Carbon vs Steel?

[ridemoreoften]

Hi Folks,
I'm new to this site so be easy on me, especially with this topic. I ride a CIII and love it, however, feel the urge to buy a carbon build. Can't affort the Serotta but am looking at a Look 585. Two questions, who has experience with the 585 and second, am I nuts for shelling out $5K when I own a perfectly great ride. I'm thinking the Look will be faster, my buddy says just get out and ride more. What do you think?
PS This is rich ground for comment. Txs.

[14max]

*

[DarrenCT]

your buddy is correct. keep the steel bike and ride more

[mike p]

Of course your buddys correct, but that shouldn't stop you from buying more bikes and having fun. If the kids have food on the table, then go ahead try something new. Justin's got a great CF bike in the classifieds now.

Mike

[Dan Le foot]

Everyone should have at lease one steel and one carbon in the stable. Not a matter of faster. For most of us lighter wheels and 10 lbs off the body will make us faster.
You can find nice used 585's for half that much.
Good luck.
Dan

[Chris]

We covered this earlier in the week, but you may have missed it. I personally think that of all the materials, carbon gives you the least bang for your buck. Don't get me wrong, I have a carbon bike and I like carbon bikes in general. However, when you look at what you have to pay to have one compared to the other materials, I think you find that much of that has to do with material availability and not carbon's superiority to these other materials. Read the article on the CAAD8 (one of my favorite bikes) here http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/ and pay attention to where he discusses the head to head comparison with the Colnago carbon.

[soulspinner]

Your buddy is right but buy what you want. This life is short... :beer:

[don'TreadOnMe]

Jump in and get it.

Try a good carbon bike and if you like it more, then hook someone up w/that fine CIII. If the Look doesn't quite live up to your expectations, no biggie, and pass it on. There's no need to ever stop searching for more bike...
I think you'll find there's not much better than a CIII that's built the way you like.

Just ride the heck out of whatever you get. The more/faster you go, the greater the chance you'll figure out exactly what you want in a frameset.

[Fixed]

ride cos the more you ride the more you want
cheers imho :beer:

[dirtdigger88]

my consulting fee = 5k

go ride

I take cash only

Jason

[1centaur]

First, that CAAD8 link tells us nothing about why the aluminum bike was kept vs. the Colnago, though I have observed the more a cyclist views a frame as a tool the less he perceives about subtle ride quality differences. The fact is that people like different materials or just can't tell the difference. You can read comments from proponents of every material until the cows come home and not know how YOU will perceive the differences. That's why the LBS god created test rides (which are worthless if they are not long or you are not analytical about your sensations on the bike).

On this board you can count on two things:

Not being called nuts for shelling out $5k even if you have a perfectly good ride, and being told that steel is just as good as (or better than) carbon fiber and it's all in how the builder chooses to build the frame.

My opinion is that the first is true and the second is not - vibration travels through CF differently and you either perceive and like that difference or you don't. I do, and have a lot of CF bikes because of it. One of those is the 585, one of the few production CF bikes that squeezes into my top tier with the best custom frames for ride and construction quality. I find it more springy than most CF these days, but also consistently light to pick up because it is so balanced front to rear. I think that HSC5 fork is the best I've found. It's not a bike for a masher/sprinter, which is why Look went to stiffer layups and the 595 as options, but it's one of my favorite picks for long, fast rides with hills along the way. It's also a frame that has paired well with three different wheelsets: handbuilt low-section 1460 grams; Zipp 303s and Topolino AC29s. A lot of frames really have poor character with one set of wheels or another, but the 585 does not. If you have the money and want some variety and to see how CF rides, and if you are not 200 lbs of raw muscle and huge wattage, I think it's a great bike regardless of the price point and an excellent example of how nice CF can be.

[Climb01742]

let's say you had a great mexican meal. would you never try italian or french or chinese food because you liked mexican?

at some point in your riding life, try as many bikes as you can. you'll have the most knowledge to know what you genuinely like. in my experience, steel and carbon bikes ride differently. find out what you like. having a few bikes is one of the pleasures of riding.

just ride is as simplistic as saying just eat. why not eat, and ride, unique and diverse "flavors"?

[TAW]

let's say you had a great mexican meal. would you never try italian or french or chinese food because you liked mexican?

at some point in your riding life, try as many bikes as you can. you'll have the most knowledge to know what you genuinely like. in my experience, steel and carbon bikes ride differently. find out what you like. having a few bikes is one of the pleasures of riding.

just ride is as simplistic as saying just eat. why not eat, and ride, unique and diverse "flavors"?

