got the option of trading in my aly road bike (Trek 1.5 with carbon fork) for a full carbon jobby (2013 Trek Madone 4.7) for about £1300, and on the bike to work scheme. trying to work out if it’s really worth it. sensible me says “no, don’t be an eejit, save the money”. Normal me says “oooooooo shiny…. buy buy buy”.

So what’s the difference likely to be you reckon?

No idea on how the models might differ but going from alu to carbon will certainly be a massive improvement. The most noticeable things for me were how much stiffer the frame felt, but in a good way. Power transfer was immensely improved and the difference in acceleration was tangible.

Next was how smooth the ride was, road chatter was significantly reduced, especially with carbon stem/bars/post.

I remember riding up a very gentle hill (long incline really) on my first ride (7 or so years ago) and feeling like the bike was sucking me up the hill.

If you’ve got the cash and ride enough to justify it then do it I would say.

Trek make decent carbon so you will feel a difference, I presume the groupset will shave some weight also. I don’t think you can compare tonyd’s very subjective experience – he hasn’t even said which bikes he used.

I don’t know that you can do trade ins or go over £1000 on BTW so am a little confused.

I recently “upgraded” an aluminium frame (px sl team) to a carbon one (pro-lite). The carbon one was marginally stiffer around the bottom bracket and slightly more compliant over rough roads. It depends what aluminium to what carbon frame you are doing.

For me it wasn’t a night and day change just a slight improvement in comfort and power transfer. I wouldn’t rule out going back to a aluminium frame in the future.

seeing Jonjonjons post, I went from carbon (speccy tarmac) back to alloy once (cervelo S1) and there was a difference – the alloy bike was quicker, stiffer and a lot more fun. I then went back to Carbon (cervelo S2) and that was even quicker, stiffer again and strangely bit more comfy. There’s more too it than material.

If you like your current bike I suspect ‘sensible you’ is probably right in terms of any measurable performance gain, although I’d guess the madone is a nicer bike than a midrange alloy frame like the 1.5.

If you’ve got £X to spend on bikes and you want to get the most out of it, you could buy some new wheels for half that money and your bike will feel new, spend the rest on two weeks in Mallorca next spring (family etc. allowing), and you’ll have some shiny shiny satisfaction AND go quicker next summer, with a lovely holiday thrown in…

I’d say that you will notice an improvement over your aluminium frame, a good combination of stiffness and ride quality.

FWIW I’ve just moved from alu to carbon – I lost 200gm only and gained a lot of stiffness, but probably lost some comfort (not ridden enough yet to tell).

Good alu is still very good.

The only way to tell is to have an extended test ride/period on the carbon and see if you prefer it. Carbon is NOT ‘better’ per se, there is far far far more to it than a simple ‘carbon is like this’ and ‘alu is like that’ statement. Carbon is not necessarily more compliant/lighter/stiffer/better etc… there is far more to it – design, how much material is used, composition of the materia. indeed simple stuff like geometry etc… may well have more of an impact on how two bikes ride than material.

try one!

thanks folks, good range of opinions, and as always the ‘try and see!’ argument comes up! unfortunately riding around the car park doesn’t really reveal too much!
aware that the C2W has a 1K limit, but bike shop happy to max out on that then I pay the balance, not sure how kosher that is…

I’ve been riding aluminium bikes for years and currently a Cannondale CAAD4. Am thinking about upgrading to a newer model, but whether to choose an CAAD10 or a carbon Supersix (or a carbon Bianchi) doesn’t seem like an easy choice. Tempted to go with what I know (aluminium) unless you (and more test rides) can convince me that carbon is really better

cant comment about frames but just got an ebay bargain pair of these for my alu caad8

http://road.cc/content/review/1216-shimano-rs80-wheelset

carbon laminated rims apparently. They are noticeably smoother and seem to absorb a lot more of the country lane surface chatter than the stock cannondale wheels that came with the bike.

interesting, what do the RS80s weigh?

