Originally Posted by
Fullforce
If anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it. I have been riding approximately 12 miles a day on a 12 year old Diamondback hybrid. I'm ready for a rode bike, and I have a budget of $2000 - $2500. My problem is that I will have to keep this bike for a long time. I have had a few wrecks on my hybrid, and nothing major has happened to my bike. What material frame should I get? Should I be wary of carbon and aluminum frames? Will they break if you fall? How long will they last?
Carbon fiber and aluminum frames manufactured nowadays are
very durable and can tolerate quite a bit of abuse. There are freak accidents that happen; a cheaper aluminum frame that I owned several years ago spontaneously sheared near the seat tube/down tube junction, for example. However, these are rare occurrences and should not be strongly considered when purchasing your next bike. I have seen cyclists on carbon fiber frames from the mid-90s, like the Kestrel 200Sci, Trek 5000 OCLV series, etc. that seem to be doing just fine, as well as several people on OLD aluminum bikes holding up nicely. A large disadvantage with carbon fiber is that it holds up very poorly when cracked, since they can cut right through the material much quicker than metals can. However, if you care for your bike, you should not have this issue, and if something does happen, most manufacturers have very nice warranty replacement programs.
With $2500, you can get a decent bike with a carbon-fiber frame, or a exceptionally well-equipped bike with an aluminum frame. Your choice of components depends on your level of riding and what you are looking to get out of it.
Hope this helps!