Budget Carbon or Blinged-Out Aluminum? - Pinkbike Poll

Jun 2, 2016 at 15:42
by Vernon Felton  
Most of us aren't wealthy enough to entertain the idea of buying a carbon frame laden with Gucci-grade components. Thus, the next time we're considering our next bike, we might face with the following question: Should I go with the carbon version, outfitted with so-so parts, or should I get the aluminum version of the same frame built up with better components?

In some cases, you can lose nearly a pound of weight (while gaining stiffness) by going with the composite version of a frame. That's nothing to sneeze at. But you have to ask: Is opting for carbon worth it if purchasing that plastic-fantastic frame also means you are getting a less-stellar fork or wheelset that might need upgrading sooner rather than later? Which is the better value? Decisions, decisions....

Budget carbon Poll
YT's Capra CF Comp is a strong value in its own right and doesn't compete with an equivalently-priced (yet better equipped) aluminum Capra. But, hey, it's a pretty picture, so there.


Budget Carbon or Blinged-Out Aluminum?

Let's say you're strapped for cash, but are splurging to buy a new bike. Do you go with the carbon version of a certain model, outfitted with so-so parts, or do you go with the aluminum version of the same frame with top-notch parts?


MENTIONS: @vernonfelton


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252 Comments
  • 108 33
 well, I cracked 2 carbon frames ( I crashed in a rocky section) so no warrantly. Alumiun won't let you down like this. worst case scenario you'll get a dent or puck on the frame, not a god damn crack , rip carbon who wont get recycled
  • 166 16
 @rastar: Totally depends on the severity of the dent...I've ridden on plenty of bikes with dents just as hard as a new frame. You just have to evaluate and gauge where the bike is at.

Cracked carbon = done
  • 23 6
 So then perhaps the choice between aluminum or carbon depends on your areas you ride.
  • 39 7
 I've seen more than a few cracked aluminum frames. Usually by the welds. These were not from impacts, but rather stress fractures. Carbon does have a fatigue life limit which is much higher than aluminum.
  • 55 13
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreZdUBqpJs santa cruz's carbon vs aluminum test
  • 22 10
 @rastar: Baloney, wanna see your FEAs on this
  • 12 2
 @benj1234 - Ruckus Composites in Portland, Oregon, may be (or may have been) able to repair your carbon fiber frame.
  • 16 3
 But with epoxy and knowledge you can have an almost brand new carbon frame with only a few grams of weight added
  • 169 32
 "rip carbon who wont get recycled"

THANKS benj1234, there is absolutely no information given to the people about the end life of carbon frames/parts.
Carbon is light, carbon is strong, carbon is beautiful BUT people need to open their eyes on the environmental impact of this material.
Contrary to aluminum or steel, carbon composite can't be recycled. Two choices: incineration or burying..
Nature gives us beautiful Forests and trials and in return, we are using polluting consumables such as seals, oils and tires, which contribute to her deterioration. This list doesn't need to be bigger ..oh, wait, i forgot gasoline to drive to our favorite spot !
With all these good alloy frames produced nowadays, we don't need these petroleum based materials to have fun.. pay attention to your choices, customers have the power, not manufacturers.
  • 12 17
flag jlobes (Jun 3, 2016 at 17:23) (Below Threshold)
 @KotsosK: Surely you're not serious.
  • 16 0
 @MrPink51: but weld cracks often qualify for warranty.
  • 21 3
 Most cracks in a carbon frame can be repaired for very little money, it takes a pretty catastrophic crack in the worst spots to be unrepairable. Its not the end of the world if carbon gets damaged.
  • 6 2
 @rastar: I've seen dented aluminum frames go a lot longer then cracked carbon, not sure there is anywhere on the frame where having a crack in the carbon is safe, you can ride aluminum with dents in certain places for years and have no trouble. Yes there are some dents that are bad though but rather have a dent then cracked carbon
  • 15 3
 I have fixed 4 carbon frames that would otherwise be junk. Can't do that with aluminum without heat-treating the whole frame. And as others said, dented aluminum can be as junk as cracked carbon without the repair options.
  • 65 0
 @jlobes: He is serious. And don't call him Shirley.
  • 1 0
 @jwillsaylor: Agree. But still sucks shit balls when it happens
  • 9 6
 @cholla: stand on a beer can, ask someone to lightly hit the side of it... I don't see why any of the tube would act differently under compression.
  • 6 3
 @maximesl: most dents don't hurt it like that because there are other tubes supporting it
  • 9 0
 Broken two aluminum frames and one steel frame over a period of 3 years. Steel is real!
  • 26 0
 Carbon sucks for some reasons, Alu sucks for others, they are both good for other reasons. I'm loving these troll polls lately. keep it up PB! hahaha
  • 4 1
 @KoalaDesBois: doesn't Trek recycle their warrantied carbon frames? I know I read that a while ago somewhere
  • 8 1
 @KoalaDesBois: carbon IS recyclable... It's shredded to separate everything so you lose strenght in the shorter fibers but for laptop case, interior dashboards... Etc it's fine. Now obviously aluminium and steel can be technically reused forever but it's not that simple. Also anyone who thinks a dented aluminium frame is safe, or that it doesn't just break suddenly ( steel too btw ) is wrong. Aluminuim hates getting worked cold and loses most of it's integrety by doing so... Also steel frames will retain most of their strenght when plastically deformed but as with most of the steel and alum frames that do break out there, they snap at the welds under most circumstances. which tends to happen as fast as you can read broken bones.
  • 7 0
 @KoalaDesBois: People are in fact starting to address this issue. Carbon reuse / recycling technology is on the rise. Some companies are baking off the epoxy / resins at high temps and then using the left over carbon material to create compressed composites. It still requires a lot of energy to go through this process but probably better than throwing it in the ground.
  • 10 0
 @jlobes: Surely a composite airplane or helicopter can't be repaired either..... Of course he is serious. Composite repair technology exists that will completely restore the strength, people just aren't familiar with the repair processes in the bike world.
  • 5 0
 @oranjpeelz: It is my understanding that 6000 series aluminum must be treated after re-welding, but 7000 series aluminum can be repaired without going through another Heat Treating process
  • 2 3
 @oranjpeelz: It is my understanding that 6000 series aluminum must be treated after re-welding, but 7000 series aluminum can be repaired without going through another Heat Treating process
  • 2 3
 It is my understanding that 6000 series aluminum must be treated after re-welding, but 7000 series aluminum can be repaired without going through another Heat Treating process
  • 6 30
flag twowheelsforthemasses (Jun 3, 2016 at 19:39) (Below Threshold)
 @KoalaDesBois:

Freaking HIPPIES!!!!!

GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT SHIT!!!
  • 2 2
 @aharris: ya ive ridden two carbon bikes with cracks 1 inch in size and they never grew nor did i feel a difference in ride characteristics. 1 downtube and other was bike seat stay.
  • 2 1
 What bikes were you riding? Because some manufacturers have much higher quality carbon than others, same as with alluminium, but the gap is winder for carbon quality.
  • 2 0
 @zorba73: Good thing I kept scrolling. I woulda double joked ya. I like you zorbs.
  • 1 0
 If
  • 5 1
 @KoalaDesBois: My opinion on this is: yes you are correct. but you are loosing sight of the big picture. just like how the environmentalists in america that wage war on cyclist have lost sight. bicycles, even the most polluting ones, are not the problem with our worlds environment. forest fires, volcanoes and third world countries dumping shit into the ocean are the problem. this doesnt mean we all shouldnt do our part, but maybe riding our super fancy carbon bike to work is a better solution than not buying a carbon bike at all, and driving our car?
  • 7 1
 @KoalaDesBois: that is totally NOT true. Carbon fiber can be recycled. Like paper you don't end up with 100 re usability, so they often call it "down cycling" instead of recycled. But still the carbon fibers can be reclaimed from carbon fiber frames and reused for other carbon parts or maybe even a heavier/lower end carbon frames.

But in no way is the only choice to bury or incinerate.
  • 3 1
 @Brakesnotincluded: YES and NO, or sort of. IT IS recyclable, and large manufactures will recycles them. But I guarantee the recycling truck in your town or city will transfer it to the landfill. Washington State has recycling in place **for the local aerospace industry* as do other states, and perhaps Quebec and ontario. Again for the aerospace industry. The aerospace company I work for ships out scrap materials for disposable, at a huge cost (I'm in Vancouver-ish).

I hope that recycling picks us, with it being the future and all...
  • 11 5
 @tdryan242: Our consumer society in the good old USA is responsible for most of the pollution on this planet, not the third world countries having their environments raped by the international corporations to bring forth the raw materials going into consumables, including bikes.
  • 5 0
 @rastar: You mean carbon doesn't have any ductility. Once you have gone beyond metals elastic phase they go into an plastic phase.

Maybe Pinkbike could do a series on material science.
  • 1 0
 @MrPink51: True, I have had a few aluminium frames that have cracked at the welds. Usually through the heat affected zone if the weld.
  • 1 0
 @oranjpeelz: You can if the frame is made locally and by someone small enough to care. Send it back they can repair it and re heat treat it. You can definitely do this with steel which I have done on 2 frames now.
  • 2 0
 @jlhenterprises: I had a 7005 frame re welded and it didn't need heat treating. I was told it stress relieves with time.
  • 1 0
 @KoalaDesBois: AMEN
  • 2 1
 @mayha49: I prefer alu too, but carbon frames in most cases are repairable. If the repair guy knows his job it will be as good as new. A friend of mine does that, and all his recent road bikes are damaged carbon frames he obtained for peanuts.

Carbon fiber is very unlikely to fail under load (the whole frame acts as a spring) but it doesn't like being impacted with hard sharp objects, like rocks.

The top tube on my alu frame met a big rock 3 yrs ago and has a big dent on the side, right in the middle of the tube's length. It doesn't look like it's gonna break anytime soon. If it did though, it would go to scrap.
  • 1 1
 @KoalaDesBois: I'll bet the energy use and environmental impact between aluminum and carbon are pretty similar. Interesting question.
  • 8 0
 @tdryan242: My thoughts exactly. My hippie friends and I are starting a nonprofit to lobby for additional legislation against volcanoes.
  • 10 0
 The carbon/alu eco debate is interesting but the reality is that mountain biking is not an environmentally friendly sport.
The aluminium was originally mined from a huge open cast pit, probably in Australia, shipped to Asia, smelted using lots of power and co2 production then the bike to where in the world its required. Even recycled, the process occured in the first place, then a truck drove your street collecting, it gets smelted etc.
Carbon as pointed out has its issues.
Your rubber tyres probably originated from a plantation that had been cleared of rainforest first.
Etc etc and thats before we get onto driving to the ride which in some big countries that dont view distance as an obstacle and drive massive trucks, is even more impactive.
Then we get out in all our plastic clothing and skid about the country side, creating trails, building massive jumps (and leaving tonnes of litter next to them!?).
Surfing, climbing and most outdoor sports are the same sadly
Best not to dwell on it all otherwise we would be bored shitless!
  • 1 0
 @benj1234: Do not agree, just look at this old Video: m.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-bicycles-test-lab.html
  • 2 0
 I've done 3 carbon frames luckily under warranty but in the defense of carbon two were Evils under warranty incidentally one suffered from the "non structural" cracks in the swing arm along with a cracked frame, to boot the Undead was heavier than a friend's equivalent built TR500.
The last Devinci Troy which TBH a mark in the top tube Devinci replaced the frame out of goodwill.
My son has a V10 and that's spot on well made and light.
  • 1 0
 @rastar: most dents in frames end up on the underside of the down tube which is one of the strongest and lowest stress areas in the frame.
Most dents will have a very minimal effect on strength, unless the bend radii are particularly tight.
My Transition has a really nasty dent just infront of the bottom bracket. It's survived over a year so far and I'm not at all worried about it. I know enough about stress analysis to know it's not an issue.
  • 2 1
 @rastar: Thats a myth carbon doesn't necessarily fail spectacularly. The way the fibre is laid and manufacturing processes is important.
A correctly laid monocoque (one piece) frame IE Santa Cruz will be massively strong and highly unlikely to fail. but a frame made up of Carbon fibre tubes joined together by wrapping carbon (carbon fibre version of welding) will be heavy and have inherent weak spots.
Have a watch of this.
FYI my frame is Ali and boith my sons bikes are Carbon.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-hzgI4JK2k
  • 3 1
 Carbon is great for tubing in general, for head tube, for seat tube, not so much around pivots or bottom bracket. Small thick elements exposed for impact are just more durable when made of metal, hence I'd rather have an alu chainstay and alu cranks. But I'm totaly into carbon front triangles and seat stays. So, no we can't really talk in generalizations of which material is better. The issue in this poll is that every bike is a meal made of geometry, suspension arrangement components and it is just not worth it to go save on vital parts just to get a carbon frame. All in all people buy carbon bikes for weight saving, leave durability and lab strength mumbo jumbo out of it. If you buy carbon as a sort of insurance of durability, then you are a fool, sorry. All sorts of things get destroyed in MTB, it is just a matter of circumstances. There's enough rocks and trees on each trail on this planet to fk up any sort of frame or the rim. Some stuff costs less though...
  • 2 0
 @chappers998: I do agree, by my own first hand experience; no instant carbon failure twice: First I busted my Nextie carbon rim: 30 mm long vertical crack. Still rode it for another month, until warranty replacement arrived. About the same time I fell on rock, while clipped in and broke my Bronsons seat stay. Totally soft carbon in broken spot; but opted to stil ride it for 2 months. ( Crash replacement cost, than covered by insurance Smile
  • 2 0
 I cased 20ft jump repeatedly on my 2.2kg Blur TRc frame. I rode it straight into a huge rock twice. There is no way alu frame of this kind would take that. Then I hit a rock on uphill with bottom of the chainstay and through two years crack was getting bigger and bigger.
  • 1 2
 I have a carbon frame and I am worried as well about the rocks and not cracking the frame..but there is a sime solution fir this: I don' t ride in the freaking "rock gardens"..
  • 2 0
 @ilovedust: great...now I don't even want to ride today...
  • 2 0
 @raster that's BS. I've seen dozens of badly dented alloy bikes go on to live a long life. Yes, some dents end up being terminal, but most do not.
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: Old but still relevant:

