Blackjack

I'm about to get a new roadbike, probably a Cannondale CAAD 5 frame, but one thing that I'm nervous about is I hear a lot of people talk about how riding an aluminum bike beats them up over time.

I'd like to go as light as I can (tubular tires etc.) but would I be better off getting a steel bike? I eventually plan to ride 20-30 miles at a time and build from there.

siclmn

Yes they are on the bottom of the list for comfort. If you only ride short rides like 25 miles or less you may never care what you are riding. The harsh ride of aluminum will show it's face as you ride on longer rides. I have been there and done that on a Klein. Don't buy something just because it is beautiful.

khuon

Having never spent a lot of time on an Al frame, I can't say. I don't particularly like the feel of the ones I tried. I used to ride steel... now riding CF for both my RB and MTB. I do wonder about the "harshness" reputation of Al myself. Are all Al bikes like that? Surely someone out there has produced an Al frame that's a bit more compliant. There's quite a variety in Al materials I've seen. They don't all behave the same do they. Even if they are all harsh frames, couldn't you make up or that with the proper selection of wheels and fork?

pokey

Some people love them and even swear they ride as good as steel.Tell them it's B.S. and they go ballistic.If you are big and or heavy they may not be so bad.Some lightweights swear they are great tho,so who knows.Spend enough money and the aluminum ride can get better.Therory says it can never be a good as steel.Some aluminum is better than others.You got to try them and decide.Get CF.Light,decent ride.Do'n buy the B.S. about it being fragile.Some steel(expensive) can be pretty light too. Same for Ti. Now you have too many choices.Hee,Hee.

Joe Gardner

I love the feel of my Klien Quantum Race. It maybe more harsh then most steel, titanium and CF bikes, however I don�t have any problems putting 150+ miles on my bike a week. The tradeoffs for a light bike, and a stiff bottom bracket are enough for me.

That said, I have put on a Selle Italia ProLink TransAm Ti Saddle, it cuts out all but the worst road buzz. I have also double taped my bars, as i have large hands, i also noticed this help cut out any road buzz.

Will your LBS let you take the bike out for a 20+ mile ride? Go try the bike yourself.

Blackjack

They might, they have a saturday morning group ride that's 30 miles long, I could give that a shot.

As for CF or titanium they are probably out of my price range: absolute ceiling of $1200. That leaves aluminum or steel.

siclmn

Listen carefully to any reply from a Klein owner. They will always say how the just love their bike and in the same breath they will tell you how they did something to cut out some road vibration. I will repeat again, do not buy something just for it's beauty.

Joe Gardner

BTW, i put the saddle on my Klein only after i had the same model on my mtn bike for over a year, my butt fit the saddle, and my hands didnt fit the bars. I only noticed the slight change in road buzz after the changes.

vovk25

I ride Al and I love it. It's no problem staying on the bike for longer periods of time (6 or so hours) and I have no double bar tape or special saddle.

And yes I did try a steel bike (it was a high quality Columbus frame) and it felt �soft�, I did not like it.

So don�t listen to the oldies that have grown up on steel and are therefor a bit emotionally attached to the steel!

BUY AN ALUMINUM BIKE!

caj808

My current road bike is steel and my next road bike is going to be steel. Having said that, I have heard (and it makes sense to me) that on good bikes ($1000+), the geometry and construction have more to do with how stiff/harsh a bike's ride is than the material.

Aluminum is actually a more compliant metal--that's why the tubes are always bigger. But I think a lot of cheep aluminum road bikes (<$1000) have poor design and so ride badly. It's like comparing a $200 steel frame mountain bike that weights 40lbs to a good tapered $1000+ steel frame bike. It's not the same beast.

I'd wager that manufactures design aluminum bikes to be more rigid because that's what people expect. Also, the fork and wheels are going to have a lot to do with how harsh the ride is. Even the tire pressure for chistsakes makes a big difference. I think a lot of the "harsh" talk is only subjectively perceived differences due to preconceived expectations. It's very difficult to do an objective test. I think the only thing to do is test ride a couple of bikes and pick the cheapest one that feels good to you.

If you're looking in the $1200 price range take a look at the Jamis Quest and the LeMond Alp D'Huez (sp?). There're both steel, around 20lbs with carbon forks and 105 components. Those are the two I'm trying to decide between, and they seem like awesome bikes for the money.

