Carbon Fiber Mountain Bike Frame Vs Aluminum

High failure rate carbon fiber frames are more likely to fail than steel aluminum or titanium.

Carbon fiber mountain bike frame vs aluminum.

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. It s possible to build very light and capable bikes out of either aluminum or carbon. It has a significant meaning especially for cross country racers where the weight and stiffness will result in razor sharp ultra responsive ride. The aluminum santa cruz bronson frame sells for 1999 while the carbon cc version sells for 3299.

Aluminum frames possess the shortest fatigue life of any material used to manufacture bicycle frames. Carbon fiber doesn t exhibit this type of crack propagation. When you re riding a carbon fiber frame that has been designed with this in mind you can add a tremendous amount of power to your ride by transferring this energy to the back wheel. That s a 1300 difference.

A carbon frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminum equivalent. The transition smuggler aluminum frame sells for 1999 while the carbon version sells for 2999 a 1000 difference. Ride quality is more noticeable on road frames than mountain frames with vibrations being damped by carbon more so than aluminum. You can pay anywhere from 1500 6000 for a carbon fiber bike frame.

Conversely carbon possesses the longest fatigue life. Most manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on carbon frames. Less comfortable ride because the material is so rigid the ride may feel harsher. Carbon fiber doesn t dampen bumps or vibrations like steel or titanium can.

Carbon however rules supreme in this area. No as aluminum has a grain structure that can propagate cracks if surface damage occurs. In fact low end carbon frames have some undesirable characteristics associated with them such as a wooden and dead feeling. Just because a bike uses a carbon frame does not mean it s as good as bikes that are optimized and use quality carbon.

Yes as carbon is obviously a softer material than aluminum so damage can occur due to direct contact with rocks or the ground more easily. Low end bikes made using cheap carbon frames are not necessarily better than aluminum frame bikes. The primary difference between carbon and aluminum comes down to weight and ride quality. When it comes to the strength to weight ratio few materials can come close to carbon fiber.

But the stiffer doesn t always mean better even for competitive riders. Carbon fiber frames are more expensive than steel or aluminum.