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    Is Carbon REALLY Better Than Aluminium?



    This video contains product placement for Trek Bikes. If you have a few thousand pounds or dollars to spend on a new road bike, you’ll be right in the territory of some very nice carbon bikes. But is that the best way to spend your money?

    In this video, we compare two bikes that are absolutely identical in spec. But one is carbon and one is aluminium…and £1,000 cheaper.

    The sensible money would likely opt for the aluminium bike, but does the carbon frame offer a tangible improvement in performance or ride quality?

    We’re here to help you decide on how to choose between an aluminium road bike and a carbon road bike.

    We’ll guide you through the differences in the frame material, pit these two bikes against each other up a proper climb and, as a bonus, show you how you could upgrade the aluminium bike with the money you saved.

    #TrekBikes #TrekEmonda #CarbonVsAluminium

    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro
    01:03 Carbon vs aluminium differences
    01:36 Which is faster?
    02:12 Which is heavier?
    03:43 Which is more durable?
    04:49 Bike head to head
    05:35 Looks
    06:39 Weight
    07:42 Climbing
    08:38 Compliance
    09:55 Upgrading Alloy
    10:33 Conclusion

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    Related

    View 25 Comments

    25 Comments

    3. beeldpuntXVI on

      Aluminium is for many the best. Material. It's less stiff so it compensates beter for rider fatigue. Rougher terrain, cobbles material flex is preferable so you don't need compensators
      Carbon is an indicator. In cheap production and high upsel and creating new problems. That needs to be fixed by worse technology. Take for example tru axle wich is thechnicly. Worse than quickrelease.
      Carbon fibre has a lifespan of 3 tears and isn't recyclable.
      Al has an lifespan of 5 years and is 100% recyclable.

      I know. My choices…

    5. izzy706 on

      Aluminum frame with the upgraded carbon wheelset all day long a better route. Especially since modern aluminum frames are so much lighter, stronger, and aero. And with the ability to run wider tires, I would argue the road compliance is negligible.

    6. WesternUranus on

      You can find good aluminium frames second-hand for cheap and upgrade nearly everything
      The result is usually a better overall bike than a new, budget-oriented carbon frame and will still be cheaper.
      On the other hand buying a used carbon frame is like playing russion roulette.

      I'll get a high-end carbon frame when I have 8-10k to splash onto one, otherwise it's just stressful

    7. Sirios Star on

      Carbon vs alu is similar to
      mechanical vs electronic shifting .,
      Alu frames and mechanical shifters don't need to be "upgraded" to carbon because there is nothing wrong them . They have proven themselves for many decades to be strong and reliable , so moving to a carbon frame is not because it is so much better , it's not , but it is more of a prestige thing or it appeals to those that live in a world of splitting hairs or have a thing for micro techy talk which turns into hyperbole ,
      If you like carbon then by all means enjoy your purchase but don't try to justify your purchase on the basis of it being ' better ' .

    8. Stan Eby on

      Nothing new has been said. The winner in this video is not aluminum or carbon, it's the beautiful landscape. With lanscape like that…magnesium, titanium, steel or bamboo would do just fine.

    9. Buster Keaton on

      For the Emonda, the ALR seems like the better choice as the weight savings is so minimal and rider comfort isn't really what that bike is designed for. However, for the Madone or Domane where the frame is designed to flex for rider comfort, carbon is the only way to go.

    11. Mathew Emden on

      I have a 2004 Specialized Allez, (alluminum) I looked at upgrading to a carbon bike and to get something that was sub 18lbs (8.16 kg) I would have to spend over 5K. OR for $800 I could buy a new Ultecgra R8000 groupset. I upgraded the groupset then bought a mountain bike for $1000. I saved over $3k and now I can also go mountain biking with my friends!

    12. Jonathan Z on

      When the first really good emonda alr came out, they sold an emonda slr, sl, and s. The alr weighed less than the s 😂. And I think that was the last year they sold the s.

    14. Brian Hwang on

      This review is spot on. Aluminum framesets have gone a long way and the performance does not fully justify the price. But when you add up things like road feel, looking cool on your local bunch ride, and stiffness, for me at least its justified because I would love the bike more if it were carbon. Its the big TV argument, once you have a bigger one you cant ever go back and look at the smaller one. Once you have a good carbon frameset its hard to imagine without it due to the enjoyment factor. But if you have always ridden aluminum bikes and are happy keep doing so. Just doing ride carbon because you might be tempted to switch over. Been riding carbon framesets for over 10 years, cant imagine going back. Sorry. And is it just me but does 9kg sound incredibly heavy for a new bike??

    18. Marek Babal on

      good comparison and explanation. I do not know much about road bikes, I ride MTB. As mentioned, the AL bike has carbon fork, so the difference in over-all ride feel may not be that great. For years I thought that carbon is not for me, mainly because the price/value. Back in 2017 the bike I really wanted was available only in carbon (TREK Procaliber). I went for it and soon I realized what carbon is about. It simply soaks up vibrations better than AL. I felt a bit less beaten after riding our local trails than on my AL bike before. My rides became longer, fatigue came later (while I am getting older), simply a better ride experience.

    23. JustTheOtherDave on

      Buy the aluminum frame instead of the complete bike and you can spec better components all around for the same price (or less) than the complete carbon bike.

      Somehow fixing carbon is easy but aluminum is hard? In either case, you'll be sanding off some paint. With carbon, you are going to bond in some new fabric with new resin, but the fibers won't be continuous with the original frame layup, so either you over build the repair or it will be weaker – a carbon repair will never be the same strength and dimensions as the original. Aluminum, you can try to pop dents, but the area will be work hardened and you will need to use some body filler to smooth it out. Or, if you have a crack, you can grind and weld over. If you have an autobody shop in your area, you should be able to find someone locally who can fix aluminum. If you need to repair carbon, I wouldn't trust anyone who wasn't a card-carrying wizard. In either case, I'd expect the repair to add some grams of weight but nothing significant. Source: I used to design aircraft parts, wings, etc. and we chose to use aluminum over carbon because it was cheaper and easier to repair.

      Oh, and it's pronounced pre-"preg" – as in pre-impregnated with resin.

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