Entry Level Carbon Bike

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Craig S. on August 4, 2010 at 1:42pm

We need to schedule a Ragbrai debriefing at the Huettenbar in a couple of weeks; I'm leaving town again and not for biking purposes. I had 463 miles on my odometer for the week and I sat on the bus with Bloody Mary's the first half of Friday and went off route quite a bit. I wonder if I want to read those updates from the road...

Aaron Bussey said:

who rode bikes on RAGBRAI? I have a beer gut now since returning home :)

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Bussey on August 4, 2010 at 1:45pm

I sagged two days so i only had 352 miles on mine

heuttenbar on thursday night craig

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Permalink Reply by dan brown on August 4, 2010 at 2:57pm

RAGBRAI has **nothing** to do with riding.
nothing.
it's just an excuse to drink ALL WEEK long. (morning/noon/night)
seriously.
period.
DB

Aaron Bussey said:

I sagged two days so i only had 352 miles on mine

heuttenbar on thursday night craig

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Permalink Reply by Marty A. on August 4, 2010 at 3:05pm

Can a guy around 230lbs ride carbon without concern of cracks/frame failure?

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Permalink Reply by J on August 4, 2010 at 3:07pm

So there's entry level carbon, and then there's entry level carbon. I do share some folks' fear of busted carbon bits, but if you are prudent about how you ride -- the risks are really not significantly higher vs. similarly light frames/components made from aluminum, titanium, or steel. There are 700g carbon frames, and there are 1400g carbon frames, after all.

Rather than getting into the "model X is better than model Y" debate, I'd say look first at where you're buying the bike from (will it be properly assembled? this is especially crucial with carbon bikes; will it have a solid warrany?), the brand/company that markets it (is it a proven design? does the company actually test its products, or relabel open mold designs?), and of course is the geometry and carbon layup appropriate for your intended style of riding?

I'm not really one for following brands, but in the carbon world, because there is so little transparency and it's very difficult to compare the fabrication method and quality of one frame versus another, the sad truth is that there are brands with lower failure rates than others. Personally, though, I don't necessarily think it's an issue of superior manufacturing, especially since so many designs are actually made at so few factories... rather it's likely an issue of volume, quality control, and assembly. There are more anecdotal Trek Madone failures because there are so many Trek Madones. And it's not unusual for a Madone to be assembled on the same production line by the same mechanic who just worked on a $400 hybrid.

For what it's worth, you can get a whole lot more bike in your budget than what's already been mentioned.

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