www.ibiscycles.com/support/technical_articles/metallurgy_for_cyclists
  • 4 0
 @tdryan242: Volcanoes.....are the problem? God I love Pinkbike. #PlugTheVolcano
  • 1 0
 @IamZOSO: Cheers for that.

PS I have an engineering degree (and am a Chartered Eng) so know most of this but it is relevant for those who don't.
  • 1 1
 Click bait.
  • 5 0
 @cmscheip: there will be a time when sun will burn the Earth. The only relevant question is, will your gene pool survive that? Will your grand grand children be on a ship to another planet? Will they have bikes with them? Will you leave any lineage? Maybe you will become an android after we reach singularity? Would a machine ride a bike? Will the bike have e-motor?
  • 5 0
 @WAKIdesigns: "Once giants lived in the earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered, and the earth shook. Fire and Wind struck down these giants ... but in their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield. And we who found it are just men - not gods, not giants, just men. The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its riddle, Conan. You must learn its discipline. For no one, no one in the world can you trust - not men, not women, not beasts ... this you can trust."
  • 5 4
 C'm on @fartymarty: I was rather expecting something from Neitzsche. Let us ponder the meaning of life of some human... what if we never leave this planet? What kind of stupid egomaniac you have to be to think you can stop human race from dying by sorting garbage, eating vegan and cycling to work? Or should I be worried about my grand children? What kind of ridiculous play to stimulate my oxytocin levels is that? We have waste generating pricks put against self righteous, self proclaimed savers of the Earth. Sorry man, fk SUVs and steaks, but fk polar bears and humus too. Fk them. Fk Monsanto and fk greenpeace, bunch of a-holes.

Go find someone to hug and live your life people. Life is too short to ponder a purchase of carbon frame based on some fake ideals like environmental concerns about impact of MTB production and half life.

God is dead, I am God! I bow to myself and masturbate gracefully.
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Sorry to disappoint, I merely copied and pasted from the Ibis materials series.

If you want meaning of life and all that... Life's short, live hard. It took 70 years to kill Lemmy so go for it.

PS you all should be riding rather than typing. Especially you Waki, the weather in southern Sweden was great earlier this week Razz
  • 1 0
 @leon-forfar: that was awesome
  • 1 0
 @fartmarty I am riding 3 times a week after kids go to sleep. Weather is awesome!
  • 1 1
 @mayha49: Same rules apply to carbon. Depends on the severity, direction and location of the crack. Carbon is very forgiving. For examples watch some of the testing santa cruz has published on their fames.
  • 2 0
 @corman69: I'd like to hit that V10 from the video, against a wall aiming with bearings. Or take V10CC and hit with the swingarm. Karl Burkat was hitting the wall with downtube that is 12mm thick, the strongest place on the whole frame
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: Lol, same here, and I was just having breakfast planning to go for a ride after.
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: @fartymarty: exactly, i was told two weeks minimum. This 7000 series material was developed for aerosopace industry to have a servicablility on places like aircraft carriers and outerspace (or remote locations). Heat treating would be impractical so that is why it is designed this way.
  • 2 0
 @fartymarty: If anyone in California need some welding, Terry @ JayTech in Chatsworth, California is the man to see.
  • 2 0
 @stiingya: you cannot recycle carbon, it is applied with an activator just like fiberglass..thats like saying you can cut a chunk of a fiberglass boat up, mince it, and use it in another finished product ,while still having the same strength properties exactly..its not the same ...smaller fibers with more start points ,will never match the original long fiber strength...never! ...You add more stress points.,, would you be comfortable riding a boat or bike made from tons of small pieces of (reclaimed)fibers? , Put Your Money Where Your Teeth Were! If so....,i would love to come watch the outcome...aluminum however can be recycled without downcycling .and to the other posts...riding a dented aluminum frame is much safer than a cracked fiber frame....its a Basic Science...we all get that that guys saying carbon is better in everyway are the guys that are currently on carbon frames...doesnt make you right...i too have watched the (santa cruz carbon bash )video...they were hitting a specific spot...not a corner, if you take into account material shape, thickness, and area, it would take myth busters 1 whole year to use every modern carbon and aluminum frame, hitting in every angle, on edges, flat, and ovalized areas to determine that they are still equal after observing all strong and weak points...think with your brains not your carbon boners
  • 2 0
 Hilarious that everyone debates the ability of carbon vs aluminum to resist impacts from rocks and talks about the durability of the frame after the impact... Let's assume both frames are considered unsafe after said impact... Which one will cost you more to replace...
  • 2 0
 @Onetrakcmind: Bingo!
  • 1 0
 @KoalaDesBois: carbon can and does get recycled, bmw do it, as does Boeing and Airbus
  • 1 0
 @lesz42: yes it is one of fantastic EU regulations going for the number85% of whole product to be recyclable. No, strucutral carbon fibre composites cannot be recycled, they can be downcycled instead, to be used in completely different and much simplier application than the original structure. Like insulation. Also, as one article suggests the nano-particle nazis will be all over it soon, so the possible use of downcycled products will be greatly limited.
  • 1 0
 composites have the ability to be repaired to some degree depending on the severity. If a few layers of carbon are damaged but not all the way through to the other side, there are techniques to patch the area and gain back some strength, although it will still be compromised from the initial condition.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Sounds very much like my riding 730-10pm... although we don't get the endless evenings this far south so still need lights for the last half hour.
  • 2 0
 @jlhenterprises: Cheers. There are a few over this side of the pond as well. I have used Argos in Bristol who were good.
  • 1 0
 @Onetrakcmind: Exactly why I like 4130. It deals with impact far better than either Al or CF and can be fixed relatively cheaply.
  • 1 0
 @NWshredSauce: I guess if you know the right people you can repair anything. Does anyone know any good carbon repairers in the UK? Not that I am going to get a carbon frame but it is good to know if / when I change my mind.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns:

