Originally Posted by
pandabear
in performance, sorry. the ability to go faster. i don't really care about comfort. i'm going to assemble a new bike, and speed is what i'm looking at. my point is, is spending multi-thousands on a cf frame (someone antagonized cervelo's, but i think they are incredibly sexy) worth it? or is the money better spent on wheels and drivetrain?
Actually, I think the biggest performance benefit from carbon comes from a feature that many associate with comfort. The ride in a good carbon frame absorbs bumps incredibly well. On my steel bike (which I
used to think rode really nice), if I'm descending at 40-50mph through a sweeping turn, the washboard would skitter me out about an inch or two off my line. Disconcerting, and it slowed me down.
On my first ride on carbon, I was amazed at how it just absorbed the same bumps, and at higher speeds. Cornered on rails. Huge difference. Huge.
That said, I had just as many wins (4) on steel in 2008 as I did on carbon in 2009.