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#11
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 20:11:06 -0800, Mike wrote:
Thanks for the advice...interestingly, the stores seem convinced that the frame material is very important. But they are selling you something. They will convince you that aluminum sucks. Reason: aluminum is cheap. What else they try to convince you of depends on what they sell, and how far they think you'd go. The shop I went to yesterday wants me to road test 4 different bikes - all have similar components, wheels, etc - the difference is frame material - aluminum, aluminum compact geometry, carbon, carbon/steel...They think that I will be able to feel the difference of the frames in ride quality, acceleration, etc. This makes sense to me. How does it make sense? A frame is a rigid construction. How could it improve acceleration? This presumes you have bikes that fit and are equally equipped. My current bike is a cro-moly and I don't feel that it dampens out alot of the road vibration (which is why I bought it over an aluminum bike). So, you were sold a load of bugle oil (steel frames are "compliant" while still being stiff.....), and now you are listening to more. See above for why you were told aluminum would not dampen the vibrations. There is a secret way to dampen road vibrations. Get fatter tires. Inflate them to recommended pressure, which is a bit lower than for skinny tires. Best improvement in ride you can get. -- David L. Johnson __o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass. _`\(,_ | What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong (_)/ (_) | |
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#12
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
"David" wrote in message ...
"Ferenc Lovro" wrote in message om... Aluminium frames can also be repaired easier. Easier than composite frames? I've never repaired a CF frame, but I didn't think it was supposed to be too hard. If the aluminum is heat-treated, It's not hard to repair, all you have to do is to lay carbon fibre sheets and resin on the cracked part of the frame. but finding small cracks in layers invisible for the eye and laying carbon fibre _properly_ needs a bit of experience, which can still rarely be found today. when I said aluminium is easier to be repaired I ment that one may find more mechanics/technicians who can weld/repair aluminium than people who can safely repair carbon fibre. actually, my car's (fiero) body had a crack, and I needed to take it to a yacht-maker to fix it. ) ---- Another consideration for selecting a frame is the rider's weight. If I were overweighted, I definitely wouldn't choose a cf frame. Frank www.plitkorn.com |
#13
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
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#14
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 07:51:55 -0500, David Kerber
wrote: says... The shop I went to yesterday wants me to road test 4 different bikes - That's reasonable, but for a fair test, make sure they put the same tires and saddle on each one; otherwise those will have a far larger effect than the frame itself. More importantly, the same tire pressure, and the same geometry and fit. Maybe just have them use the same wheels, with tires already mounted and pumped, on all four bikes. That will help even it out a bit, although minor geometry differences... -- Rick Onanian |
#15
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
But they are selling you something. They will convince you that aluminum
sucks. Reason: aluminum is cheap. What else they try to convince you of depends on what they sell, and how far they think you'd go. Well that is a bit cynical. Most shops I have dealt with are pretty responsive and understanding about a person's budget and try to give them the most bang for the buck. I have also noted that if a person gets an appropriate bike, they might get hooked on the sport. In that case the happy customer will probably come back for a higher priced ride. |
#16
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
"David L. Johnson" wrote in message .. .
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 20:11:06 -0800, Mike wrote: Thanks for the advice...interestingly, the stores seem convinced that the frame material is very important. But they are selling you something. They will convince you that aluminum sucks. Reason: aluminum is cheap. What else they try to convince you of depends on what they sell, and how far they think you'd go. So I am not going to notice any ride quality differences? Why do people spend the big $$ for composite bikes? Is it merely a weight issue and they are trying to save weight for racing? The shop I went to yesterday wants me to road test 4 different bikes - all have similar components, wheels, etc - the difference is frame material - aluminum, aluminum compact geometry, carbon, carbon/steel...They think that I will be able to feel the difference of the frames in ride quality, acceleration, etc. This makes sense to me. How does it make sense? A frame is a rigid construction. How could it improve acceleration? This presumes you have bikes that fit and are equally equipped. The bike shop person was maintaining that he felt that his aluminum bike was more responsive and more nimble than a cro-moly or the steel/composite bikes. He said that when stand up in the pedals he could feel a difference. So in theory, if I am riding different frame material bikes all with the same components, I will not notice any difference? By the way, I am looking at bikes with Ultegra components so I should be o.k. on components... My current bike is a cro-moly and I don't feel that it dampens out alot of the road vibration (which is why I bought it over an aluminum bike). So, you were sold a load of bugle oil (steel frames are "compliant" while still being stiff.....), and now you are listening to more. See above for why you were told aluminum would not dampen the vibrations. There is a secret way to dampen road vibrations. Get fatter tires. Inflate them to recommended pressure, which is a bit lower than for skinny tires. Best improvement in ride you can get. When I bought my cro-moly bike back in 93, they said that it would be more comfortable for longer rides than an aluminum bike which let you "feel" the road. At the time, I didn't relaize the importance in components and got low end. |
#17
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
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#18
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
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#19
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, or comp/steel
On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 07:03:12 -0800, Mike wrote:
So I am not going to notice any ride quality differences? Why do people spend the big $$ for composite bikes? I sometimes wonder that. People spend big bucks for all kinds of things that make little functional difference. A cheap car gets you to the grocery store with the same level of efficiency and comfort as a luxury car, but people do still buy luxury cars. You would probably notice a difference between bikes with different frames. The effect of those differences is small. I*have a ti road bike, which I think is great. The nicest thing about the titanium is that it needs no paint. Is it merely a weight issue and they are trying to save weight for racing? Weight is overrated as a reason to go broke buying a bike. It's impressive to your friends, but to spend $1000 extra to lose a pound off the frame is an investment decision I would not make. The bike shop person was maintaining that he felt that his aluminum bike was more responsive and more nimble than a cro-moly or the steel/composite bikes. He said that when stand up in the pedals he could feel a difference. So in theory, if I am riding different frame material bikes all with the same components, I will not notice any difference? The more you pay, the more you notice, but that does not make the difference measurable. When I bought my cro-moly bike back in 93, they said that it would be more comfortable for longer rides than an aluminum bike which let you "feel" the road. At the time, I didn't relaize the importance in components and got low end. But the components certainly don't affect "road feel". As I said before, the biggest factor in riding comfort is the tires. -- David L. Johnson __o | A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by _`\(,_ | little statesmen and philosophers and divines. --Ralph Waldo (_)/ (_) | Emerson |
#20
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Need advice on road bike frame material - alum, composite, orcomp/steel
David L. Johnson wrote:
racing. I currently have 3 bikes that I ride regularly, a titanium road bike (Habanero), a steel track bike, and an aluminum mountain bike. How long have you had the Habanero? What do you like/dislike about it? I've considered one, but have been hesitant. Thanks, -=Dave=- |
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