Carbon vs Aluminium Bike Frame
Carbon vs Aluminium Bike Frame
In this post, I will compare carbon vs aluminium bike frames, to help you decide which is best for you. Frame material is one of the most significant considerations of buying a mountain bike. The majority of mountain bike frames are made from carbon or aluminium. Both materials have their advantages and disadvantages. But the main deciding factor is down to budget. Carbon frames are more expensive, but is the extra cost worth it?
Durability
These days, both frame materials are pretty solid. However, be very cautious about buying cheap carbon frames from China. These tend to snap at the worst moment, leaving you in a pile of shattered carbon and broken bones.
However, we will stick to talking about quality carbon and aluminium frames.
In a crash that is dramatic enough to cause damage to your frame, an aluminium frame will probably dent or bend. This is not good news, but you should still be able to ride home.
A similar crash on a carbon frame could cause a crack in the frame. You really should not ride a carbon bike with a cracked frame, as it probably won’t be safe.
Sometimes carbon frames can be repaired, depending on where the crack is. You will struggle to get an aluminium frame properly fixed, so you will probably have to replace it. But, the lower price of aluminium frames should take the sting out this slightly.
It is said that aluminium frames have a fatigue life of around five years, making them a little softer and more flexible. Whereas carbon frames don’t fatigue or deteriorate ever. However, I’m not sure how accurate this is, as there are decades-old aluminium frames and carbon frames that need fixing after a year or so. If you opt for a mountain bike with a carbon frame, it is worth finding a manufacturer who offers a lifetime warranty on their frames, such as Santa Cruz.
How Do They Ride?
If you were to do a back to back test between Carbon vs Aluminium Bike Frames, you would notice a difference.
Carbon mountain bike frames are a little lighter and provide a smoother ride quality. The characteristics of carbon include improved vibration damping, making it more comfortable to ride.
The ride characteristics differ between the two materials. Carbon frames are lighter and provide better ride quality. The improved ride quality is more noticeable on a road bike, as it dampens out vibrations from the road better than aluminium.
But that doesn’t mean your fillings will be shaken loose when you ride an aluminium bike. Manufacturers build modern aluminium frames from higher-quality aluminium, using advanced manufacturing processes. Aluminium frames are made using hydro-forming the tubes, which improves ride quality. Manufacturers can adjust the shape and thickness of bike’s tubing at strategic areas of the frame. This allows them to add strength where it is needed most.
Carbon frames make a bike more comfortable to ride, but the difference from aluminium frames is reducing. If the comfort of a mountain bike is important to you, you should not be focussing on frame material. The amount of suspension a bike has makes much more of a difference to comfort.
Learn how to choose between hardtail vs full suspension mountain bikes
Carbon mountain bike frames can be two to five times stiffer than aluminium frames. This stiffness makes a difference in how the bike handles and how efficient it is to pedal. A carbon frame gives you an ultra-responsive bike that maximises the power transfer to the pedals. Combined with the weight saving, this is why carbon is popular with cross country riders.
But you might not benefit from an ultra-stiff mountain bike. Many enduro, trail, and downhill riders ride with alloy frames. Aluminium frames give them extra flex and forgiveness, which can benefit their style of riding.
Weight
Lots of mountain bikers like to shave off as much weight as possible from their bikes. You can save weight with either a carbon or aluminium frame, but, it is easier with a carbon bike, as they are lighter when you compare them directly.
Just because a bike is carbon, it doesn’t automatically mean it is going to be light. This is because not all carbon fibre is the same, as there are different grades. Some carbon frames are just as heavy as their aluminium counterparts. This is due to the carbon being of lower quality to bring the price down.
Difference In Price
Carbon fibre framed mountain bikes are getting less expensive, but they are still more costly than aluminium bikes. This is down to the manufacturing process. Building a carbon frame involves more hands-on work from heat pressing, drilling, demolding, de-flashing, finishing, etc. An aluminium frame is much quicker to make, as it is formed and welded in a much shorter time.
You also have to realise that carbon bikes are higher-end items. This means manufacturers fit them with more expensive components. There is no making a super lightweight frame if you are going to stick lots of cheap and heavy bits on it.
Carbon vs Aluminium Bike Frame
Realistically, when you are buying a mountain bike, you are limited by your budget. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, splash out and buy your dream carbon framed mountain bike. But, for those of us that don’t have that luxury, we have to think about what we are going to use our bikes for.
Are you going to be entering races? Do you really need to shave off a few grams? If the answer to these questions is no, an aluminium mountain bike will probably be ideal for you.
For example, I rode a Santa Cruz Megatower last summer. It was lovely to ride, super smooth, responsive and comfortable. However, I jumped back on my aluminium Nukeproof Mega, and still loved it. Even though the Santa Cruz was excellent, I would not benefit by spending an extra few thousand more than my Nukeproof. I would benefit more by spending the money on mountain bike coaching (which is what I have been doing).
When it comes to Carbon vs Aluminium Bike Frames, there will be compromises. If you don’t want to spend all of your money, and still get an exceptional mountain bike, you would be better off buying an aluminium mountain bike. You can often find aluminium framed bikes with excellent components, and some even have better ones than carbon bikes. Also, with the money you have saved, you can upgrade the components.
The main thing is to buy a bike that will make you happy. If you don’t spend the extra money on the carbon bike, will you regret it? Will you be more than happy on a high-quality aluminium bike?
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Hi….My name is Mick and I’m bike mechanic with some ideas in the future…please follow my on Instagram
michailasivasinas
Cycling is in my blood!!!
Thanks, will do.