Posted: 5/29/2024 7:48:32 PM EDT
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I've been riding a full suspension mountain bike for a while on the trails and loving it. It's awesome on the trails but sucks something awful on pavement. Now I'm looking at road bikes. The kicker is that I've already had a doctor inside my spine and I don't do well on hardtails. I'm definitely looking at the endurance bikes instead of the full out race bikes but do you guys think carbon fiber would be an asset to my back or is aluminum just fine? |
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Originally Posted By ScooterInVegas: Gravel bikes are like a road bike but with fatter tires so they handle little bumps much better. I ride a Crux Comp in carbon. https://assets.specialized.com/i/specialized/91423-52_CRUX-COMP-DOVGRY-METDKNVY_HERO?$scom-pdp-product-image$&fmt=auto I have also heard that tubeless 35c tires take the edge off the aluminum frames. |
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Originally Posted By PVFD304: My carbon bike rides much better than my AL frame bikes. I had an aluminum framed TT bike, it was fast but it really beat me up. |
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Originally Posted By Gigity: From what I understand gravel bikes and endurance bikes are nearly identical but gravel bikes have wider aggressive tires and 1x drivetrains. The endurance bikes are basically race bikes with more relaxed geometry. I have also heard that tubeless 35c tires take the edge off the aluminum frames. The tire recommendations above are likely a good starting point. You'll have some trouble finding some of the popular road tires in the wider widths but some certainly exist and there are great gravel tires in the 35-40+ width range that roll fast on pavement. Given your situation I would also look at your seat post options. Some posts are extremely stiff, others have varying degrees of flex. Same with seats. |
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Originally Posted By ScooterInVegas: I wouldn't run smaller than 38c and without question, tubeless is the way to go. I'm perfectly satisfied with a 35c tubeless setup on my Roubaix. To be honest I'm not sure 38c would fit and the GP5000 only go up to 35c, at least when I bought them. 
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CF definitely rides better than aluminum, day and night. It smooths out the high frequency stuff quite a bit. The biggest difference is the level of "tuning" that is possible. You can have one part of the bike relatively flexible, while another relatively stiff, all in a monocoque construction. I've ridden high end, custom steel and Ti bikes, but for a road bike carbon is still by far the best ride. I haven't looked at road bikes much in the past few years, but Specialized specifically had the Roubaix line that was a great mix of compliance and performance. If you google "compliant road bike" I'm sure you will get a bunch of hits for other opinions. |
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+1 on the specialized Roubaix. I have the new Roubaix pro, it’s a hell of a bike. The Devirge is also very nice. Geared a little lower and will run fatter tires. |
" Don't cry, nobody shoots Glocks anymore."
"But the new Admin. is a Master in IDPA"
"MASTER in IDPA..."
"is like C Class in IPSC!"
"But the new Admin. is a Master in IDPA"
"MASTER in IDPA..."
"is like C Class in IPSC!"
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Originally Posted By 3-gun: +1 on the specialized Roubaix. I have the new Roubaix pro, it's a hell of a bike. The Devirge is also very nice. Geared a little lower and will run fatter tires. Do you like the future shock on the Roubaix? |
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Originally Posted By Gigity: Currently debating the Roubaix 105 and Trek Domane. Both are $3,500. I rode a carbon Trek this weekend over a wood plank bridge and was blown away with how smooth it rode. Do you like the future shock on the Roubaix? Consider a used one, if you trust a bike shop to look over it assuming you don't know what to look for. You can get more bike for your money, though you will lose frame warranty. I have a Roubaix Comp, about a $5,800 bike. I paid $3k for it and it had 4 miles on it. Future shock is awesome. It's not a miracle working device, but it helps a ton. |
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The Roubaix pro I have has the same future shock as the s works. It works really well along with the carbon bars. The pro has SRAM Force AXS shifting. |
" Don't cry, nobody shoots Glocks anymore."
"But the new Admin. is a Master in IDPA"
"MASTER in IDPA..."
"is like C Class in IPSC!"
"But the new Admin. is a Master in IDPA"
"MASTER in IDPA..."
"is like C Class in IPSC!"
|
Carbon fiber greatly reduces road buzz and dampens vibration. An aluminum frame transmits every single tiny divot and bump up the seat post and into your back. A carbon frame is just as stiff as aluminum if not more so, and more compliant. Much easier to ride over long distances and not become fatigued. I’m currently on a Cannondale Supersix EVO with carbon seat post, bars and Reynolds ARX 29 carbon wheels with 28mm tires (Conti 5000 tubeless). It is a joy to ride and even tames chip sealed roads. No difference in speed and performance over my older bikes with 23mm tires. The new wheel and tire technology for road bikes has been amazing, especially reliable tubeless setups. |
+1 to cf being worth the cost. I'm a fairly new rider having only gotten into cycling about 5 years ago. My starter bike was an aluminum frame Trek with a front suspension. I quickly learned the cons of a heavier bike, vibration from the frame, and bad ergos with wide grip handlebars. Swapped it out for my current bike, a Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 1. Great value for the price. Has a cf frame, fork, wheels, handlebar, and seat post. Even without the front suspension of my last bike the overall ride is MUCH improved.
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Originally Posted By ScooterInVegas: Gravel bikes are like a road bike but with fatter tires so they handle little bumps much better. I ride a Crux Comp in carbon. https://assets.specialized.com/i/specialized/91423-52_CRUX-COMP-DOVGRY-METDKNVY_HERO?$scom-pdp-product-image$&fmt=auto Yep, gravel will give you a much wider range of tires sizes, and much more relaxed geo than a road bike. Some will accept a 2" mtb tire. And trust me when I say, going from tall stack, super slack mtb, to a gravel bike is interesting, they feel twitchy and unstable, like your going to superman at any moment. But damn they're fast.  |
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Originally Posted By AgeOne: Yep, gravel will give you a much wider range of tires sizes, and much more relaxed geo than a road bike. Some will accept a 2" mtb tire. And trust me when I say, going from tall stack, super slack mtb, to a gravel bike is interesting, they feel twitchy and unstable, like your going to superman at any moment. But damn they're fast. I frequently switch between my fairly modern and slack hardtail to an older road bike with a 990 mm wheelbase, the first few minutes back on the roadie can be a bit scary, that thing corners. Congrats on the nice bike OP. I really want a light carbon all-road with some gravel-ish tires and hydraulic disc brakes. That would replace two of my bikes with one. Edit: and be slightly less terrifying on anything besides hard surfaces. |