There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
outsideonline.com
There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
1–10 of 102 posts
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#2Yeah, well that's just like, your opinion, man.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#3It’s not necessarily about “elite racing performance” for a lot of people. Carbon fiber frames dampen road vibrations a lot better than aluminum and are noticeably less “harsh” to ride. For road bikes which typically don’t have any shock absorbers, a decent quality carbon frame is simply much more comfortable to ride on than the equivalent aluminum frame from the same manufacturer. This can make a huge difference on longer rides.
Carbon fiber isn’t as fragile as the article suggests. People have been riding it for decades and their bikes haven’t been exploding. Really any crash significant enough to cause frame damage will be a total loss to any bike frame, regardless of material (in terms of repair cost).
No one “needs” a carbon bike but to say there’s “no good reason to buy one” is just dumb.
Also the article suggesting steel frames over carbon is just weird at this point. Steel bikes are a super niche audience of budget or retro riders. I’m wondering if this article is a joke post.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#4Hollandophiles will always tell you the best bicycle is made out of cast iron, you don't want to be like those awful wielrennen.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#5It’s not necessarily about “elite racing performance” for a lot of people. Carbon fiber frames dampen road vibrations a lot better than aluminum and are noticeably less “harsh” to ride. For road bikes which typically don’t have any shock absorbers, a decent quality carbon frame is simply much more comfortable to ride on than the equivalent aluminum frame from the same manufacturer. This can make a huge difference on…
> Carbon fiber frames dampen road vibrations a lot better than aluminum and are noticeably less “harsh” to ride.
This opinion piece argues that steel, not aluminum, is the alternative. Slightly wider tires makes differences between frame materials subtle[1]. Wider tires are more comfortable and certainly not dramatically slower[2].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcRzp6xwuzE
[2] https://www.renehersecycles.com/why-wider-tires-are-not-slow... (written by a wide tire salesman)
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#6Yeah, well that's just like, your opinion, man.
Yes that's why he's a paid editorial columnist.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#7Man, I spend the money on a carbon fibre bike with an aero wheel cutout because I like the aesthetics. Obviously spending thousands of dollars to save a few grams when I'm going to promptly just gain a few kilograms by eating poorly is not a financially rational decision if the sheer performance is my target.
And it's really nice that it's so light. Nice on a single finger.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#8It’s not necessarily about “elite racing performance” for a lot of people. Carbon fiber frames dampen road vibrations a lot better than aluminum and are noticeably less “harsh” to ride. For road bikes which typically don’t have any shock absorbers, a decent quality carbon frame is simply much more comfortable to ride on than the equivalent aluminum frame from the same manufacturer. This can make a huge difference on…
I don't think it's a joke, Outside's writing has taken a hit since the acquisition in 2021. It's a headline for people to click on and the writing is an afterthought.
I rolled my eyes with the steel frame thing at the end too. Steel bikes are cool, going fast on a steel bike is even cooler, but the Insufferable Steel Bike Guy is definitely on the rise.
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#9Man, I spend the money on a carbon fibre bike with an aero wheel cutout because I like the aesthetics. Obviously spending thousands of dollars to save a few grams when I'm going to promptly just gain a few kilograms by eating poorly is not a financially rational decision if the sheer performance is my target. And it's really nice that it's so light. Nice on a single finger.
Yeah, I feel like he totally glossed over the major overlap between carbon frames and higher-end components (which are totally reasonable to want as a rec cyclist!)
Re: There's No Good Reason to Buy a Carbon Bike
#10I read back in the blog history of this author and thought to myself, "yeah, what an opinionated dork!" Then I got to his post about the beauty of friction shifters and went, "yeah, he's right!". Scrolled some more "what a dork". Etc.