this I think about often as well. It makes all we do seem silly. Someday all we know, including our "precious environment" will be gone like a wisp of smoke. Still we crave satisfaction and happiness in the moment - we are captive to our brains that were created through evolution to thrive on such temporary things as wood, dirt, friendship, food, drink, song and sex. So, I'll be happy in my folly while I build things of wood with my own dirty hands, have a chew, drink a beer, strum a guitar, then go service the 'ol lady.
  • 1 0
 @KoalaDesBois: exactly!!!!
  • 1 0
 @cholla: Hopefully the product has the correct FTA
  • 2 0
 @KoalaDesBois:


directly from my heart!!
  • 2 0
 @mayha49: If a crash is hard enough to crack carbon, it is hard enough to end an aluminum frame.
  • 2 0
 @biker3335: I had a warranty carbon frame come through my shop last week, and someone said "that's carbon for you." So I laid the frame on the ground and hit it multiple times with a ball-peen hammer, and nothing happened to the frame. Carbon is without a doubt stronger than aluminum.
  • 2 0
 Good lord I hope people who own Carbon fiber bikes of any kind realize that Carbon can be REPAIRED. Either by yourself or by professionals. It may not be the exact same integrity but it'll do the job and get you back on the bike riding. I keep hearing about people complaining about how Carbon frames break and that Aluminum is so much better. Give it a rest. BOTH can be damaged. However, Everyone should know that Carbon is stronger in tinsel strength than Alloy. So stop with the whole Alloy is better Carbons are so fragile. It's been done to death.
  • 2 1
 @KoalaDesBois: can someone please show me a product that does not harm the environment in some way? Do you think shipping steel, cardboard, etc. to China is carbon neutral?

If people would quit making so many babies we would all be better off!
  • 2 0
 @unrooted: Bamboo bikes. calfeedesign.com/products/bamboo
  • 2 0
 @chappers998: yea right, their epoxy resin used to bond hemp fibers along with poliurethane on finish are clean as unicorns pee
  • 1 1
 @WAKIdesigns: can't knock me for trying, You seem quite confrontational on this thread, Chillax kick back have a long cold drink, not Unicorn pee though although that gives me an idea for a cocktail. ;-)
  • 2 0
 @biker3335: My frame on my AM bike has a small crack in the top tube (think dent but instead an oval crack). Pretty sure it was from a crash. I've been riding it like that for over a year and even doing DH runs, no issue yet.
  • 1 0
 @mayha49: Well, it depends. Carbon frame can be repaired (in more than 50% of the times), but aluminium one no.
  • 2 0
 @jlobes: I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.
  • 1 1
 How ya doin today, Shirley?
  • 1 0
 @therealtylerdurden: Carbon is rarbon
  • 48 3
 Work at a bike shop and spend all your money - (needs to be an option)
  • 38 11
 You didn't mention the fact that aluminum is a much more environmentally sustainable material, just melt your old frame and make yourself a new one :-). This should be an important aspect for the MTB community since pristine terrain is something so precious to us.
  • 19 25
flag Highrevkev (Jun 3, 2016 at 16:14) (Below Threshold)
 Carbon is just as recyclable.....
  • 61 4
 Yes, pristine terrain! That's what I'm all about! Go Earth!
*Takes bulldozer and crushes trees in order to make berm*
  • 31 2
 @bridgermurray: *Napalms forest for jumpline*
  • 14 0
 @GumptionZA: That explains all those summer forest fires.
  • 7 3
 @Highrevkev I have heard that carbon is recyclable. But, it is not as environmentally friendly as metal. You're dealing with a very long complex supply chain, with environmental and health concerns along every step. I don't think you can simply melt down carbon, for example. I actually don't know of any products made from recycled carbon fiber. But if you have more details, please share.
  • 5 2
 I do not have function to melt a bike frame. Nor to re-mold it. This is a crazy suggestion. Pics or it didn't happen.
  • 6 0
 @Highrevkev: you mean downcyclable...
  • 3 2
 In most cases, carbon can be ground back down to carbon dust & separated to its primary elements before being composed back into a fiber form
  • 21 0
 people throw away their bikes? I thought they just hoard them in the garage somewhere "just in case"
  • 2 0
 @Highrevkev: Yeah, but you have to separate the carbon fibers from the resin. And the carbon dust is very toxic. Not that aluminum shavings are pleasant. But, metal seems like a more simple process.
  • 1 0
 @bridgermurray: thats more accurate than you think, last year 2 of the best riding places in my area were demolished because of forest fires!
  • 1 0
 @chrisingrassia: Why not ? I've also melted my car and made a tandem for my kids
  • 25 2
 I was in the exact same pickle about the capra this year... Then I found a nearly new Nomad c frame at a great price. Now I can build it up to my own spec for Capra money. Best of both words. You should put a second hand option in the list.
  • 10 36
flag whitebullit (Jun 3, 2016 at 16:00) (Below Threshold)
 buying second hand carbon is like getting sloppy seconds...
  • 122 3
 @whitebullit: sloppy seconds on a stunner is better than going first up on a fat munter!
  • 8 1
 @jaame: hahaha couldnt agree more
  • 5 1
 I ended up getting a complete nomad c for $500 more than a capra AL1. I didn't have to wait 3 months to get it, either.
  • 11 2
 @jaame: don't fancy me Derek covered in gents relish to be honest..
  • 2 2
 @whitebullit: Ridiculous
  • 1 1
 @jaame: depends how hard they're willing to be ridden!??
  • 1 0
 @Earthmotherfu: You're right. Anchovies! Disgusting.
  • 3 0
 @jaame: quality comment.
  • 22 1
 aluminum with better components every time, ride difference will be better than carbon with worse components to the point where the carbon frame doesn't mean anything
  • 18 1
 It seems to me that bike companies tend to paint aluminum frames EXTREMELY ugly colors or unnecessarily weld them sloppily to try and encourage people to buy carbon frames. There are some really good types of aluminum out there, the best in my opinion is Treks's "Alpha Platinum" which I have on one of my hardtails. The welds are super smooth, it's light and super compliant. Most of my friends still think my bike is carbon... which it uhhhh, is, of course.
  • 16 2
 Spend the money on the foundation (frame and suspension), you can upgrade shit as you break it and, in this day and age, even low end parts perform really well. Today's SLX works as well as XTR did five years ago.
  • 4 23
flag taskmgr (Jun 3, 2016 at 18:23) (Below Threshold)
 do u even mtb? shit gets outdated in 2 years hahaha good luck finding a higher performance hub for your 5 years old bike, or wheelset, or cranks.
  • 3 0
 @makripper: What are you talking about? I have 7 year old Chris King hubs (read: "higher performance") on my new mountain bike that are just as good if not better than the day I bought them.
  • 11 0
 I will stick with Aluminum and put my money to nicer parts like suspension...in my opinion for Mountain bikes quality suspension is more important than frame material.
  • 11 2
 How about custom steel? I did the number and from a few people (do your own googling) custom made FS frames can be had for prices close to top end Al/mid range carbon frames. Nothing quite matches a bike made to measure, although if push comes to shove, geo, dampers and tyres come before bling.
  • 3 0
 I really want to see more options with steel or other metals. With all the new technologies like 3D printing, there should be a ton of new options for construction.
  • 2 0
 Steel rowdy hardtails are so fun to ride. A well made quality steel frame is a joy to behold. "Independent " manufacturers are making top and down tubes of very light stiff steel like reynolds 853 then put a 4130 rear end for a bit more give for comfort. Sure its not as light overall but has a distinctive unique feel that suits a long slack hardtail.
  • 3 0
 Steel is real, I find myself loving the minimal maintenance. Plus there's nothing quite like having something unique.
  • 2 0
 That's the option I will be going for next.
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: check out Stanton bikes!
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
  • 2 0
 My steel darkcycles is going strong at 14 Smile
  • 1 0
 @slowrider73: I have been checking out Stantons for a good while now. They're definitely on the list. I very nearly bought a Sherpa.
  • 2 0
 @bat-fastard: My Keewee K98 is still going strong at 16 although is retired now. My Keewee Cromo 8 is 12 and still going strong. That is the problem with steel bikes is they just don't die and when they do you can get them repaired. It is hard to justify getting rid of something that works fine.
  • 1 0
 @slowrider73: Forget Hardtails and go have a look at Starling cycles, Full Suspension bikes work in steel too!
  • 1 0
 I love steel but carbon doesn't rust.
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: That is the downside. Ti is your answer then.
  • 1 1
 @Fix-the-Spade: Joe at Starling (@phutphutend) makes beautiful bikes. One day (when funds are sufficient) I am going to buy a frame from him (hopefully a 29er Pinion version of his enduro bike).
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: I've moved to steel for my road bike. I got a great deal on a used stainless steel frame. Seriously stoked on this. It's unpainted, and I ride on gravel roads, and feel like I can give it a good deal of abuse.

