[Closed] New road bike - Alu or Carbon? - Same componentry

If I was giving advice to someone, I'd say the alu frame is the one to go for. Yet, I suspect if I was buying I'd go carbon. I'm not sure why and I know this doesn't help!

I'm looking at The 2016 Defy and wondering why I would buy the carbon 105 equipped bike when the aluminium with the same kit is likely to be around £400 cheaper if they are going to keep it at The £1000 mark.

On looks I'd go for alloy one and I'd bet it's lighter * 🙂

*possibly 😉

Personally, I'd get the carbon model out of those two. If for no other reason than the cables are internally routed.

The carbon one looks nicer,definitely the one I'd go for.

know these lightweight Alu frames are very very good

These ones in particular or in general? If you mean in general, then they can be very very good, or they can be harsh and a bit crap. Carbon is similar in that is can be great, or a bit shit.

FWIW I'd probably go for the carbon one, just because it looks nicer.

I'm glad most of us seem to be a slave to looks, the carbon does look better. Most seem to be sharing my thoughts. Heart over head (wallet) on this one.

Internal cable routing is shit.

If those weights are to be believed (+20% is not uncommon for mfr specd weights) boyhe are incredible value.

Aluminium. For no reason other than I have a canyon ultimate slx AL road bike and a giant defy 0 and they are both lush

Buy the metal one. The plastic one has a saddle pointing nose down and that is surely a bad omen.

Personally, I'd get the carbon model out of those two. If for no other reason than the cables are internally routed.

For an easier life I would do the opposite buy the aluminium one, buy some nice riding kit with the £200 you save...

Carbon every time.

Warning uninformed internet opinion

That Al bike doesn't look one that has been carefully engineered to make it stiff in some place bandy in other

At least the carbon one the top tubes gets flattened

But maybe its all just babble and no frame really has enough vertical flex flex to matter

Only concern I would have is that if they're speccing that level of componentry, they're saving money somewhere and that'll be the frames. Cheap carbon frames tend to be "Off the peg" from Taiwan or China (see PlanetX) and the quality often leaves a lot to be desired. I'd go for the alloy frame.

That said, if I was you I'd buy the alu Radon and at the same time get a T2 frame from Kinesis which is - pound for pound - one of the best value alu frames you can buy. Then I'd swap everything from the Radon and you'll have a properly superb bike that will kick the cojones out of either the carbon or alu Radon every day of the week..

A Giant / Cannondale from Paul's or a Scott from Westbrook is what I'd spend my mail-order cash on

I bought a Cube Agree Pro GTC (2013) in March 2014 for £930 off CRC (was £1400) - not kitted out as nicely as the Radons. Not a like-for-like comparison but the quality of the ride between my previous alu Airborne Thunderbolt and the Cube was night and day - the carbon Cube filters out so much road chatter/noise....not sure if that helps 😉

A good alloy frame beats a cheap carbon frame every day of the week.

A good alloy frame beats a [s]cheap[/s] [b]poor quality[/b] carbon frame every day of the week.

FTFY. Unless anyone here's ridden both frame we have no idea of how good either frame it.

You might get lucky anyway; what about all those people that bought Ribbles which actually turned out to be De Rosas!

Seems to be a 50/50 tie on opinion which hasn't helped. I'll have a week on holiday and then make my decision. Probably going to be carbon, never had a carbon bike so seems like an opportunity to try.

I'd prob go alu. Greater risk that the carbon frame at that price is a dog.

Personally, I'd get the carbon model out of those two. If for no other reason than the cables are internally routed.

Right up until it's time to re-fit the cables. I built my Mason at the weekend, and whilst the hidden cables look great, fitting them is a PITA compared with external routing.

Internal cable routing is shit.

I have road bikes with both, and the external cables need replacing more frequently. So for me, external routing not only looks crap, but needs more maintenance and is more likely to get snagged in work stands and on bike racks.

cynic-al - Member
Internal cable routing is shit.

100% agree.

Internal cables are a nuisance to thread through and keep lubed and clean.
Outer cables every time given the choice.
I change cables on winter bike every couple of years or so ... the bike with internal cables after a handful of wet rides!!

I've just went from a cheap carbon frame (Ribble) to a top end alu one (Kinesis Aithein) and it's a lot better than the carbon one it replaced. I certainly don't feel the same road buzz through the saddle on the Aithein as I did on the Ribble and that's with the same wheels/group set etc as was on the Ribble. Only upgrade was a carbon post for the new bike.

You're spending THAT much on a bike without so much as sitting on it or test-riding one? 😕

And?

My £2k road bike and substantially more expensive mtb were both bought like that.

Test rides show you 10% of f--- all IMHO, unless you get to change everything to suit/fit it's no more useful than looking at a geo chart.

m360 - Member

You're spending THAT much on a bike without so much as sitting on it or test-riding one?

You mean I'm not paying much more to buy a lower spec bike from an LBS just because I can put my leg over it? I'll take my chances thanks, as CTM says surely a geo chart says all you need to know.

Given an option of a demo on a potential new buy would be good, but not always available.

As Snownrock points out. Spending an hour or so going through geometry of new bike, and comparing it to existing bike, is well worth doing to save you a suitcase full of money compared to LBS prices.

as CTM says surely a geo chart says all you need to know.

Why did the op post this thread then?

I guess I'm the odd one out then, but I like to see how something like a bike "feels" when buying it. Each to their own though, but no way the geometry can tell me how stiff or compliant a frame is etc.

