HazeT

I'm an average joe looking for a road bike. I ride about 15-20 miles every morning and like going for long rides on the weekend, about 30 now but I want to be able to ride 50+ at the near future.
I've pretty much narrowed down my search to these bikes.

Roubaix Elite '11
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...01&scname=Road
Secteur Elite Apex '11
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...01&scname=Road
Synapse Carbon 6 APEX '11
https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...-Carbon-6-Apex
Synapse Alloy 5 105 '11
https://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...se-Alloy-5-105

I took them all for a short ride, and my favorite ride was the Roubaix/Secteur however I could not feel any difference between carbon/alloy in a short ride. The dealer have told me that carbon starts to shine after 40+ miles. is it true?
Do I expect to see a big difference after 40-50 miles or the difference is small? I'm a clyde so weight difference is neglected by the huge load on the bike
The price difference between the 2 is about 600 dollars. From the 3-5 miles test ride I would say Alloy would be a best deal for me since weight is not an issue and I didn't feel the difference. But I'm wondering on longer rides if I will regret my alloy decision and will want to go buy a carbon bike.

I appreciate any advice, I've been shopping for a while but still unsure if I should go for the $1800 roubaix or $1200 Secteur and use the difference to buy some winter ride cloths, new set of tires possible a saddle.

umd

I don't even know where to start.

But I think it's fair to say that you never "need" a carbon frame.

Seattle Forrest

Nobody really needs a carbon frame; they've been riding 100 years before the first one was made. But a handful of situations make them especially nice.

One is weight, like you noticed. If you're climbing hills, it's nice to drag less weight up with you. Now, realistically, the weight difference between those bikes won't be much, and you'll do better ( speed-wise, and money-wise ) by losing some weight. The physics are the same if it's 5 lbs of bike or 5 lbs of rider, when you climb hills. The same goes for cyclocross racing, where you sometimes have to pick your bike up and run with it. It sounds like you're not really willing to pay $600 for this. Another benefit is that carbon fiber can be molded into shapes that are harder to achieve with metal, like some crazy aero stuff, and certain handlebar configurations. You probably don't care about that, either.

But this might be a surprise: carbon fiber doesn't like to vibrate. This is why it's used for tripods. A carbon frame will smooth out some road buzz. It's not like having a shock absorber for low frequency bumps, but it dampens high freq vibrations. A carbon fork and steerer can get rid of this before it reaches your hands, arms, and shoulders; the rear triangle can shield your back a little. At the end of a long ride, I find that I feel a little better on my CF bike than I do on my alu bike. I'm pretty sure this is what the sales-person you talked to meant, especially since they said carbon shines after 40+ miles. The small vibrations can add up over time. Or, they can not; some people really don't care. Also, you can get a similar effect by running wider tires at lower pressure, although this slows you down some, and makes you work harder.

HazeT

Ok... when do I start thinking... oh boy I wish I had a carbon frame
Apex, Rival, Force, RED doesn't make any difference to my riding skills, to a matter of fact I rode the Synapse Hi-Mod RED and didn't notice a difference From my laps arounds the block aluminium looked as good as carbon. but I'm wondering as I start to put more miles I will start to actually feel that a carbon would perform better, something noticeable.

umd

Are you ever riding around now thinking "I really don't like my frame"?

That's when it may be worth thinking about alternatives.

Maybe don't worry about it unless it's a problem?

ciocc_cat

+1

hao

You "need" a carbon frame when someone is pointing a gun to your face and saying "you need a carbon frame".

HazeT

What is a long ride for you? and is the difference like: 1- I'm broken 2-I feel like riding another 100 miles now that I warmed up

Velo Gator

Now, because they are awesome.

HazeT

c'mon... I know you never NEED a carbon frame, that's why I've putted it on quotes...

umd

Haze, I think you are overthinking the magical qualities of carbon.

hao

Blasphemy. That's worse than saying ass.

LesterOfPuppets

I ride 100+ miles on steel on occasion. Wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
As a general rule of thumb, I'd probably take carbon over aluminum.

Shimagnolo

You realize you "need" a CF frame around the same time you realize you "need" a Corvette.

umd

I love my carbon bike. But people on this forum expect way too much out of their equipment.

And carbon is not automatically "better" than any other material like aluminum. It's what you do with the material.

Here is a little anecdote. A teammate crashed his bike, an aluminum Allez (it may have had carbon stays). I lent him my old TCR Composite to use while he worked out a crash replacement deal. After a week I asked him how the ride was, expecting him to like the "carbon ride", but he said that it was too stiff.

dnuzzomueller

Im in a sort of similar possition. Gonna start looking into new bikes and I am gonna see exactly how different that carbon feels....

achoo

And I was going to say, "Ask Eddie Merckx."

Unagidon

I rode a Giant OCR2 (think Defy 2) - aluminum frame for 1 year. I'm in Kansas and the road's suck - lots of chip and seal. Rode my 1st century on the OCR - fun, but "jarring" experience. Test rode a few carbon bikes...never looked back.

I know it's hard to tell the difference in the very beginning. Heck, I couldn't even tell whether I was overstretched or not when trying out different sizes, never mind the road feel or harshness vs. smoothness. And people will say the design has more to do with the ride than the frame, or tire pressure is another biggie. In my opinion, and I'm one with upgradeitis, just start with carbon - you'll probably save in the long run.

Why? Because even if you buy an aluminum frame, one day within the next 6 months, you'll go to a local bike shop just for the heck of hit, and put your legs over a carbon bike. By that time, you will have some miles on your aluminum and get to appreciate how it feels. 10 minutes after riding the carbon bike, you'll probably say to yourself "damn...shoulda started out with a carbon bike in the first place. Now I have the trouble of selling and losing money, then buying another bike."

My 2 cents. But I always tend to buy more than I need.

HazeT

When you are past 40 and divorced?

The Weak Link

You need a crabon fibre frame.

bellweatherman

OK, I'll bite. I think you ought to test ride a carbon frame. Some shops even allow you to mount your own pedals on there. You might be surprised. Carbon has a really different ride than a metal bike. Just try it. Some like it alot. Some don't.

Shimagnolo

Well, I've never been married, but I *have* been getting this crazy urge to order a custom Calfee to add to my stable of Al, Ti, and steel bikes.

HazeT

I did, I rode all 4 bikes I listed above and while I felt more confortable on the specs over the dale's, I didn't notice the magical powers of carbon. I felt that if any different, they were so subtle that my clyde weight and my casual rider profile probably overweighted it.
But damn I'm missing a bike.... I want to buy a new one no later then next weekend so I can enjoy the fall. Winter here suck.. constantly below 30, Some times below 0.
At least on those days you know you do NEED a roller/trainer

danvuquoc

You should buy a carbon bike when your wallet won't feel the difference.

sdgrannygear

Roadies like their toys. Do you need one to go far? nope, but you get the mental satisfaction of having a carbon fiber bike. Same with carbon aero wheels, do you need them to win a race? nope, but they look pretty darn cool on your bike.