What's Best For You?

What's Best For You?

Most carbon frame upgrades are born out of the common notion that lighter weight equals more fun and tend to mirror each other as long as it does not come at the expense of performance. However, there are some key parts that you may replace on your bike to reduce your carbon footprint while staying on top of your game. Are you ready to upgrade to a carbon frame? This informative article will talk to both sides of the spectrum about whether or not upgrading to a carbon frame from an aluminum bike is actually worth the extra cost. By the end of this article, you will have a good idea if a carbon fiber frame is for you.

Carbon fiber (carbon frames) are lightweight frames with a hollow interior, where the majority of the weight of the bike is placed. The material used for the skeleton of the frame is typically a hard metal, such as alloy or chrome molybdenum, which allows for the hollow carbon fibers to be perfectly light-weight without the internal stress of the design. In order to gain the light-weight benefit of a carbon frame, all the layers are treated with an electrostatic charge, which makes them much more brittle than traditional metal, and makes them much more susceptible to damages and impacts. However, the extra toughness helps to improve stability.

Unfortunately, this weakness also means that an aluminum frame is far more vulnerable to dents and dings. These kinds of blemishes are common, especially when someone is riding on their patio or somewhere that is not constructed very well. In order to prevent these kinds of blemishes, aluminum (and other metal) frames need to be treated with a dampening layer in order to prevent metal fatigue during an impact. Unfortunately, the strength of aluminum is far greater than carbon, so even a small dent in aluminum can cause a much larger crack than a dent in carbon. Dents in aluminum frame can be repaired, but it is much more difficult, and expensive, than repairs made for carbon frame.

So, what do you do if you already have a carbon fiber bike? You could go with handlebars made out of aluminum, since they're stronger and lighter than a carbon fiber handlebar. However, a lot of people prefer a durable, rugged steel handlebar for their road bike. One reason why handlebars are so popular is because they are more aerodynamic, reducing down-time (the time it takes to get from a stop to cruising speed). By buying a steel handle bar for your carbon frame, you will be losing some of those benefits, however. A steel bar is heavier than a carbon bar, so it may be harder to be as comfortable on your bicycle.

Aluminum is a great choice for mountain bikes. Mountain bikes are typically meant for off road riding, where the harshness of the environment is a key feature. However, if you're planning on riding backwoods roads and rides through brush, you'll want to stick with aluminum for your carbon frames.

In summary: carbon fiber, titanium, aluminum, and carbon-fiber all make great choices for mountain bikes. However, these are very broad categories and a lot of other criteria must be considered before you pick the right frame. A good frame comparison checklist can help you do this. In general, though, carbon fiber frames are a better choice than titanium frame for general use, but not as much as aluminum or steel frames. For extreme riders, especially, you should strongly consider getting a carbon fiber frame.