On paper a For Mondeo and Audi A6 may look the same, but both drive very differently and you wouldn't know that without a test drive.

Each to their own though 🙂

Once you've gone black, there's no going back...

If you can afford the extra then why not carbon. what do you want to ride? I suspect that the alloy frame may be stiffer (tube diameters) which will make for a nice race bike, and that the carbon may be more forgiving on harsh roads. Carbon bars and stem on an alloy frame make a big difference and account for a lot of the perceived difference, particularly for 27.2 seatposts.

As for that Defy - the £400 increase for 105 is actually good deal because Giand discontinued their "Composite" range of budget carbon and lowered the price on the Advanced (i.e., very nice) carbon. The Very very nice Advanced SL carbon is still expensive. I'd buy the carbon defy with 105 every time.

Material generalisation tastic.

Because sitting on a bike or a brief test ride won't be enough for you to tell the differences between frames, you need to spend time on a correctly adjusted bike to eliminate other variables. And the OP thought maybe someone had done this and could benefit from their experiences?

I didn't intend my OP to prompt a discussion on mail order vs LBS for the nth time. I simply wanted peoples experiences on Alu vs Carbon at this price point, thanks for those that have provided that.

I'm also considering one of the Radon biles so I'd be real interested to see what you think when you get it.

I'm thinking Alu rather than Carbon because it's less likely to be destroyed when a bike monkey gets overzealous with his wrenches.

The Alu bikes are remarkably light, I wonder how accurate those published weights are. Can't find any UK reviews on any model.

I'm thinking Alu rather than Carbon because it's less likely to be destroyed when a bike monkey gets overzealous with his wrenches.

Personally I would have thought the reverse is true. If you drop a spanner say on a carbon frame it will generally just bounce off. Try that with a lightweight aluminium frame and you will usually end up with a hefty dent.

My guess is he was referring to correct torque? I guess you can worry about your frame being dented by a tool being dropped on your frame, some folk worry about lizards running the world.

crashtestmonkey - Member
Because sitting on a bike or a brief test ride won't be enough for you to tell the differences between frames,

Was it you that said you didn't truly know a bike until you'd owned and ridden it for thousands of miles on a recent thread?

Sorry, I disagree, even a brief test ride tells you a huge amount about how a bike rides/handles - it's easy to tell the difference between 2 bikes (if there are there).

Again, back to the original point.

Another note on the Radon Bikes, with the way the Euro is going the bike is getting about £9 cheaper per day at the moment.

THe headtube looks quite short on those Radons; are you sure you won't be better of with an Endurance bike?

They're pretty much the same geo as my current Giant Defy which I'm very comfortable on. I have tried a Giant TCR in the same size which has a longer TT and felt a little stretched out. I'm happy with the sportive geometry.

Review of the Carbon Spire (In German) [url= http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.roadbike.de/rennraeder/test-radon-spire-7-0.1358070.9.htm&prev=search ]Link[/url]

TBH at the sort of level people like us are operating at, which ever one of those bikes makes you want to own and ride it...that's be the one to choose.

They're pretty much the same geo as my current Giant Defy which I'm very comfortable on

Are you sure? I thought the Defy was a sportive bike?

THe headtube looks quite short on those Radons; are you sure you won't be better of with an Endurance bike?

I'd assumed that spacers could be added or the stem replaced to get a more endurance position.

Found the mfrs website [url= http://www.radon-bikes.de/en/ ]http://www.radon-bikes.de/en/[/url] where there are plenty of reviews in german

the weight of that alloy one looks iffy ..6.95kg!!? My Canyon CF has a claimed (and actual weight) of exactly that

It has exactly the same wheels, groupo etc , but mine has a frame weighing 950g. I'm dubious as to whether an alloy frame can be anywhere near that weight, especially not at that price.

6.95kg is for a 53cm frame. The 56cm frame itself is 1,170 grams

Review suggests the 58cm Carbon is 7.4kg

What do you a want from your new bike that your alloy Defy does not offer? Weight? (not so hard to achieve) Stiffness (will depend on the tube diameters and carbon layup)? Better components? (Easy upgrade). Exclusivity (Need lots of cash!)

Whilst the Defy has "sportive" geometry, it's a very nice blend of race, endurance and comfort. Of course the headtube is a little longer than a classic race bike - but only about a cm. The steering is half a degree slacker than a TCR, but you will not notice. The bike is much less of a sportive compromise than equivalent offerings from Specialized and Cannondale which have very long headtubes. Ask Mr Degenkolb what he thinks of his Defy#.

I'd personally recommend the Carbon Defy Advanced with 105 and save for some shiny lighter bits. That frame was £1500 and Bike of the Year in 2013. Great bikes do not stop being great just because they are running 105 - read Ultegra 6700 with better shifting.

#Or me, we have an alloy Defy and a carbon Advanced SL. They are both great. Also have other alloy and carbon race bikes to compare.

TiRed, not quite sure what point you were trying to make. Why would I buy a more expensive, lower spec'd and heavier bike (Defy Advanced) than the ones I identified in my OP. I have already reviewed the potential alternatives and decided on the Radon(s). I already have a defy so am aware of their virtues.

My point was the first "What do you want from your new bike that your alloy Defy does not offer?".

And will frame material deliver that? (maybe, maybe not). But there are many other factors to consider. And if you are pleased with the virtues of one bike (geometry for example), then you will always compared your next to it. And you want it to compare favourably 😉

And based on the geometry of your two choices, Alloy. The carbon is either too slack or too steep depending on size.