Are alloy bikes making a comeback? Will pro riders start choosing metal bikes over carbon ones? Alex & Ollie dive right into whether alloy or carbon fibre bikes are the future! They also cover a new aluminium bike from Orbea, limited edition SunGod sunglasses, an outrageous custom-painted bike, plus the bike vault and comments of the week!
⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️
00:00 Welcome to the GCN Tech Show!
00:31 Have carbon fibre bikes had their day?
11:50 Hot and spicy tech
11:59 New Orbea Avant #AD
14:00 Limited Edition SunGod Vulcans (Sunglasses)
14:39 Zwift’s Tour of Watopia & GCN x Zwift Club Rides! #AD
15:48 Incredible custom paint-job by tattoo artist
18:58 Comments of the Week
21:52 Bike Vault
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What do you think the future holds for aluminium, steel, titanium, and carbon fibre bikes? 🚲
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25 Comments
What do you think the future holds for carbon fibre bikes? 🚲 👇
just retired an aluminum frame after 120000km of service. Irreparable cracked chainstay. Aluminum has a finite fatigue life, unlike steel, carbon, ti.
If ‘green environment’ is the issue, then the same will go with other sports. Tennis racquets & golf clubs will be made of nylon composite or wood (this one leads to deforestation), auto racing in simulator , etc.
Nope
I have Pinarello 1992 with Campagnolo SuperRecord, Trek Alumininium frame with Shimano 105 (2010) (gone), Specialized Diverge with Shimano GRX (2022) (my daughter has it now) and custom Ti frame with SRAM XPLR. From all these bikes, the 1992 Pinarello is still AMAZING bike to ride. Feels and rides great. Is it the fastest, lightest, etc, bike? No, it is not. But it rides like a dream. I love to go for up to 20km rides on it for pure enjoyment.
the custom Ti frame is designed to be single bike with two wheel-sets, one road and one gravel. The lateral stiffness is 10/10 and the vertical compliance is 6/10. With titanium and steel you can design such frame. Went with titanium frame, as from my experience with high end steel, it will last forever. Group sets change and as they age out become very expensive (I dread the moment when looking for original Campagnolo, but they look just beautiful).
Now here is the most important part, 55 yo with about 87kg. Is the bike 1-2 kilo heavier or lighter, don't care much, as much I enjoy the ride and the time with the frineds out on the road. I hope to keep my custom Ti bike for next 20 years and enjoy many, many great rides
Scandium is only found in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden!
intelligent, price conscious, rational cyclists never left alloy/metal.
15 yrs ago my 50 yr old tri-athelete, iron man coworker was invested to the tune of 8k for a carbon frama.
well, he no longer competes, trains or rides for that matter.
did that frame make him 10 positions better? nope.
the industry priced themselves out of business
I’ve had (broke) a couple of carbon fiber mountain bikes, but I now ride a Hydro formed aluminum framed bike. The weight difference is negligible, and they are significantly more compliant than they used to be.
I appreciate the note regarding environmental concerns driving the materials decisions. Kudos to that!
I just got a carbon gravel bike. Love the comfort compared to my aluminum bikes before.
I appreciate Ollie's comparison of carbon fiber to Gore's Shakedry membrane, which I agree was a a nearly miraculous product. It appears that Shakedry's replacement has now hit the market with two new rain jackets from Rapha. "Shakedry" isn''t mentioned, but Rapha states that the jacket is PFAS-free and "waterproof," and it definitely carries the Shakedry price premium. I hope GCN will test the jacket soon.
For Christmas I’d like an aero,fully integrated alloy rim brake road bike
If only Cannondale or Specialized would release an updated anniversary edition of the Supersix and Tarmac rim brake editions.
I think the future may be 3D printed plastic frames. Light, stiff, infinitely variable, and inexpensive to manufacture. Eventually the plastics may even be compostable.
I thought the Orbea looked pretty good.
My next bike will never be made of carbon.
Just to set you straight, any metal bike will be an alloy. Whether it is steel ( an alloy) aluminium, titanium or magnesium, they are all alloys in their useful form. Pure metals are not much good for anything structural. Where are the magnesium bikes, by the way?
I had one carbon one. Never again.
Sturdiness and silence are the best features of metal. I even prefer steel. (my LBS told me, that more people ask for steel)
Let’s be clear. “Renewables” and Net Zero is the biggest scam ever inflicted on the developed world, which has been crushed economically as a result. The same young generation that has believed the environmental hoax is equally naive in understanding global population decline. The developed world is well below replacement birth rate with the exception of third world sub Saharan Africa, who live in poverty and can’t even afford these bikes. Do you begin to grasp the stupidity in believing that carbon bike frames will need to reduce because of environmental concerns? Painfully low resolution thinking.
Also rim brakes are coming back❤.
I just bought my first carbon bike, Otso Waheela w/shimano GRX 11 speed for $2400 because it's the 2022 model, the current year frame only is $2700.
2.1" tire clearance and just over 20lbs no complaints.
I've got a carbon roadie, a steel fixie commuter, scandium/aluminium track bike and an aluminium MTB.
Can definitely see a departure from carbon as the meagre weight and stiffness gains can't compete with the price, repairability, and robustness of alloy in my opinion. If I bought a carbon bike for offroad I'd be constantly worried about a rock cracking the front of the down tube, maybe that's an unfounded fear though?
Carbon is a kind of reinforced plastic right?
I'm still waiting for unobtanium frames.GCN, why are you not covering them more?
Steel is real, but titanium gets all up in your cranium, yo!
I have a Lynskey R240 with mechanical shifting, rim brakes, and exposed cables. It's virtually bombproof and easy to work on. It's stiff enough yet comfortable. It's also stable, but responsive enough to flick around a surprise pothole without feeling twitchy. Unfortunately the one limitation (after me, of course) is that the triangle only has clearance for a 25c tire. Otherwise , it's a fantastic bike that does everything I need it to for road riding and even some light duty mixed surface riding in dry conditions.
For those who will say I am a retro grouch because of the rim brakes, I have a newer Lynskey with disc brakes, too. I like the R240 better.
Excellent show. I agree that metal bikes are the future. Carbon fibre will be replaced with some new super technology. That Orbea is stunning though the toolbox spoils it.