G'day,

FWIW...I s'pose depending on the state of the roads & how many Km you're planning on doing are probably the biggest issues. I've said it before, Crap composite frames are exactly that...not worth the potof resin they use on 'em. some of the poorer ones will flex under load, have poor finishes, not much thought given to geometries & have a '3 sizes fit all' philosphy. A 'good' a carbon frame rides a lot stiffer, (a lot closer to 531's beloved steel) will generally be available in 2cm sizes. The first thing you always notice is the geometry as well. As you know, i'm a rap for carbon....but the good ones cost a lot, particulary when coupled with a full carbon fork. Alu has a bad rep for harshness, which i don't necessarily agree with. They ARE stiff, but not so that you get off the bike & are uncomfortable. There are a number of ways to less'n the 'stiffness' of an Alu frame. 1st, make sure the bloody thing is set up right...good bike fit is an oft overlooked issue. I've seen plenty of peckerheads whinging about how uncomfortable their ALu frame is...then you see 'em riding it & they have a headstem thats too long, bars to low seat to low...crap wheels, rock hard seat & an Alu fork..no gloves etc etc....no bloody wonder. 2. A carbon fork, (full carbons better but an Alu steerer is still ok) carbon DOES reduce roadshock transmitted to the body...absolutely no doubt about it...with a 'harsh' alu frame they are a godsend. If you can score something with carbon seatstays &/or chainstays, so much the better. 3. get a saddle that you are happy with. Very few 'off the rack' bikes are gunna come with a quality saddle...check out a few until you find one you like...then buy 2! (for when the other wears out, in case they stop making it!).I train on my Alu all the time, maybe 20,000km a year as against 5,000 on the carbon. I've done 12' round the bays' (200+ km) on the Alu & probably another 20 200km rides in training on the alu, (a fair few non stop)....I've never got off the ALu & felt soreness that i could attribute directly to the type of frame...general fatigue , yes, but no direct Alu issues. Having said that, my 486 frame is an exceptionally comfortable ride & i do notice the lack of roadshock everytime I get on it...but crap carbon frames have more issues than 'cheaper' alu frames. You can 'dolly' up an alu frame, theres not much you can do with an ugly, flexie composite. Don't be turned off alu, at least until you've ridden some & made up your own mind. One of the issues with these forums is that blokes hand out opinions like they are gospel, based on their experience on 1 frame or 1 gruppo & that becomes the 'word'. You see threads where some bloke is 'hammering' all alu frames (or carbon or steel) & the next day he starts another thread saying 'I have $50, whats a good carbon fork to get"!!!!!...hello, peckerhead????!!....ride some Alu's & make up your own mind. Incidently, the best Alu frame I 'owned' was a cannonadale CAAD5....supposedly the stiffest alu frame ever....I never noticed it in 10,000 km!

Hitchy