Road bikes - Aluminium or Carbon?

Around the £1000 price range, there is a good selection of road bikes in both Aluminium and Carbon. I'm thinking more specifically of bikes like the Ribble Nero Corsa and the Focus Cayo 105 vs Specializeds Allez Elite or the Wilier La Triestina.

Anyone know anything about these bikes or have anything useful to say about Carbon vs Aluminium road frames?

Disclaimer: Steel is not an option. This thread is based on the fact that steel is not the best material to make a frame from.. if it was, most road bikes would still be steel and most pro-racers would still ride steel bikes. They're not, and they don't.

TITANIUM from LIGHTSPEED thats the only thing to make road bikes cool


on a serious note have you look at the trek 1.9 you can pick them up for a grand and come with ultegra full group bonti racelight wheelset and bonti finish kit (carbon post and forks) and really not bad for the money
have a looky http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/road/1_series/19e/

If I had titanium money, I'd be tempted by a Van Nicholas.

I hear good things about Planet X, they do a Road carbon for around £1200 I thinks.

Kiron Scandium from Wiggle is rated too (they were low on sizes last time I looked though)

Oh and the Boardman Comp (carbon) gets a 10/10 in Cycling plus.

If it was my money I would go up to £1200 for the Planet X. For £1K it would be a hard choice between the Boardman, Focus and Ribble......

I think I would go

1. Focus
2. Boardman
3. Ribble

It would be a tough choice though.

If I had £1000 thrust into my hands, I'd buy something custom built in steel.

Alu frames are nice but, I find, really hard on the body over long distances (probably because I'm close to being an old fart ). You do get very good spec for the money though.

Carbon on the other hand is far more comfortable to ride over long distances. It's corrosion resistant (far more than alu) and can be made just as stiff laterally as an alu frame while still being vertically compliant. Weight difference between the two will be minimal at around the grand level. The alu frame will be about as light as it can get whereas the carbon frame will be at the heavier end of the spectrum (as far as modern carbon frames are heavy).

The major drawback with carbon is its crash resistance, or lack of it. If you get a deep scratch in a carbon frame you can pretty much write it off. On an alu frame such a scratch will be purely cosmetic.

Speaking personally, I'd go for the carbon frame if it was my money because I don't crash very often.

I would look at planet X carbon, if it was my money. Focus seam to be getting some good reports. Any of last year models are offering good value for money due to the changes in the exchange rate. I would go carbon on a road bike, and try not to crash it or take it off road.

Planet X are having a clerance sales starting today, might be a bargin !

I have a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 with carbon seat stays and forks, a bit of a compromise really, with a mostly Campagnolo Veloce groupset, although you can get it with Shimano 105 and for less than £1000.
I think that a decent full carbon bike will be more than £1000, this will though have a lower groupset on it, whereas I would expect an aluminium framed bike of the same price range to have a better component fit.
If you look on the roadie websites they tend to say get the best frame you can with your money and slowly upgrade componentry, and you should be able to get a bargain with the sales of 2008 model stuff.

Cheers,
Roger
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Second hand titanium. It's the only sensible option.

remember the pros don't ride what they want to ride. They ride what they get paid to ride - i.e. what the manufacturers want to push as the latest, greatest thing.

Eddy Merckx rode steel and he is, I imagine, a much better rider than you ever will be so do not be so fast to put it down. However it won't fit the budget these days. Giant Defys and Bianchi VN7s are good rides at your price point, probably with 105 or Veloce at the grand mark.