The Cycling Thread

Yeah guess i'm asking about whether you'd use a carbon bike all year round.

I'm looking around at the moment and the Cannondale Supersix is on offer for £1400, but i'm worried about Carbon as an all round bike and also worried it might be too stiff. I cant get a test ride on one either. It kind of defeats the object of an LBS because I might as well use Halfords and buy another Boardman.

For me, the saddle to bar drop on the Boardman i've got currently is probably a bit too much. I cant get any more spacers underneath the stem and I dont spend a great deal of time on the drops due to the actual drop on the bike. Its probably there or thereabouts the right top tube size, but the bike is a small frame.

Doing around 100 miles a week so want something which is comfortable and soaks up the bumps as my current set up doesn't.

My main bike is a carbon and I use it all year round - just clean it well.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by robchester

Yeah guess i'm asking about whether you'd use a carbon bike all year round.

I'm looking around at the moment and the Cannondale Supersix is on offer for £1400, but i'm worried about Carbon as an all round bike and also worried it might be too stiff. I cant get a test ride on one either. It kind of defeats the object of an LBS because I might as well use Halfords and buy another Boardman.

For me, the saddle to bar drop on the Boardman i've got currently is probably a bit too much. I cant get any more spacers underneath the stem and I dont spend a great deal of time on the drops due to the actual drop on the bike. Its probably there or thereabouts the right top tube size, but the bike is a small frame.

Doing around 100 miles a week so want something which is comfortable and soaks up the bumps as my current set up doesn't.

Sounds like your Boardman is a size too small? My mate at work had Halfords sell him a bike thats too small, the handlebar - saddle distance is too big IMHO. Their training & formula are way out.

You can use carbon at year round, but the general consensus is that carbon frames don't have a long lifespan like steel.

But my carbon frame is the most comfortable bike I've ever had.

Mavi any idea how long roughly a carbon frame would last?

[maviczap]

No mate, there's a lot of factors that can affect the frames life. It won't rust like steel or fatigue like alu, but a big stone flicked up onto the frame could cause a fatal crack. Its fragile like that

But again the frame could last forever if treated well.

http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain/...me-735569.html

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by maviczap

But my carbon frame is the most comfortable bike I've ever had.

Ditto.

I've had steel, Alu, Alu main triangle with carbon rear stays and fork, magnesium, and now Carbon

Carbon, is light and responsive and where I ride the same roads alot I can compare the ride, steel & alu rattle my teeth where carbon glides over the road and its much smoother, it also takes less effort to drive the carbon bike over bad surfaces which is important on a long ride.

The thing with winter riding its the components that suffer as much or if not more than the frame does, so stuff like chains, chain rings, cassettes brakes, bearings etc all take a massive hammering from the rain, mud, salt etc etc.

Get a winter hack with full guards for winter or wet days and then keep the carbon for dry summer / spring and autum days.

I think its impossible to say how long the carbon will last, it is strong but its only designed to take load in certain directions so an off will destroy it. Also tings like stone chips etc as said will have an effect. To me these things are less important than the fact the carbon bike is so much nicer to ride.

The only thing you might want to consider is Ti frame if you want an all round bike that will give good ride comfort, but might not be suspectable to longevity issues like carbon bikes are. ( i'm basing this on what i have read on bikeradar )

Anyone interested in buying a reasonably priced Carbon Fi'zi:k Arione Team Liquigas saddle with the bolt thingys to attach the rails to seat post and the Fi'zi:k bag that clips in under the seat.

I'd be looking for about £90 posted for the lot.

[maviczap]

sorry it'd be a mismatch colour wise with my bike, do you have the fizik bag, or did i misread your post?

[fizzwheel]

Ditto with me that wouldnt match my bike

Christ we are a bunch of tarts arent we...

I do have the bag...