My dream mountain bike is a Breadwinner Bad Otis with a bit of rear suspension and in stainless steel.
  • 1 0
 For Ti 29er, there's Twin 6

www.twinsix.com/collections/bikes-bits

They are not custom. And, likely built in Taiwan. But, they do a lot of steel and Ti road frames. Their steel is decently priced. Just another option. But, there are plenty.
  • 8 0
 I think it's a performance issue more than anything. Are you a racer that needs to squeeze out every possible advantage? Or, are you a weekend warrior riding for fun? If you answered yes to the first question then your gonna need a carbon frame cos everyone in front of you will have a carbon frame. If you answered yes to the second question then you'll get along perfectly fine with an aluminium frame. I think suspension and wheels will have a bigger effect on how your bike rides than whether it's carbon or aluminium. Of course if you can afford it then go carbon but don't worry too much about it if you can't.
  • 2 0
 Well loic on world champs...
  • 5 1
 @ibishreddin: I'm a racer, and I choose aluminium because its more durable against knocks and scrapes that hammer race bikes
  • 1 0
 And it depends if you are buying bikes youself or at discounted prices. If I were a full paid up racer I would be on the latest carbon wonderbike because I don't need to worry if it breaks. But I aren't so I ride overbuilt (durable) steel hardtail / full sus bikes.
  • 8 0
 Priority of things I look at-
1. Frame geo
2. Link design
3. Price I can find a used one
4. Design features (threaded BB, cable routing)
5. Availability of replacement wear parts (suspension bushings)

POWER GAP

353. What frame material it is

By the time I find everything I want there's normally only one option anyway and aluminum and carbon high end frames feel equally good to me these days.
  • 10 2
 carbon is great when do right - unfortunately I don't a lot of carbon bikes (and parts) are done right since it's now more of a "keeping up with the Jones" mentality both from manufactures and consumers to rush things out
  • 39 0
 I think you accidentally a word.
  • 8 2
 Quote
"YT's Capra CF Comp is a strong value in its own right and doesn't compete with an equivalently-priced (yet better equipped) aluminum Capra."

Am i missing something here, whats he on about ? which Ali Capra is equicalalently priced to the CF-Comp?...And that the Capra Comp "doesn't compete" with ?
  • 3 0
 Agreed, that statement doesn't add up.
  • 1 0
 I don't get that either, the cf comp is the same as the AL-1 component wise, carbon vs aluminum is the only diff is $1000+ more if you want carbon, I think you save 1lb- ..... Always wondered why YT does offer a AL Pro model with AL renthal cockpit and fox suspension - I've been waiting 3 months for a CF Pro! I'm getting impatient with YT! the bike was supposed to be here a month ago Frown hopefully I'll have it in two weeks
  • 5 0
 I think he's saying that YT's offerings don't provide a good example for this particular comparison because there is no fully pimped-out AL version that's priced the same as a budget CF version. Is there? I dunno. I got the cheapest 1X CF version they sell and am happy with the 'cheaper' parts anyway. A year ago YT USA let me pay in increments using PayPal. I can't save and have no credit, so it worked for me. Fan for life.
  • 2 1
 @endlessblockades: Precisely.
  • 2 0
 @fattyreryder: And the AL Comp 1 has GX and Guide R vs the X1 and Guide RS on the CF Comp. The wait sucks, but it'll be worth it once you've got you Pro! The suspension is amazing once set up
  • 3 0
 @vernonfelton: I think the premise of the article is a bit wonky with the only budget carbon options being Yt, Propain, Radon and Canyon so far. For the money of a Nomad frame they offer a spec you don't need to upgrade. So budget carbon doesn't mean inferior parts which will hold back your riding. Sure for the same money you could bling out an aluminium frame but it wouldn't mean that the bike would be way more capable.
  • 10 1
 Wheres the: "I dont buy stock bikes" option?
  • 7 0
 Where's the "I don't care about poor peoples' dillemmas" option. You buy topped out carbon or change your hobby
  • 8 3
 Simply put... From an engineering perspective... If you can afford carbon, get carbon. It is superior in every way...

