two dozen) and ended up with Ti. More recently I got a CF and the ride was nothing like the first experience of eight years ago. The bike accelerates quicker, climbs easier, and just generally feels and handles quicker. Occassionally I get out my steel bike and ride it. It brings back old memories and also feels very comfortable.

Of the three materials, I like the CF for just going faster. the Ti for long century rides, and the steel for commuting and easy recovery rides.

The bikes all have similar wheels, similar saddles, similar forks, and very close geometries. So the difference I feel is in the material.

Bob Ross

(emphasis added)

No, absolutely not. There is no "need" for a carbon fiber bike in your life. Period, end of story. Anyone who tells you otherwise is certifiably insane.


Maybe...but if it does, I would contend that the reason it does cannot be directly ascribed to its carbon construction.

BluesDawg

Variety is the spice of life. I love my steel bikes. I love riding rigid framed mountain bikes, but I sure am glad that I took the plunge and bought a full suspension bike. I bought a carbon road bike just over a year ago and it has been a joy experiencing the new sensations of riding that bike. I don't need it, but I'm sure glad I have it. Glad I still have a steel bike, too. Life is short. No sense enforcing unnecessary limitations on yourself, unless that is what you enjoy.

david58

I am admittedly early on in my journey as a cyclist. I have an Al cyclocross bike (which also gets to commute) and an Al road bike. As long as I don't catch myself wanting to keep up with the Joneses, my road bike is really nice and very appropriate for me. I am looking now at the Surly LHT for a new commute rig, battling with the Trek touring bike. Both are steel. At this time, I simply don't feel like a CF bike would make me a happier cyclist. Maybe some day, but it appears that steel is next in line.

big john

Is a steel touring bike going to be a lot different than the 'cross bike? I toured on a steel Nishiki Seral and the Cannondale I have now is way better. It does have a steel fork.

david58

Maybe I am being overly influenced by the shop owner, but the touring bike would add some versatility. My goal is to free up the cross bike for cross, as soon as I can. The CX bike is a great commuter, but taking the rack etc off every time I want to go play cross is a pain. Plus the touring bike will work better with panniers, as I hit my feet on them on my cross bike. I'm uncertain about the bar end shifters, tho, so a test drive will be in order. However, if I had the free cash today, I'd buy one of those 2010 Fuji Cross Comps and never look back.

big john

Bar end shifters are fine, you get used to them quickly. Mine aren't even indexing.

zacster

I first rode a carbon fiber bike about 6 years ago in a test ride, a Giant TCR C2. I bought a different CF bike a few months later, the Kuota Kharma. After riding that first CF bike I could no longer ride my steel bikes and be happy riding them, they just felt like lead by comparison. One was custom built for me by Bill Davidson out in Seattle, the other was Italian Steel, with a full Campy SR setup. They were older, but both were high-end bike for their time. I also had added new Velomax Tempest wheels to the steel bikes, so old style 36 spoke wheels weren't the issue.

Some say CF feels "dead" on the road. I just find it more comfortable and less jarring. CF just climbs better. It feels faster. Some would say that's nonsense, the difference in weight isn't enough to make one faster than the other. Let them say what they want.

I still ride the steel bikes, at least the Italian one (the Davidson is in my son's hands, although he was supposed to get the Zilioli and I was to keep the Davidson.) But I do that as a ride in the park as a show bike. It gets comments. I have come to appreciate the quality of a steel ride. When I want to really ride though, the Kuota is the one I use.

lhbernhardt

I've ridden steel, Al, Ti, and carbon bikes over the past 40 years. I raced a carbon fiber Trek, which I still own but never ride now. I ride an Al track bike at the velodrome. I gave up on Ti after I broke three of them. But the bike I use most is a steel fixed gear Rodriguez built by Dennis Bushnell at R&E in Seattle. I use it for everything, from commuting to work to Paris-Brest-Paris to just riding. I find that steel gives a more interesting ride - it vibrates underneath you. Steel also doesn't transmit wierd sounds the way cf does (e.g., the phantom pedal bearing click). I feel much fresher after several hours on steel (but this could just as well be due to being forced to spin one small gear all the time).

The Rodriguez does have a carbon fork, though. And in summer it gets carbon handlebars and seatpost. But one advantage of steel is that it can be repaired if it ever breaks. A steel frame should last forever. And in this where I'm somewhat at odds with the rest of this group; I'm pretty much an n+0 guy. Most folks here seems to be in favor of n+1.

One thing you need to be careful of when comparing bikes is that replacing the chain makes a huge difference in how a bike handles. Before you compare your existing bike against some other show-room bicycle, try replacing the chain (and cogs if required). You will be amazed by how the bike just jumps when you start pedaling.

Luis