PunkMartyr

I'm shopping for a carbon fiber road bike. I want a turn key job (no assembly and if possible no credit card needed etc, just pick it up from a store). I also would like something "cheap", cheap being $500 - ..

I saw this Schwinn but its not really carbon fiber, its "carbon fiber wrapped aluminum" and it weighs 32 lbs. Is there something full carbon fiber and closer to say 26 lbs out there for a same ballpark price?

Schwinn bike link
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5585799

kudude

no. no. no.

PunkMartyr

Hey I just saw the under $750 thread thats awesome. Kind of makes my thread semi obsolete but I have another question

If there are bikes in there weighing 22 lbs or less (for under $750), then dubya tee eff is the point of carbon fiber? Can carbon fiber go even way below weights like that? I had made an assumption that if the majority of pros are going carbon fiber that there is an obvious weight reason. What else could be the reason since they aren't more durable or aerodynamic as far as I know ?

marqueemoon

Noooooooo.

You can get a steel bike to under 22 pounds for not much dough if you know what to look for.

dmb2786

used. aluminum.

johnny99

Good road bike for $500 = used

tnor

Hmmm where to start. First there are a LOT of bikes less than 22 Lbs, thats actually a tank for a road bike. The legal limit for a race bike is 15 lbs, and there are many bikes that light or lighter. So to answer your question, yes there are MANY bikes under that 22 mark. Second, the benefit of carbon fiber other than weight savings is overall ride quality. Aluminum bikes have a tendency to vibrate, and are quite uncomfortable to ride. They are very rigid, yet not the most comfortable things. That's why most aluminum bikes have a carbon fiber fork. It helps to reduce that vibration. So a full carbon frame will ride much nicer than an aluminum version.

milchad

$500 might get you a decent frame.

roadiejorge 

That Schwinn was just wrong. For $500 I would focus on a used aluminum or steel road bike as you'll probably find something decent. CF is great but prices haven't dropped to the point where anything decent is going to be $500 though on e-Bay or Craig's List you never know but buyer beware. As the price range gets lower on CF bikes the weight gets higher, it's a trade off but not so bad if you're a recreational rider. If this is your first road bike then try and get a used steel bike because the ride quality of steel isn't bad at all and if you end up with an older aluminum bike, that might be harsher than steel.

Lucky07

Just look in the local papers & craigslist for a used bike. Test ride it. Make sure it fits.

kniprm

Come on Sandy, don't make me laugh.

scuzzo

Man.. Walmart Killed Schwinn... Reason 10001 To Hate The Mart.
End Of Line

JetWave

I brought a Gaint CFR3 used for less than $400.00 which is a carbon fiber frame, but the ride is nowhere near as comfortable than my 07' Trek 1600 SL & I don't know why.

Sirrobinofcoxly

If you are on a budget, then CF is not for you. Do not buy CF wrapped ALU, or everyone will laugh at you.

PunkMartyr

I appreciate the honesty

waterrockets 

CF is NO benefit without engineering and design. A cheap CF frame will be heavier than aluminum and have crappy dynamics and stiffness properties. To benefit from CF, you have to get light weight, and intentional dynamics. This requires a lot of design work, and increases the price of the frame. The value is not in the material, but in the implementation using the material.

CF-wrapped aluminum is purely cosmetic.

jsharr

I thought that the benefit of wrapping AL in CF was the increase in it's potential for spontaneous combustion and catastrophic failure.

Feathers

stick with high-quality steel and aluminum at the pricepoint you have suggested.
revisit the carbon fiber idea when you're ready to speak with folks at parlee, crumpton, seven, aegis, colnago, and pinarello, etc., etc.

Creakyknees

So let's just recap the benefits of carbon:
- it gets you a lot more complexity in evaluating whether a given frame is "good" or not
- it gets you at least 7 lbs weight savings off your bike, which is really cool since steel and alu frames weigh less than 5 lbs
- you get to pay a lot lot lot more!

No wonder CF is taking over the marketplace!

Asian Sensation

There are aluminum mountain bikes that weigh less than this

mustang1

Punk, dont buy a cheap low-end carbon fibre frame, it's not worth it. It's not just the frame weight that makes the difference. Components and wheels play a large part in a bike's weight also.

For example, I have an Al Allez. I went to the LBS and lifted up a low-end C Tarmac and it didn't seem that much lighter. The Tarmac's frame is actually very good, but the wheels it was supplied with aren't particularly light. The end result was there's no point me spending a bunch of money on a low-end Tarmac and consider it to be a big upgrade over my Allez.

If you're on a tight budget, consider a different material (Al for stiffness, steel for smoother ride) but get nicer wheels. You mentioned 26 lbs for a C bike which is (like the others say) a definite no no no.

Bontrager

Because there is no such thing as a Giant CFR3. Someone put a Giant sticker on a Walmart bike and sold it to you for $400

orcanova

https://www.rei.com/product/760863

up your price point a wee bit...

zacster

You can get a nice bike for $500, but not carbon fiber. You just have to watch ebay and craigslist and be ready to jump if something looks good. But be patient, scan listings for a few weeks, and get a sense of what sells and what doesn't and how much.

I did that last year looking for a bike for my daughter and found a Specialized Dolce Vita in her size for $569, brand new but sold as used. It still had the tags on it and was purchased and never ridden by the seller. The tires still had the bits from the mold on it. This is a women's specific model of the Allez with 105 parts, CF fork, and CF seatpost. It weighs a lot less than 26lbs, maybe around 20. The base model Dolce is $770 new, this is 2 steps up. This was a steal. Just be patient.

avmanansala

Performance Bike, Schwinn Fastback
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...estore_ID=1366

Yes its aluminum and not CF.