RacerX

For some reason, alot of people on this board are anti-aluminum. Maybe because it is so common or because steel has come back in vogue, I don't know.
What is a long ride anyway? 6 hours on the road is long and I've never felt uncomfortable on a C'dale. Specialized Festina M4--now that was a stiff frame! Yes, that thing became uncomfortable after 150km but even that was not unbearable or anything. Just wouldn't be my first choice for a 6 hour ride. You plan on 20-30 miles so I would say BUY ALUMINUM. Enjoy the benefits of a responsive, lightweight frame.

What I do know is that the CAAD 5 is an awesome frame. There are no comfort issues and it is an excellent frame with ride qualities lesser companies wish they had. If you get the C'dale, I can promise you will never regret it.
Personally, I don't like carbon frames. The DeRosa King rides nice but that frame requires a king's ransom to own. I like the LOOK carbon with the diamond shape tubes-forgot the name of it but it rides nice. That's about it. All the other carbon bikes I've ridden are lame. All I can say is that alot of people will spend too much to be on Lance's bike.

pucci

The answer is really very simple and very complicated. Aluminum can be very harsh, but does not have to be. It all depends on the design of the frame.

I ride a Cinelli Aliante made of Columbus Altec2 tubing. The BB is overbuilt for lateral stiffness and the seatstays have an S-bend to take up road shock. The S-bend steel (Columbus Genius tubing) takes up even more shock.

I can ride 200+km on this bike without feeling that it is beating me up. On the other hand, a friend of mine rides aluminum Coppi K2 in about the same size. It�fs an absolute boneshaker but also an expensive bike.

I like aluminum with a steel or carbon fork but if you are really worried about a harsh ride, choose your frame carefully based on test rides and reviews. Otherwise go with steel or carbon.

pucci

The answer is really very simple and very complicated. Aluminum can be very harsh, but does not have to be. It all depends on the design of the frame.

I ride a Cinelli Aliante made of Columbus Altec2 tubing. The BB is overbuilt for lateral stiffness and the seatstays have an S-bend to take up road shock. The S-bend steel fork (Columbus Genius tubing) takes up even more shock.

I can ride 200+km on this bike without feeling that it is beating me up. On the other hand, a friend of mine rides aluminum Coppi K2 in about the same size. It�fs an absolute boneshaker but also an expensive bike.

I like aluminum with a steel or carbon fork but if you are really worried about a harsh ride, choose your frame carefully based on test rides and reviews. Otherwise go with steel or carbon.

roadbuzz

Indeed!

iamsparticus

Before you buy that Dale' checkout the Eddy Merckx 'Team SC' Im pretty sure it has carbon chain stays instead of the carbon seat stays that a lot of manufactures are using. Also his bikes have what is called Relaxed Geometry which means a little more slack in the seat tube angle. Also, think about where these bikes are built(Belgium) and the type of roads they are ridden on(cobbles). His website is www.eddymerckx.com

knifun

Greetings,
If you are going on short 20-30 miles rides, as you can see from the replies, it really doesn't matter. If your objective is to ride with friends, then comfort is king! If you are going to race, the lighter bikes have the advantage. Races in the US are usually fairly short crit's compared to longer stage races in Europe. If you want to go on fast training rides with a local club, then the lighter bike (Al or CF) is the way to go. Some of the manufacturers have gone to a CF rear to help with the harshness. I have also heard that the CAAD 5, 6, 7 are very harsh due to the all Aluminum composition. There are many high quality and fairly light steel bikes, even DeRosa has them for just about $1,000. As seen in a couple of the above posts, wheels and saddles make a difference. When you purchase the bike, make all of your swapping and changes with the dealer at that time. Take off the stock wheels and get a good set of "new-style" Shimano DuraAce (or equivalent), or Mavic SSC SL. This will help lighten the bike up as well.

MediaCreations 

I rode 4000 km across Australia in just over a month on an aluminium frame. I averaged 160km a day. Had a couple of days over 200km.

I had absolutely no problem with comfort.

The same frame will be doing 4300km from Perth to Hobart next year.

pokey

Well,RacerX I don't know if you have a Cannondale caad5 or just yak about it,but I have one and the ride really bites compared to nice steel.But it also maybe like, depends on alot of variables.

velocipedio

Like Pucci said... There's aluminum and then there's aluminum.

