I slowly started doing my research for my next bike purchase. Looking for a more relaxed geometry and material that will easier absorb road irregularities than my current aluminum racing frame CAAD10.
Been really intrigued by the new Trek Domane but waiting to test ride one before I make a decision. I am not a racer and relatively new cyclist 3k miles last year and hoping to reach 5k miles this year. I am seeking for a more comfortable century bike preferably in Carbon or even titanium frame.
Not ever having a Carbon bike in the past I am a little reluctant to spend 4-5K on a bike that I might have to change in 4-5 years due to material fatigue. I personally know several friends that are still riding their C40, C50 and earlier carbon bikes that probably have over 100K miles on them without any issues and are not looking to replace them anytime soon.
On the other hand, I read here in the forums of so many cyclists having to replace relatively new frames due to cracks and material fatigue. I am just wondering if I should stick with titanium? I have ridden both and prefer the feel of the carbon bike slightly more than titanium.
By the way my hard core cyclist friends always tell me, " We all have titanium and steel frames but we all ride our carbon frames 99% of the time." "If carbon material was not tough enough why is Boeing using it on their new 787 passenger plane?".
I guess I am looking for some opinions/convincing as I do not want to make an uninformed bad purchase decision. Once I figure out what frame material I need I will start test riding different manufacturers. My budget is 4-5K and plan to keep the same bike for at least 10 years.
I really like my carbon bike. I had been riding steel but carbon really is completely different. I like the feel it's very comfortable. I ride about a 100 miles per week. Mostly flat work.
Material doesn't matter that much it's more about getting a bike that's designed for what you want. there are some carbon bikes designed for powerful sprinters who don't care about comfort that can make you loose a tooth filling. so it's not just about carbon, it's about design. one designed for comfort by a competent maker is sure to be super comfortable.....just like ti or steel. aluminum might be a slight exception. There are plenty of alu bikes that are fairly comfortable but I don't know of any that are true plush comfort bikes.
Not ever having a Carbon bike in the past I am a little reluctant to spend 4-5K on a bike that I might have to change in 4-5 years due to material fatigue. I personally know several friends that are still riding their C40, C50 and earlier carbon bikes that probably have over 100K miles on them without any issues and are not looking to replace them anytime soon.
There is absolutely no reason to worry about regular carbon frames fatiguing any more than any other material. None at all. For the Damone, on the other hand, I am not sure how long their rubber damper will last. Can that be replaced if necessary?
All I can say is, don't believe everything you read on the internet. For one, who knows how many of these frames have in fact been mishandled, crashed, or brutalized in some way. Second, you need to keep in mind that you typically don't see people coming in here posting a blurb about how their carbon frame is still going strong after 10 years, so the statistics are highly skewed towards people that have problems, for whatever reason. You also see people posting about cracks and fatigue for pretty much all possible frame materials.
Bottom line: If you like carbon better, then get a carbon bike. There are no objective reasons to avoid this material.
Not to make things too easy for you, however, be advised that geometry and other design details (plus saddle, handlebars, wheels, tires...) are more important than frame material with regard to how comfortable a bicycle feels. It is entirely possible to build, e.g., a titanium bike that you'll find a dream to ride, or a carbon one that's a b!tch...
Not to make things too easy for you, however, be advised that geometry and other design details (plus saddle, handlebars, wheels, tires...) are more important than frame material with regard to how comfortable a bicycle feels. It is entirely possible to build, e.g., a titanium bike that you'll find a dream to ride, or a carbon one that's a b!tch...
That is so true. I test rode a carbon bike that rode harsher than my CAAD10. I upgraded my wheels to A23 rims and went to 25mm tires and made a huge difference in handling and comfort.
It wasn't fatigue so much as impact resistance that I worried about. I worried that if I bought a high end carbon bicycle, it could be just too, too easy to fall and total it. I just didn't have the personal experience to evaluate the risk. But I really wanted to try a carbon bike, even if just to find what the hoopla is about. And since I'm 61 and only buy a bike every 38 years (I was still riding my 1974 steel Paramount), I figured this was my last chance.
