kmb

Anybody out there know how the Orbea Orca compares to the Trek Superlight or the Trek Madone 5.9? Also, how does the Cannondale Six 13 fit in with these? I am looking for a stiff, comfortable, light, fast bike that will last me a long time.

ed073

All the bikes you have listed fit your criteria.....depending on how you define "last a long time".

pogoman

its hard to determine the life of a bike for it all depends on care, crashes and good maintenance. I've had a Specialized carbon frame for over 7 years and its still in great condition.

Maj.Taylor

It was during a road race that an automobile somehow ended up on the race course, headed in the opposite direction of the race. The freaked out driver ended up charging through the pack of racers in front of us. Aside from a few riders' broken bones, all was well except for 2-3 carbon frames. Each looked as if it had exploded. The one damaged steel frame was easily enough repaired by "cold-setting" the bent tube. Needless to say the carbon frames became dumpster material. Granted, highly unusual circumstances, but enough to have me swear off carbon fiber forever. The stuff's just too fragile in crashes.

shokhead

Steel is great and i have one but the tubes are so thin to get them lighter that in a crash they are no better then anything else.

sydney

OH really?

shokhead

Really.

khuon

Maybe that's because all the carbon frames were up at the front and thus took the brunt of the impact hence saving major damage from happening to the steel bike. Flame on!

meb

In a significant crash the carbon fibers are ruptured-not repairable.
Aluminum bends with the metal thinning much more than steel on the outside of the bend as to weaken the metal at the bend beyond repair.

Steel does not thin as much on a single bend, it can be bent back much more than aluminum with only mild weakenning.

Gustaf

I dont see how this would make you write off carbon. Is your decision based entirely on the fix ability of steel?

ShinyBaldy

Yep - as steel frames get lighter - you can either

1) Smaller diameter tubing
2) Thinner walled-tubing while maintaing diameter (or even increasing)

the first would make the frame less stiff - the second method provides a way to maintain ride characteristics while reducing weight.

With alum it is the same issue - too small diameter ---> noodle and will be prone to fail quickly as alum has no fatigue resistance. Too thin wall tubing? And a small crash results in replacement.

At the ultralight range - this is where composites excel. You can make a composite frame stronger, stiffer, lighter and yet at the same time more resistant to crashing than alum or steel frames can be made at the sub 1 kilo range.

Nicco

LoL
Very funny
Back when I was very slow a large group of 20+ riders all went down after a water bottle was dropped
About5 frames were ruined. all Colnago all steel. A couple went dead into a curb and bent inward. (ouch)
A crash is a crash. I dont think material matters all that much ( Mitsibishi used a Carbon fIber drive shaft for one of its sports cars)
I don't think I would want a straightend frame from a major crash anyway.

Nicco

Waldo

You ought to also consider the Bianchi 928 carbon and 928 carbon lugged. I can't speak of the Orca, but the Bianchis blow the Treks away on ride quality.
You might also want to consider that pesky issue of which frame fits you best.

shokhead

Dont they also blow them away in price to?

shokhead

I've seen a 02 Cervelo Prodigy go head first at 18 mph into a chainlink fence. Didnt bend the handlebars,didnt even untrue the front Ritchey wheelset but it ripped the weld from the HT and TT and bent the TT and DT beyond repair.

sydney

That's just rotten baloney.Best not to count on anything in the ultera light range coming out of a a crash undamaged, not that CF can't be made light and stiff. Besides, few aluminum frames get to the sub kilo range,and probably none in steel. There are practical lower limits to both as dictated by material properties. Cdale has pushed the limits with it's caad7,but also gives a heads up about durability in the warranty disclaimer.

alanbikehouston

I have a bike with a carbon frame, and I won't ever sell it...it was as a wonderful gift from my now deceased parents. And, it is a nice looking bike that gets compliments from bike buffs. But, it gets ridden less than any of my steel framed bikes.

The fact that the total weight of my carbon bike is a couple pounds less than my steel bikes is not noticeable while riding, especially given each has wheels and tires of similar weight and quality. But, the carbon frame does not "soak up" road vibrations as well as the steel frames. Riding on the crummy roads of my decaying inner city neighborhood is not fun on my carbon bike.

Also, I am well aware of how brittle carbon frames are. A carbon fork will "snap" instantly under an impact that would, at most, slightly bend a steel fork. (And, the steel fork can often be repaired). When carbon suffers a "fatigue" failure, it fails instantly, not over a period of months, as does a steel frame. Not a problem for a "Pro" with a new bike waiting for him on top of the team van. A more serious problem for average folks. A "instant" frame failure can cause serious injury to your body, as well as to your bank account.

You may remember when Lance had a crash at the TdF near the top of a mountain stage. He may have been going only 10 mph at the time of impact. The crash was minor, and he hopped back on his bike. He had trouble getting the chain to mesh with his cogs...the right chainstay had cracked. A steel frame would have had, perhaps, a small dent in the same sort of crash. An easy repair.

I understand the reasons a "Pro" rider might prefer carbon. Lighter weight during a mountain stage. Free for the first bike. A free replacement in a few months (I have not heard of a single "Pro" riding a carbon frame that is more than one year old). But, for a "Joe Average" rider like me, a steel frame is still the best way to go.

jqnj

Am I the only one who does not base my decisions on frame materials by how they fare in a crash?

sydney

it's not something I ever worried about, and I have all materials,some of them very light. I figure bad sheot can happen in a crash with any material even old school heavy lugged steel. There are too many possible variations and senarios to make broad generlizations about 'crash durability'. If it worries you, don't ride. I got better things to worry about.

Gustaf

Thats because Iban Mayo ran over his bike.

There are trade offs for everything.

shokhead

Me,i've never seen a carbon fork snap even in a crash. Like said above,most stuff gets hurt in a bad enough crash. Me,i'd be a little worried riding any frame that had to be repaired after a crash. Dont crash and buy anything.

sydney

Covering defects in materials and workmanship.

jslopez

Did Orbea steal your candy as a child or something

barleyrocket

So...there I was driving into the garage with the trek 2300 with carbon forks (don't know which ones) and even rolling into the garage they didn't break. However they did snap when I couldn't figure out why I wasn't rolling into the garage the way I usually do, and stepped on the accell....bone cracking snap. Took alot of pressure on then to get them to crack. To me that said they had durability to spare for anything I might get into. Just my experiece. and Yes I still feel stupid about it.

sydney

Nope, that's just the way they all read. They don't cover durability for a lifetime.