That's a great way to put it. Most of the guys on this board have ridden a variety of materials and they find what they like and what they don't like. If you're looking for a frame and know your size, check out the classifieds on the board here. This is an excellent place to buy/sell.

[jimcav]

Hi Folks, Two questions, who has experience with the 585 and second, am I nuts for shelling out $5K when I own a perfectly great ride. Txs.
and i have 4 steel, from 1993 serotta to waterford r33 S3 ultralight steel. the 585 is more fun, faster in all ways than the old serotta. yet still very comfy--although for flat comfort, that old 93 is it... the very light steels are not really more comfy, but neither are they much heavier. i am selling my 585 (i think it is one of the best built up and low mileage 585s out there), but only because i have a crumpton and vxrs ulteam i like a little better--btw i got 585 new.
take your wheels to a shop that sells the 585 and have them put them on so you can compare the ride directly. for its pricepoint, the 585 is my favorite bike. things i like more cost much more (vxrs, meivici, crumpton). things near the same price or lower: bianchi 928, calfee, c40 hp, scott cr1 i did not like nearly as much.
ride one--i think you'll love it.
you can find NOS frames online for 2k and used bikes for 2500-4k depending on the build
look usa service is fantastic if you need it.
good luck
jim

[swoop]

carbon can be a great material. it's perfect for bikes.
steel can be a great material. its perfect for bikes.

[michael white]

carbon can be a great material. it's perfect for bikes.
steel can be a great material. its perfect for bikes.

also ti, the "other white meat" . . .

[DarrenCT]

We covered this earlier in the week, but you may have missed it. I personally think that of all the materials, carbon gives you the least bang for your buck. Don't get me wrong, I have a carbon bike and I like carbon bikes in general. However, when you look at what you have to pay to have one compared to the other materials, I think you find that much of that has to do with material availability and not carbon's superiority to these other materials. Read the article on the CAAD8 (one of my favorite bikes) here http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/ and pay attention to where he discusses the head to head comparison with the Colnago carbon.

pretty good article imo

very much true

[Jack Brunk]

carbon can be a great material. it's perfect for bikes.
steel can be a great material. its perfect for bikes.
Quote of the day!

[Blue Jays]

"my consulting fee = $5k

go ride

I take cash only

Jason"I contracted with dirtdigger88 for a bicycle-riding-quandary consulting gig back when he was charging $6K for professional advice:

I rode my steel bike and liked it.
Added a titanium bike and still liked it.
Supplemented that with a carbon fiber bike and STILL continued to like it.
Go for it!

[Orin]

I ride a CIII and love it, however, feel the urge to buy a carbon build. Can't affort the Serotta but am looking at a Look 585. Two questions, who has experience with the 585 and second, am I nuts for shelling out $5K when I own a perfectly great ride. I'm thinking the Look will be faster, my buddy says just get out and ride more.

$5k? Yes. Having a carbon fiber bike in the stable? No.

My "for the sake of it" carbon fiber bike is a 2006 Giant OCR C3 which was closed out at $1200 earlier this year. So it only has a Shimano 105/Ultegra/Truvativ/Tektro parts mix. They work. The wheels are HEAVY, but what do you expect at that price... the more expensive Giant OCR C bikes have better components (and perhaps carbon steerer), but have the same frame. I say go ride one and don't be surprised if it follows you home ;)

Orin.

[vaxn8r]

I contracted with dirtdigger88 for a bicycle-riding-quandary consulting gig back when he was charging $6K for professional advice:

I rode my steel bike and liked it.
Added a titanium bike and still liked it.
Supplemented that with a carbon fiber bike and STILL continued to like it.
Go for it!
Variety is a good thing. It's also nice to have a good back-up bike. Things happen.

[Dr. Doofus]

A new bike will not make you any faster. Will it provide you with a different type of pleasure than your current one? Possibly -- or definitely. Go ride a 585...if you like the aesthetic feedback of that particular carbon frame, and you enjoy the feel of the frame as much as you do the act of riding the bike, then have a session with your checkbook. If you two agree about buying the frame, then buy it, if that will give you pleasure.

I'm one of the "bikes are tools" guys. I love my Rock Lobster and my Pacenti because they are good bikes -- but there are a lot of good bikes out there. What gives me pleasure is the personal interaction that was involved in the process of both bikes, and the color of both bikes. In the end, its all about color. I like my Fuji 'Cross Comp because its blue.