My solution was to buy a rider on my homeowner's insurance policy to cover anything that happens to the bike. For a $6000 bike, I'm paying $396/year. This lets me enjoy the bike without having to worry I could get hit with a $4000 loss just doing something dumb. Insurance might not be a solution for everyone but it lets me sleep at night and focus on having fun.
I have all my offroad ATVs and motorcycles on an insurance rider too. For sure the new bike will be covered. I am like like you, already have too many things to worry about especially at work, and don't want my road bike to be one of them.
I'm in similar predicament, I like a relexed / compliant / dampened bike and yes would like Titanium. However, carbon manufacturing is very good these days, these not a lot wrong. I will buy a carbon bike soon, one with a longish chain stays, sloping seat tube 73deg, narrow or curved seat / chain stays, generally these make bike compliant. For my titanium option I will stick with my old columbus tubing bike, so another option spend less on carbon bike then also buy an classic roadie. As someone mentioned above you will probably ride your carbon bike anyhow
Individual bikes of any material may fatigue. In my experience, carbon is certainly no more prone to fatigue failure than any other material, and it is tough. Also, it used to be that a broken carbon frame was strictly garbage, but anymore you can send one off to Calfee or another reputable repair outfit and get it back good as new for far less than a new frame.
I don't know much about the Domane, and right now not many other people do either apart from what they've read on the internet. If I were you I would try out a few of the more relaxed geometry frames and see how they feel to you. The Specialized Roubaix, Cervelo RS and Felt Z series would be on my short list, but there are other good choices too.
I've had a Specialized Sequoia Elite for a couple of years and then last spring I bought a Specialized Roubaix SL2 and it really is a LOT nicer. I can't state that it's because it's a carbon bike or the geometry or ??? but I can tell you for a fact that it's "comfort level" is way higher than the older Sequoia. I've not crashed with it yet so I can't tell you what would happen there either. I'm older (55) and not a real experienced rider so I don't thrash the bike much, but so far I haven't had any kind of problems with the frame in just over a year now. Good Luck with your purchase!
(1st post, so sorry if it's a little rough)
Test ride a Specialize Roubaix and Cannondale Synapse. Perhaps when the lower end Domanes are available there will be a comparably equipped and priced model to these two bikes. Frame geometry makes a bike difference in feel. I test ride the Supersix and Synapse at the same time and the ride on the SS was harsh. I test ride a Madone 5.2, but can't really compare since the test ride was on smooth roads. I saw a Domane at the store today. It's a nice looking bike. I hate the look of the Roubaix with zertz inserts. The Domane looks like a real bike
I've recently converted over to a carbon frame (Tarmac SL3) after 20+ years on alu, steel & ti. I'm pretty amazed at the ride feel. Awesome power transfer but really comfortable over bumps. I was skeptical that the difference would be noticeable but it really is.
If you build it right, a carbon bike can be plenty strong and should equal a steel or aluminum bike. The video below is for carbon mountain bike frames much beefier than your typical road bike frame. If it comes from a trusted manufacturer, then you'll have no problems.
Goto youtube and search for "Pinkbike Visits The Santa Cruz Test Lab Video" I don't have enough posts to directly post a link yet. They make an all carbon downhill bike of course the frame weighs just over 9 lbs compared to the light 2 lbs or so road bike frames.
On the other hand, I read here in the forums of so many cyclists having to replace relatively new frames due to cracks and material fatigue. I am just wondering if I should stick with titanium?
I'll just make the point that you will almost ONLY hear about failures - as that is a reason to write something on a forum. Considering how many carbon bikes are out there, there are really very few comments on failures except in crashes, and carbon can be repaired.
I guess since this was thrown out there I'd relate some information regarding non-fail carbon experience. My dad has an 04 Trek 5200 with somewhere between 25-30k miles on it, no problems. He recently upgraded his entire component set because the old dura-ace on it finally wore out enough to validate that kind of overhaul. One of my bikes has taken a beating in the past year due to me getting into racing. I've hit ruts and potholes at speeds I thought would cause something to explode and nothing has (although my brain got rattled a bit a few times). Either way you look at it, every material has its failings. Don't let carbon horror stories deter you from making a purchase.
I love my carbon bike. I think the only reservation you should reasonably have about carbon is its mode of failure i.e. far from graceful. I trust that regular inspection while cleaning will forestall any incipient catastrophe.
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