Originally Posted by TealLA

I have a CAAD9 with a 105 groupset. I bought this bike last June and I've ridden about 1,500 miles in the last 12 months. I think I'm falling in love with cycling all over again. The high I get after a ride is proving more powerful than I ever remembered. I have been riding since I was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania. I lived in the country so a bike was my first real form of transportation, but after turning 16 and getting my Drivers License, chasing girls was way more important.

I really like the CAAD, but it's somewhat entry level - as am I - and I really crave the cooler looking Carbon bikes with the flashy groupsets. My plan for the next 12 months is to get more serious and ride 300-400 miles per month. I'm slowly learning more and more about road bikes - thanks to BF - as I was always into MTB's in the past.

My question is this. Is a Carbon bike that much "better" than what I have now? I've read that they are lighter and absorb bumps and road chatter better than Aluminum. What are the other benefits to Carbon? Also, most of the bikes I find myself drooling over are priced in the $5,000 range. A far cry from the $1,300 I spent on the CAAD. I know these bikes have lighter components and newer technology, but for a guy that doesn't plan on racing would I really benefit from switching to a more advanced bike?

Maybe I'm just getting the itch because on these group rides I see so many high end bikes it's ridiculous. Maybe I'm just jealous. LOL

Any input would be nice. Thanks.