- Strength
- Fatigue life
- Failure modes
- Repairability
- Weight

Composites basically allow the design engineer to invent a material that doesn't naturally exist. A bike can have material where it matters most, saves weight where you can, deforms in a designed fashion, and fails in a way safer for the user.

A few points have been brought up against this material. Two I see as valid concerns:

1) Recycleability
2) Durability to laminate normal impact - AKA smacking into a rock

Like some have mentioned composites can be recycled, albeit expensively at this time. However what many choose to ignore is how little aluminum is actually recycled... Its an extremely expensive process, more so than harvesting the aluminum ore and refining it in the first place. So most of your aluminum frames are sitting on a landfill somewhere... Sorry to burst your bubble. Carbon is at least equivalent.

Regarding abrasion and rock strikes - yeah this is an issue. Honestly the ability of the frame to withstand this type of stress/wear originates with who designed the frame and the margins they used down to the lay-up and fibers used. Composites are kind of tricky to analyze from a stress perspective. Even at the level most isotropic materials such as aluminum need just 15 minutes, some knowledge, and a couple equations this analysis for composites requires a lot more tact. In aerospace a lot of the folks don't have time to pull off heroic wizardry of materials engineering and just design their composite structures to model an isotropic material - AKA "black aluminum" when done with graphite/epoxy. In short I don't feel as though, until very recently, there has been that "tribal knowledge" for composite frame design that alloy frames have enjoyed for a couple decades.

TLDR Version - carbon is magic, you can't stop the future.
  • 3 1
 how is Caron Fiber's failure mode of "suddenly snaps in half" superior to "bending"?

There's two more concerns. Quality control (remember these "pre-production" Yeti frames where the chain stays delaminated?) and cost of tooling. Even the big companys like Specialized try to keep the carbon frame parts the same design for many years, because carbon fiber molds are just so damn expensive... Which makes it harder to change geometry etc. So it slows down development. Which, come to think of it, might be positive :-)
  • 2 0
 @Kainerm:

I can see how you might think that composites fail catastrophically, but they don't really.

A composite fails one layer (or lamina) at a time. When tested to failure, a typical carbon-epoxy composite looks like this: (www.scielo.br/img/revistas/mr/v9n2/29605f1.gif) . Often minor failures are ignored by the user until its too late unfortunately. Aluminum, however, takes the load until it fails completely through the whole part . See a typical 6061-T651 tension test plot here: (www.varmintal.com/engineering-stress-vs-strain-curve.png). And alumimum rarely bends - aluminum is really brittle in the grand scheme of materials. So it actually cracks without warning. Remember all those Intense 951 chain stay yokes?

As far as QC goes... You really can't cite a prototype as a measure of quality. Every prototype is made on non-production tooling and via non-production processes.

Outside of the price difference there really is no advantage to alloy frames.
  • 7 0
 Get the expensive frame and upgrade parts later. It's easier to hide from the wife in small pieces.
  • 4 0
 In my experience, geometry, fit, and stiffness almost always trump weight as top concerns. You could have the lightest possible bike, but without the other three aspects, it doesn't do you any good.
  • 4 1
 My carbon mach 5.7 is still doing well after four years and one pivot replacement. Pun intended. Three of us, have worn out aluminum frames and received manufacture warranty for new frames. In my case, after fours years of 200 day years. PS have your cake and eat it too. Buy the carbon frame and put the parts from your old bike on it till you find deals on what you like.
  • 2 0
 I purchased my 2015 Specialized Enduro Elite 29er which is the aluminum frame with higher end build. Saved a lot of money and still got the parts I wanted. I also bought mine at the end of the season, so I saved $900 off the price as well. I got the bike I always wanted and saved quite a bit of money!
  • 2 0
 I had this choice with the current bike a few years ago... Opted for full spec alloy... never once regretted it! Carbon is a luxury, it does have that certain ride quality that alloy can't always give (just the compliance on small, high speed bumps really) but you don't need to splash out mega always to get the most fun eh?
  • 2 0
 Having just purchased a new to me bike. This ordeal is fresh in my mind. I focused on geometry and features first. found what suited my needs and preferences. then started searching for that bike. Ended up with a 1 year old decently built Nomad cc in grate shape. The used bike market is where its at people. No way I could dro $7k on a bike. But half that price for carbon AND a good build is a great compromise.

If you do go with something you know you gotta upgrade. try to find something with good suspension at least. then upgrade everything else around it.
  • 4 2
 This is the stupidest shit I've ever seen. Why the f*ck would anyone buy a bike frame made of plastic??!!!! Mtn. Bikes have been around for a long time. If you buy any of this shit you are a fool. !!!!! You have been f*cked!!!
  • 4 0
 your angry elf....
  • 2 0
 I think that rather than it being a carbon vs aluminium thing it's a 'what a manufacturer does with the frame material' thing. Some companies have been making carbon frame for an age and they are typically very strong and robust, or they put carbon where they know it works well
  • 2 0
 Aluminium frame is 95% as good/light as a carbon frame but costs way less, what's not to like?
I prefer to thrash my bikes and not worry too much about the scratches and damage, in that respect I prefer Alu.
At my level of riding carbon frames are for "Willy waving'; aluminium frames are for the riders.
  • 1 0
 I agree. Top shelf suspension and brakes are easy to feel and really help my confidence and attempts at technical stuff. Carbon is pretty subtle. Given i can get threaded BBs and easily assess battle damage in aluminum it's an easy choice. IDGAF that carbon frames are prettier. No FD mount or XL in my current frame, so it wasn't even a choice.
  • 2 0
 I remember similar arguments on message boards 15 years ago about steel vs. aluminum. All the old codgers and their "steel is real" slogans. So... What are most of you riding -- in fact arguing the merits of -- now?

