Carbon Vs Aluminum Bike Frames

Sometimes the choice can come down to the material the bicycle frame is made from.

Carbon vs aluminum bike frames.

It s a relatively light and stiff material and generally cheaper to produce than carbon. Aluminum frames possess the shortest fatigue life of any material used to manufacture bicycle frames. Aluminium was the leader when it came to frame material before carbon become more accessible. That begs the obvious question is a 1 5 pound weight saving worth the extra cash.

Carbon frames are usually a bit lighter than aluminum up to a pound for mountain frames and up to a half pound on road frames. The aluminum santa cruz bronson frame sells for 1999 while the carbon cc version sells for 3299. Ride quality is more noticeable on road frames than mountain frames with vibrations being damped by carbon more so than aluminum. The transition smuggler aluminum frame sells for 1999 while the carbon version sells for 2999 a 1000 difference.

Most manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on carbon frames. A carbon frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminum equivalent. The typical aluminum frame possesses a life expectancy of five to 10 years. The main disadvantage of aluminum frame is harsher ride stiffness and also being the manufacturer is restricted on being able to control the frame flex in comparison to carbon.

In many cases bike brands will offer both aluminum and carbon frame options to fit a. For high end road and racing bikes aluminum frames are a strong option when weight influences performance. A carbon fibre frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminium equivalent and you ll only find carbon fibre bikes in the pro peloton in part because of the weight benefits. Carbon fiber frames are lighter than aluminum frames because the material is less dense.

It s worth noting that not all carbon fibre is equal and it s possible that a low grade carbon frame could weigh more than a high end aluminum frame. When it comes to the strength to weight ratio few materials can come close to carbon fiber. Carbon however rules supreme in this area. It s possible to build very light and capable bikes out of either aluminum or carbon.

The density of modern carbon fiber is about 1 9 g cm 3 compared to aluminum which has a density of about 2 3 g cm 3. Steel aluminium titanium and carbon fibre and the material can influence the ride and purpose of the bike so it s good to know the key differences before you make a decision. Aluminum mountain bike frames weigh around 1 pound more than comparable carbon frames. There are four common materials used to build road bikes.