On 8/29/2017 5:24 AM, Duane wrote:

This depends largely on what type of bikes you're talking about and
which manufacturer.Â* I can get a Specialized Tarmac Comp with 105 for
less than a steel bike with the same group.Â* In fact, my first CF bike
was a Tarmac Elite that I bought because the steel Marinoni I wanted
with the same Ultegra group was nearly twice the price.

I don't think the frame material is necessarily the defining factor in
bike prices these days.

I met an importer of CF frames recently, this company
http://taishansports.us/bike/. They supply frames to several smaller
name brand bicycle manufacturers, and CF components to some of the large
name brand bicycle manufacturers.

He said they wholesale the frames for around $200. This is significantly
more than the cost of an aluminum frame, which is sub $10. Of course
companies like Trek and Specialized and Giant are paying way less than
$200 for a CF frame. He said that there will be complete bicycles with
his company's frames, for $1500 or $1600 (Shimano 105 groupset). This
isn't bad, but if you look at bikesdirect, that's about the right price
for full carbon with 105, for an off-brand with basic components,
hydraulic discs, and basic wheels
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/centurypro-discbrake-roadbike.htm.
But only a one year warranty on the frame (wholesale replacement for 100
years, but their definition of "wholesale" is really retail.

So it's not the deciding factor, especially in a multi-thousand dollar
bicycle, but it's a factor. For name brand CF you're paying a lot of
extra money for the longer warranty, and the confidence that the big
names aren't selling poorly built frames.

The expensive frames are titanium, since it's more difficult to
fabricate the frame and the raw material is expensive. Steel bikes also
tend to be more expensive since they are no longer a mass market product.

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