It will be the same thing 5-10 years from now. The market will push carbon, and carbon frames will get better and better, and you will find fewer and fewer performance aluminum frames. They will all be relegated to the budget "sport" models. (Think along the lines of a Specialized Hard Rock). You can argue with me if you want, but that's what's going to happen.

In fact, I think most of you "aluminum for lifers" would get a carbon frame now if you could afford it. Be honest with yourself.
  • 2 0
 Already seeing more and more carbon. Look at specialized and rocky mountain, unless you want a base model fs you have to go carbon. Trek however you can get a really nice xt/x1 alum combo bike for a decent price Where the same from spec or rocky has gx and deore
  • 2 0
 Well, I'm riding steel full suspension… but then I am no spring chicken I agree.
  • 2 0
 The first aluminum frames were relatively shit. As designers learned to build alu frames the costs came down and suspension improved; alu became the obvious choice for FS. The first carbon frames were relatively shit. They're getting better and i'll consider one when i'm back in the market. 1k price differential is a huge hurdle though.
  • 2 0
 I don't quite understand the range of answers here. The question seems to be asking what would you prefer if you were buying a new bike. This is followed by giving answers option of 'I'm not buying a new bike' and 'new bike is out of my price range.

Surely this defeats the point of the 'if you were buying a new bike' bit? And the last answer is more of a common sense statement than contrary to the other lot giving almost no actual gained information.
  • 2 0
 Unclear to me why a Capra CF Comp1 is pictured in this article. Its not a "budget" carbon bike, despite the excellent price. The caption also makes little sense.

"YT's Capra CF Comp is a strong value in its own right and doesn't compete with an equivalently-priced (yet better equipped) aluminum Capra. But, hey, it's a pretty picture, so there."

The CF1 is about $1000 more than the AL1 (also an excellent bike), so they are not equivalently-priced. For the extra grand on the CF, you buy not only a lighter carbon front triangle, but a lighter wheel upgrade too. The AL1 is not better equipped.
  • 3 0
 I prefer carbon for road, cyclocross, Fat Bike, and XC. Everything else needs the robustness of aluminium, steel, or titanium.
  • 1 0
 Foes uses aluminum and has good results.... Its how you use the materials..... Carbon is definately a solid material, but its cost is really absorbatant. To have such an expensive material that is prone to the same failures as a less expensive material (aluminum), you really have to ask yourself if the weight savings is worth the added cost..... As a downhiller, the answer is often no.... but hey i dream too.....
  • 5 2
 cracked and snapped 5 aluminium frames over the years, now on a carbon frame that has, so far, lasted me 6 years and survived plenty of crashes
  • 2 2
 Lol
  • 4 0
 I think I'm the opposite I've cracked 3 carbon frames in 8 riding months and finally cracked my alloy frame after 10 years of 8 months a year of daily use.
  • 2 1
 not sold on carbon, i came to this conclusion while doing research on helmets. There was a logical argument about the effect of uv rays and the integrity of materials like carbon and fibreglass... after thinking about anything plastic based i've ever seen that has spent a lot of time outside the thought sticks in my head every time i think about a plastic bike. I think it makes sense if you could afford to change your frame every year or two but i'm staying with my alu frames till i get me a sponsor thats for sure.
  • 1 0
 My view is that cabon on its own hasn't made us faster but design and efficiency of the frame has. Quality of suspension action combined with frame design and geometry refinements has taken a massive step forward regardless of frame material. Sure a carbon frame of the same design as an alloy with the same parts is going to "feel" nicer but is it faster. A light stiff fast set of wheels will outperform a carbon frame over alloy every time, or atleast you will notice more of a difference.
Lets say a carbon frame is 500gm lighter than the same alloy frame. If you save that 500gm in a wheelset you will notice more of a difference than in the frame.
For me carbon frame is nice if i can afford it but quality wheels and suspension and brakes are going to give me more of a noticeable performance boost, whether im racing or not.
Just my opinion through experience. My race bike is carbon with ALL the trimmings and my everday bike is steel for durability!
  • 3 0
 Banshee and Knolly bikes, nuff said. I will happily take the weight penalty for a threaded BB and external cables. Carbon is hardly making a difference in my riding.
  • 1 0
 I have this delema for next year. Xc fs. If im spending $5000 cnd i get a top fuel 9, sid, x1, xt brakes. Or a spec comp carbon, get a reba, gx, and deore brakes.