You can tell a lot from a 5m spin around the block IMO.

carbon laminated rims apparently. They are noticeably smoother and seem to absorb a lot more of the country lane surface chatter than the stock cannondale wheels that came with the bike.

Not what I found. I found they were much stiffer and harsher and transmitted road noise quite a lot on 25mm tyres. That being said, the upside was they felt very nippy and made the bike feel like it was really on its toes compared to a handbuilt 32h mavic rim setup. Good wheels definitely, but for longer rides, I prefer the handbuilt option now.

I got my first road bike (a ’13 Trek 1.5) last year. 2 months ago I got a ’13 Madone 5.2.

Night. And. Day. So much faster/quicker, 6 lbs lighter, much less harsh on less than smooth roads.

Do it!

maybe it’s because the stock caad8 wheels were truly rubbish? longest ride on them so far with 23mm tires at 100 psi was 40 odd miles on exmoor and the only thing complaining was my thighs which i dont think was wheel related! I am only ten stone though, ive heard they aren’t well suited to bigger riders.

they are pretty light i think, the net said similar to mavic kysrium

Don’t know if it’s still the case, but the £1K limit is down to the employer. If they don’t have a consumer credit licence, the most they can lend you is £1K. If they do have one, they can go up to whatever you fancy.

No doubt someone will be along to correct me if this is wrong.

Edit: “Category B”

What is the maximum value bicycle and safety equipment package employees can select through the scheme?
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a group consumer credit licence to cover Employers implementing Cycle to Work Schemes that are limited at £1000 inc. VAT per Certificate. To view and download a copy of the licence please click here.

Employers who have their own Consumer Credit Licence Category B (consumer hire) can allow employees to request Certificates of a higher value. Alternatively, employers wishing to increase the Cycle to Work Certificate value can apply for their own individual Consumer Credit Licence from the Office of Fair Trading. For further details please contact our Helpdesk on info@cyclescheme.co.uk.

I got my first road bike (a ’13 Trek 1.5) last year. 2 months ago I got a ’13 Madone 5.2.

Night. And. Day. So much faster/quicker, 6 lbs lighter, much less harsh on less than smooth roads.

Do it!

thanks tom, thats what I was looking for 😉

Yeh, if you’ve got the money go for it!

It wont be any faster though.

So much faster/quicker, 6 lbs lighter

Hmmm. I think any bike that is 6lbs lighter is going to feel a lot better, steel, titanium, alloy or carbon?

Nice alloy is lighter and rides better than cheap carbon. Most of the benefits of moving to carbon can be achieved with a carbon seatpost, stem and bars. Wheels will make a bigger difference. Nice carbon however can be stiffer, will be lighter and may absorb more shock. I’m afraid nice carbon frames start at the £1K Bike to Work limit.

I ride top end carbon, alloy and steel. THey are all different and anyone would feel the difference. Geometry and fit are matched. But Son1’s CAAD8 with some decent wheels and a carbon seatpost is a truly fantastic alloy bike!

EDIT: asterix, the owner of 700C in Windsor has a CAAD10 and a supersix (same geometry). He says apart from a pound in weight, he can barely tell the difference when he’s on the bike. The CAAD10 is the best alloy frame available and trumps most carbon frames. The BB30 bottom bracket, however…

Thanks TiRed, I have heard nothing but good about the CAAD10 so my choice is getting closer:-)

RS80 C24s aren’t much lighter than ultegra wheels and are significantly more expensive, whether the CF laminate offers other advantages for the price I wouldn’t know. Shimano wheel weights include skewers which not all manufacturers do.

My CF Lapierre is an improvement over my ally (carbon forked) Orbea, but the noticeable difference is on handling. It seems to turn in more quickly but then feel more stable mid turn, whether that’s down to tapered steerer, material, frame stiffness, weight balance, geometry, set up (my position has become more head-down as I’ve got used to road riding) or any combination I couldn’t say.

Seeing it makes me want ride it, which is the key to any bike regardless of material.