Genshu

I test rode a carbon bike, and was totally seduced by the ride, and am ready to spend some money. My question is how useful is it for everyday kind of use and light touring? Found a thread on a site somewhere of a guy who was able to rig a rack on the back. It is something I would want to do. Thank you for any input.

Carbon Unit

Yes, I would wager that the majority of people on this forum have a carbon bike for their everyday riding. Road bikes don't typically have connection points to install a rack but you can attach a rack to the seatpost.

mattkime

haha??

maybe your every day riding is different from mine, but i have a simple commuter for simple needs. my nice road bike is for longer rides.

2ndGen

This is an interesting thread.
My related question would be, what kind of money is reasonable for a daily rider carbon bike?

I'd say somewhere in the $3,000. range.
The next tier of carbon bikes are all about bling.
But I think that $3,000.ish seems to be the sweetspot.

I'm talking SuperSix, Madone 5.X, etc...w/Ultegra grade components.

aboatguy

My commuter rig is a 2010 Kestrel Talon with 105 (best part is its a sub $2K bicycle new)


Seems to have held up so far.

Mike

neneboricua

Guess you guys are in a different league than I am. My bad weather training bike is also my commuter. It's is a 2008 Novara Divano. It's an aluminum road bike with a compact triple crank. It has extra clearance for full fenders and I've got it set up with a large frame pump, multiple lights, 25mm Conti Gatorskins. It weights almost 27lbs without water bottles and cost me $400 used on CL.

My everyday bike is a 2009 Fuji Team Pro. It's a race geometry carbon bike with full Ultegra. Cost me $1500 at Performance on year end close outs and after stacking a President's Day sale on top of a website sale they were having online that the local store honored. Would have been about $2300 normally.

I can only dream about a $3000 bike. Maybe one day!

Elvo

My carbon bike stays inside on the trainer all the time. If I need to ride somewhere, I just hop onto the steel framed toyota corolla and spin away.

Carbon Unit

My needs may be different. I don't commute but for several years was riding six days per week and I used a carbon road bike for it. Whether I ride 10 miles or 60, I use the same carbon bike.

androidtt

Just don't leave it alone for long...

Bacciagalupe

If "every day use" means training rides or a commute where you know you can secure the bike, sure. If it means "going to the supermarket to pick up some milk," that doesn't seem so hot -- not because of any inherent issues with carbon, but because CF bikes are spendy.

Carbon is not my first choice for touring, even light tours.

CF bikes tend to be aggressive. They don't have the right geometry to haul a lot of stuff around, can't handle wider tires, will be difficult to add fenders, and might not be upright enough. A handful of plush bikes might be better in these respects. You also have to be careful if you clamp anything to a CF frame; too much torque and you could damage the frame.

It's not impossible though. It's more feasible if you have someone hauling your gear to and fro, or if you use a trailer.

WHOOOSSHHH...

<<<<<<<<

reif

https://picasaweb.google.com/olli.pa...47105170035458

1600km loaded tour from Copenhagen to Zurich with an ebay carbon fiber road bike and 10€ panniers with DIY quick release-attachers.

WhyFi

Take a look at some of the more relaxed/long distance/compliant CF frames. Some frames, like the Jamis Xenith Endura, will take wider tires and have mount points for fenders/racks.

As previously mentioned, one of the things that takes away some of the 'every day,' appeal is the fact that carbon bikes tend to be attractive to thieves. Don't leave it out of sight for long. Otherwise, no worries.

WhyFi

Any "sweet spot," is dependent upon two thing - your needs and your wallet. Don't confuse your criteria with that of someone else.

guadzilla

A $2000 Planet-X, Pedal Force or Neuvation would probably do the trick just as well for daily riding, for the vast majority of people.

It is pretty much implied that the statement was subjective and his opinion, wouldnt you say?

2ndGen

I'd say that someone spending $2,000. on a "bicycle" is already investing a good deal of money on their hobby.
Today, there are a lot of GREAT bikes for just over half of that
(and aluminum framed bikes that are better than entry-level carbon bikes).

There was a very informative thread here about regarding the point of diminishing returns.
I believe the consensus (by those who know a whole lot more than me) was around 3 grand.
For that, you get a frameset that is barely below a manufacturer's top model,
a 2nd tier groupset (Ultegra/Force, etc...) and a very good wheelset.
In other words, a bike that really would offer the best value needing very little (relatively speaking) if any upgrading.

I see a lot of great bikes going for under $2,000. from excellent manufactures (like Cannondale's SuperSix 105 for example).
If I had the money, my daily rider would be a $3,000. carbon bike with Ultegra/Force.
Then, I'd have a nice "Sunday" ride (that would be significantly more expensive).

I personally try to buy as much as I can afford and would avoid anything
entry-level because of my condition (I have been diagnosed with upgraditis).
That would just end up costing me more.

My aluminum bike is $3,500., but that's maxed out in just about every way.

[BTW...my $750. Tiagra equipped CAAD9 beat the pants off of a full
Ultegra 6700 equipped Planet-X carbon bike in a Cycling Plus test. ]

WhyFi

If you can peruse any of his posts and find some evidence to suggest that he understands the subjective nature of "better," I'll give you a cookie.

Genshu

very nice do you have a ny pics of the rack without the bags?

guadzilla

Personally, I think there are 2 sweet spots, depending on which end of the price spectrum you are coming from - a lower-end one (where you pay a little more than entry-level but get a lot more for your buck), and a higher-end one (where you can pay a lot more and not get that much more in incremental benefits).

For a carbon bike, those figures are around $1500-2000 for the one, and $3000-3500 for the other... atleast for me. YMMV, obviously.

CAAD9 is indeed an excellent bike, no denying that.

Can I get a cookie anyway? I'm hungry and food delivery is late.

2ndGen

I agree with that.
As for the $3,000.ish bike, one definitely gets a lot of bike for that money.
This is where I feel the point of diminishing returns begins.
After that, it's weight and exotic material or features that one buys from what I've seen.

reif

Yes, here.

WhyFi

It would have to be chocked full of preservatives to not be stale by the time is gets to you. You don't want a cookie chocked full of preservatives, but I'll be happy to raise a cookie in your honor - cheers!

digibud

If you want a rig on the back then look very closely at the frame you are going to use. If this is specifically for light touring I would look for a frame with braze-ons for a rack. It will ensure the bike is reasonably OK for light touring. Many carbon frames will only take 25c or 27c wheels which might be a bit harsh for touring. A small crash with a load on a rack could do real harm to a bike that is not made for touring which a rack was kludged on. I personally think a good steel frame would be better for any kind of touring but have never looked at carbon frames for touring. I would proceed with great caution because any kind of loaded touring can result in occasional torques to the frame from the load.

cervelo4me

your dead on my 2011 cervelo r3 was 3000.00 plus tax

2ndGen

Is that is? https://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2011/R3/