Mid-to-bottom-range and older aluminum frames tend to be very stiff and harsh. A top-end aluminum bike of a few years ago [say, a 1997 Cannondale] or a low-end bike from today [A Giant OCR3] will certainly have the ability and inclination to beat the hell out of you on long rides. On the other hand, there are a whole lot of top-end aluminum bikes today that ride very smoothly. Advances in materials and tube shaping have resulted in some very steel-like alunimum bikes. Look for specific tubesets; Columbus Starship will deliver a much nicer ride [all things being equal] than Columbus Altec or Zonal, and Easton Ultralite Taperwall 7005 will deliver a much nicer ride than earlier Easton 7005 tubes. Geometry has a lot to do with it, too. My GF's GT is made of 6061 tubes [which have a reputation for being very stiff and uncompromising] but the frame actually rides quite smoothly, ptobably due to the laid-back [very Belgian] geometry.

I hate to agree with RacerX, but the proof of the frame is in the riding and, even if you're not particularly an aluminum kinda guy, you do owe it yourself to try one to see what the difference is. Like he said, last year's Specialized M4 frame was a dentist's dream [shook your fillings loose]. It was the kind of bike you really wanted in a 50 km crit, but not on a century.

Aluminum has its benefits and drawbacks, like all frame materials, but a really top-flight aluminum is as great as a top-flight steel or Ti frame. I'm a steel guy myself, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at a DeRosa Merak.

BikingCT

Everyone has their own opinions....Ford or Chevy, Coke or Pepsi, BK or McD's, GU or Carb-Boom, etc., etc. It's all about personal preference. Try them all and see what YOU like.

Personally, I've been riding Aluminum for 4 years (CAAD 5 for the last year or so). I have absolutely no problem with comfort, ride, durability, etc.--whether on a 10 mile ride or an 80 mile ride. That said, to someone else's point, it may have something to do with size (I'm 6'4", 220 lbs)

ptmurphy

I bought a Cannondale R700 (CADD 5) about 6 weeks ago. I think you will love it. I don't notice it being anymore harsh than any other bike I have ridden. I think it is quite comfortable.

JustsayMo

In 1997 I broke my TREK OCLV frame (the aluminum bottom bracket sleeve seperated from the frame) and TREK replaced it gladly, bravo to TREK, excellent company.

While I was waiting for my new TREK frame to arrive I purchaced a CAD 3 Cannondale. I needed a bike and the C'dale was the only bike in the shop that fit me. I was skeptical and had a preconceived negative opinion about Aluminum bikes.

The Cannondale proved me wrong. It's a great bike. I've ridden it on several centuries, raced it and trained on it. It's still my "racing" bike. When it was all said and done, I sold the TREK when I got it back ... And kept the C'dale.


Vertical compliance in road bikes (non-suspension) is measured in thousanths of an inch. I'm certain that my tires 20 & 23 have many times absorbtion of even the most flexible frame has.

Buy the frame that fits you. Don't worry about the Material. Good bikes can be made in all materials.

Pat

Over the years, I have ridden quite a few Cannondales. In some ways my favorite was the Black Lightning. It was the stiffest bike that Bicycling Magazine ever measured. It was rumored that you could tell if a coin was heads or tails when you ran over it blindfolded (that was hyperbole). It did ride a bit rough but it was tremendously responsive. A few friends of mine rode it and they all thought it was a) harsh ride and b) worth it. I rode quite a few centuries on that bike too with no problem at all.

The CAAD5 is not as responsive as the old Black Lighting but it is pretty good. It also rides considerably better. According to Bicycling Magazine about 2 years ago, the differences in ride based on materials is getting far less pronounced. Engineers have learned how to compensate for materials. Still oversized aluminum tends to have a less compliant feel according to most folks but it has more stiffness than anything else. I am a heavy rider (190lbs when I am "light") and I like the stiffness.

I would suggest test riding a few of the competiting models and go with what you like.

daniel_cox

I have an older Cannondale and a new Trek - both aluminum frames. The Cannondale has a steel fork and is very stiff. You definitely can feel the road, but I rode a lot of long rides and several centuries on it. My Trek 2200 has a carbon fiber fork and a much smoother ride. I am very happy with this bike. It's very light and has a good ride.

Guillermo

One issue to consider that hasn't been mentioned is the fatigue limit of Al vs. steel and Ti. Some take it into consideration, some don't. That is a whole new thread though....