I am looking to buy a bike from bikes direct and they some killer deal I have never had a Carbon Fram so I am wondering is there a big differnce in a full Carbon fram from one with just carbon stays i have a full aluminum fram now with carbon seat post and forks noticed a little diffence when i got the fork but not a lot so can somone help me out a little thanks

I personally have suspicions about bonding carbon to aluminum. It just doesn't feel right. My bikes are all steel or aluminum, though I do use a carbon fork (with carbon steerer). So many bikes have carbon stays these days that I'm sure it is done safely, but I doubt it would provide a significant difference in ride quality. My next bike may be carbon, but I'm not a fan of the carbon stays.

I personally have suspicions about bonding carbon to aluminum. It just doesn't feel right. My bikes are all steel or aluminum, though I do use a carbon fork (with carbon steerer). So many bikes have carbon stays these days that I'm sure it is done safely, but I doubt it would provide a significant difference in ride quality. My next bike may be carbon, but I'm not a fan of the carbon stays.


Two month old post but what the heck

Carbon stays are great. They are a nice 1/2 mark between the full CF frames and the AL frames. They take away quite a bit of road vibration, more than a carbon post. I can understand if you have some apprehension in getting a bike with CF-stays. When riding the stays tend to dampen the force that is applied to the pedals if you are in a hard climb. If you are used to having a very ridgid frame then its a little different but nothing major.