Carbon Fiber Mountain Bike Frame Vs Aluminum

While both aluminum and carbon bikes will offer a little bit of flex in this way carbon bikes will offer a far greater amount of power.

Carbon fiber mountain bike frame vs aluminum.

The typical aluminum frame possesses a life expectancy of five to 10 years. Conversely carbon possesses the longest fatigue life. You can pay anywhere from 1500 6000 for a carbon fiber bike frame. Quality carbon fibre offers 2 to 5 times more rigidity than aluminium and steel of the same weight.

That s a 1300 difference. Aluminum frames possess the shortest fatigue life of any material used to manufacture bicycle frames. When it comes to the strength to weight ratio few materials can come close to carbon fiber. A carbon frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminum equivalent.

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. No as aluminum has a grain structure that can propagate cracks if surface damage occurs. Carbon fiber doesn t exhibit this type of crack propagation. Carbon fiber doesn t dampen bumps or vibrations like steel or titanium can.

It s possible to build very light and capable bikes out of either aluminum or carbon. Carbon however rules supreme in this area. The aluminum santa cruz bronson frame sells for 1999 while the carbon cc version sells for 3299. Less comfortable ride because the material is so rigid the ride may feel harsher.

It has a significant meaning especially for cross country racers where the weight and stiffness will result in razor sharp ultra responsive ride. Low end bikes made using cheap carbon frames are not necessarily better than aluminum frame bikes. Carbon fiber frames are more expensive than steel or aluminum. Most manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on carbon frames.

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. But the stiffer doesn t always mean better even for competitive riders. In fact low end carbon frames have some undesirable characteristics associated with them such as a wooden and dead feeling. High failure rate carbon fiber frames are more likely to fail than steel aluminum or titanium.

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 primary difference between carbon and aluminum comes down to weight and ride quality.