Main problem i have is i blow freehubs constantly. Would either buy a second dt swiss wheelset or get a dt installed on factory wheels either way.
  • 1 0
 frame weight is of little consequence unless you're a serious XC race guy or doing acrobatics off jumps. I think for the vast majority of riders having an alu full suss frame with a better spec would lead to a better ride. I don't think I'd buy another alu hardtail, though.
  • 2 0
 I basically agree with you but would broaden the argument to include anybody who races, not just serious XC racers. Enduro is just as physically taxing as XC; a lighter bike will make you faster even in a DH race. If you race several times a year or more, and you can afford the cost, carbon is worth considering. If you almost never ride uphill and don't race, aluminum makes a lot of sense.
  • 7 3
 If you are down for racing, go for carbon. If you ain't, go for alu.
  • 5 0
 i dont entirely agree because even with aluminum if you get a high quality frame with light parts, it can be similar to a carbon bike and even better in many ways but carbon is nice if you have the budget
  • 3 0
 Someone point me in the direction that prices a carbon frame is faster than a 1 pound heavier aluminum. Everyone says it is, but no proof. Seems like another case of industry brainwash to me.
  • 1 0
 *proves a carbon
  • 4 0
 @ibishreddin: I race and choose aluminium because shuttle trailers wreck carbon
  • 3 0
 I keep a bike and beat it good for more than a few years - Aluminum gives me piece of mind and a warranty.
  • 1 1
 My option is buy a chinese carbon frame and wheels for less than a grand and build it with whatever parts I have/can afford. Just over 2000 for a full build.still a lot of cash but much better than most new bikes with full carbon frames and wheels.
  • 3 0
 PB why there is no option " carbon all the way, my daddy gave me a bag of money and sent me to buy a trickie"?
  • 1 1
 I think it is harder to determine the benefits of carbon over aluminum in a mountain bike, but it's there. Road bike is a different story where carbon is more tunable. In a MTB, aluminum is very good, and as long as a frame is decently stiff, proper suspension can do its job. Aluminum is also quite light, and many carbon frames have aluminum sub triangles. I rode a 2015 Giant reign, for example, entry model aluminum, lowest price. It was a very good bike. But if I were to buy another, I would buy the entry carbon. Lighter, nicer lines. Light aluminum means thin tubing which is easily dented. If you want after purchase service, you have to consider that in the price. A carbon frame is no liability from a brand that has a good reputation for replacement, should that become necessary. But it won't be the least expensive option. A lifetime warranty is a very generous option, with a cost.
Nowadays an entry level carbon can have the same frame as the top model, a Pike for (or equivalent), and a dropper. What's left? Just the wheels. Sure you can spend money on bars and seats and cranks, but the wheelset is the only place where there is real weight. And the difference between the most expensive wheelset and the housebrand is less than you would think when you total up the weight of a tire and sealant and rear cassette. In fact the different between the $4000 entry carbon and $8200 top model, with the same frame, is probably 2-3 lbs. Thats a hamburger, fries and coke. You can't get around the weight of tires. A good tire is over 1000 grams, plus sealant. Go lighter and you cut, especially in the desert. Doesn't matter if the the bike is entry or top of the range.
I'm in the moderate crowd, so your mileage may vary. If I break a frame I probably have other worse problems.
Bikes rule.
  • 1 0
 nothing should be cracking, carbon or aluminum for gods sake. i'd take an extra thick carbon frame same weight as aluminum please would be nice, use the frame as a baseball bat.
  • 1 1
 I bought a low end carbon frame bike with the idea to upgrade the parts. Over time you change this and that and you get to a top class bike. Resell value us higher on carbon bikes. On the aluminum you'll change the parts eventually aswell.
  • 3 0
 A while back I would have recommended exactly this… get the best frame you can get, hanging with cheap components. These days though, what are the chances that when it comes to upgrade the components that anything new will fit?!?
  • 1 0
 Dumb. Just buy the bike you want, rather than buying 2 bikes.
  • 1 0
 @scottzg: Frames should last A LOT longer than any component hung off them.
  • 1 0
 @Spittingcat: As a fit 210lb dude, i wish. Maybe that's true for you when you're buying bikes with crappy spec?
  • 1 1
 @scottzg: Buy a more durable frame then.

@vesscsm was talking about, and this whole article was partly discussing, buying an expensive frame with cheaper spec.
  • 1 0
 @Spittingcat: My last broken frame was boutique, 12lbs, and steel. Sigh....
  • 1 0
 Carbon fiber can be repaired while aluminum is much harder to fix due to heat treatments. I've broken both styles of frames. For what I ride and how I like to ride carbon fiber checks all of the boxes.
  • 1 0
 Do not really care of material frame made if it fits my size and have avesome gometry, get the bike that your are willling and ride it, do not bother your mind with unnessesery stuff
  • 1 1
 Got the cheapest Rallon last year just for the frame. Today near everything as been replaced and the stock parts replace. Building it to my liking in my budget. Pity this option in not in the pool.
  • 4 1
 I always buy the comp version then upgrade slowly but surely!
  • 8 4
 Steel! It's real!
  • 2 0
 And cheap...
  • 3 4
 Carbon does have a life span. It will eventually start cracking from regular use even if your not beating the heck out of it racing. It might take years worth of weekend rides for an average joe. I dont think the carbon bikes of today will be around for resale in 10 years. I still see aluminum mtbs for sale from 90s to present. I know that people usually dont keep there rides that long but some do. They cracked 2 yeti carbon rear triangles on bible of bikes.
  • 2 0
 I hope you're wrong cause I don't see anybody wanting to buy my 26" carbon bike anytime soon,fingers crossed it lasts
  • 2 0
 I like aluminum for the bikes I know I'm going to drop a lot, like my dirt jumper. Carbon for my race bikes.
  • 2 1
 Hardtail - carbon or titanium. Full suspension - good quality aluminum and spend money on wheels and suspension bits. Carbon handlebars always.
  • 1 2
 Carbon,hands down.coming from a few DH aluminum bikes then getting a carbon DH bike was a big big difference at speed with vibration.now I have a carbon trail bike and it's the tits...however I bought my rig used because obviously a new high end carbon bike is too damn much at retail prices
  • 4 1
 Blinged out carbon or budget aluminum?
  • 2 0
 I like the idea of carbon but definitely I prefer alu or steel because ease of fixing it.
  • 4 1
 Why not blinged-out carbon?
  • 1 0
 I pretty well only ride dj. There is no Carbon dj frames in production. But I would probably get one, save some weight plus there are no rocks where I ride!
  • 1 0
 The forgot to add the choice:
I will pick something when all the "standards" insanity dies down.
  • 19 17
 Metal frames only please, not interested in this plastic nonsense.
  • 2 1
 i just get ep pricing on all my high end carbon frames... but if i had to pay retail it would be alu frame with nice parts
  • 4 3
 I've had 8 bikes over the years... 5 Aluminum and 3 Carbon...
Now I only have 3 bikes...
All Carbon. Wink
  • 2 1
 I'm going out on a limb to say... I like a Blinged Alu Frame with Carbon Paint for lighter weight & durability!
  • 2 1
 If you can't recycle it, I dont want it. Unless it's free. I'll ride anthing for free.
  • 1 1
 Of course..only in America!
  • 1 1
 Interesting reading other peoples comments. I usually get shot down in a ball of flames when i give my opinion on carbon but its good to see im not the only one!
  • 1 0
 Keep saving your money to get a carbon frame decked out with the best partsor see if you can buy something used!
  • 1 1
 high end aluminium all the way. Just got myself the new 2016 enduro in aluminium and its a force to be wreckin with
  • 1 0
 Metal beats plastic in my book.
  • 1 0
 Awesome poll and pretty interesting to see the early results.
  • 4 2
 26" 4 lyfe
  • 1 0
 I'll stick with my surely heavier steel or alloy frames.
  • 2 1
 Steel. Www.starlingcycles.com
  • 1 0
 .........
  • 1 0
 Why not both?
  • 1 0
 I bought a hammock!
  • 1 0
 I don't farkin' know.
  • 1 0
 Its all about steel!
  • 1 1
 Awesome poll, PB.
  • 5 6
 Carbon is retarded ,I've seen too many cracked frames
  • 4 7
 I guess if your sponsored carbon is good otherwise aluminum is the best
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