Carbon Vs Aluminum Bike Frame Weight

Buy carbon if you want the lightest and stiffest road bike money can buy or because you want to go aero.

Carbon vs aluminum bike frame weight.

The perception is that if an aluminum product is bent in a crash it s the fault of the crash. When looking to purchase a new bike the question of choosing between carbon and aluminum alloy frame pops up frequently. The more butting the. 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. The quality of the frame will ultimately determine weight. In general carbon fiber frames are lighter than aluminum frames. In order to achieve a greater strength to weight ratio quality aluminium bike frames are butted.

Carbon fibre can be relatively easily manipulated by designers to create frames with the particular balance of properties they want whether that s low weight comfort stiffness. Ride quality is more noticeable on road frames than mountain frames with vibrations being damped by carbon more so than aluminum. When it comes to bike frames aluminium is alloyed with another metal. A carbon fibre frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminium equivalent and you ll only find carbon fibre bikes in the pro peloton in part because of the weight benefits.

It is hard to pin down a hard and fast rule about how much lighter a carbon frame is compared to an aluminum one. A well built lightweight aluminum frame could weigh less than an inexpensive carbon frame. Great road bikes for under 1 000. Even if you re not a weight weenie a lighter bike can improve the riding experience.

In comparison an aluminum bike can get very close to that weight limit. Different factors like frame size manufacturer components and wheels have a big effect on weight but most aluminum bikes come in at around 18 pounds or lighter while still costing far less than a carbon fiber bike. For example a santa cruz bronson carbon frame may boast a 1 5 pound weight saving over the aluminum version while the carbon pivot switchblade might be 1 9 pounds lighter than the aluminum switchblade. Whilst it s possible to make a light bike out of either material when it comes to weight carbon definitely has the advantage.

Some say it s even better to buy a cheap carbon frame bike than an aluminum frame bike while others insist that cheap carbon frame bikes aren t worth your money and you should stick with metal in a tight budget. Carbon however rules supreme in this area. But an aluminum frame wouldn t have come out of that crash in usable condition.