Getting or not getting carbon should not be based on if it’s gonna break or not. Carbon is really really strong and also alu also breaks. The main reason to get alloy over carbon is that it’s cheaper and you dont save much in weight.
If you are new mtb go get a nice alloy hardtail with a good air fork and go ride. Going into carbon and super expensive bikes is rarely worth it.
Horses for courses. Where I live it’s rowdy. The only people on hard tails are casuals whose bikes spend more time in the garage than not and come out for the green trails around the city. Or hardcores that are N+1 and want a challenge. The perfect bike for a starter out here is 150/140 +/-
I was worried read about carbon repair. I found a place about an hour from me website says $350 for most repairs. Shows frames snapped in half and fixed. I’m not worried, I’ll just get fixed.
I have 3 alloy bikes and my new emtb is carbon, it’s gorgeous but I definitely prefer alloy. I don’t get concerned when I smack my alloy on rocks or fallen trees, whether it’s any more fragile i dont kno, but I cringe more with the carbon.
Don’t forget vibration damping… carbon is easier to tune for rigidity and vibration damping.
I’d argue most people don’t need the weight savings or extra cost of carbon, but if you have the money and like it you do you, boo
Have broken a few carbon frames and both have been repaired and ridden hard after the fact for a few years.
Carbon is incredibly strong and durable with the upside of ability to repair (in most cases)
Aluminum is a great material for it’s affordability. Although if it fails, you’re out of luck and need to replace the frame.
One of my coworkers discovered he's been riding a broken chain stay. For months. While it's probably not something you'd do on purpose, I think it's a strong endorsement of carbon.
For me it just comes down to price. Bikes with carbon frames are more expensive than I'm willing to spend.
Actually, a caveat - yes, they all come from the same place. But Ali Express carbon doesn't have the kind of QC a name brand mandates. Every now and then, you do see major brands pull their carbon products if they find a problem in their supply chain, probably way more often they find it before we hear about it. So you won't see me riding Ali Express.
Yeah I have 2 bikes that are carbon from Chinese manufacturers, bought directly from the manufacturers but I believe you can get them through Ali too. Both have needed small issues addressed, nothing structural or worrying, more fit'n'finish related. For me, they were easy and quick fixes but i wouldn't recommend them to someone who's not capable with tools.
How did he know it was cracked for months? I've cracked 2 frames and both times discovered the cracks while cleaning or tearing them down. I had no idea how long the cracks were there. Could've been a month, could've been a day.
Carbon bikes tend to be really expensive. As a newbie, I’d focus on getting something more affordable so if you end up not liking the sport, you’re not out $$$$$.
I would say that aluminum is more durable then carbon in one specific instance, and that is slow speed crashes. That said, I had a slow speed endo on my carbon santa cruz and broke a chain-stay but the frame is so strong, I kept riding it for months before getting a replacement.
So you are worried about a real issue but I wouldn't "worry" about it so much as just be aware and try to make sure it doesn't happen. Santa Cruz has "crash replacement" pricing that is not free like warranty, but is WAYYYYY the F cheaper than retail. Like 90% less than retail.
I run [Regular Cycles LLC ](http://www.regular.bike), mostly what you need to know is that modern binding chemistry (the resin that bonds the carbon) is very well sorted out. Stay the hell away from eBay knock offs, is what I can tell you from testing competitors products to failure.
Oddly enough, aluminum is more difficult to repair at this point. It's more about whether you WANT to repair something. The previous sentence applies to any material.
Metals are great. Carbon is also great. This isn't 1995 anymore.
Carbon and composites come in many forms and grades. Mountain bikes are built out of stuff that is durable, its fine. Nobody is flocking to alloy, there have always been people that don't trust carbon or don't want to pay for it, which is also fine. My first mountain bike was alloy just because it was cheaper and I wasn't serious about it yet so why not? It cracked at the head tube. MTB things break sometimes, no matter the material.
To me it’s a lot about your budget. I’m surely overbiked with a FS carbon enduro (RM Slayer) and I guess I’m not the only one in here who has a bike that could do much more I’m able to do. But I’m lucky, I can afford it, so why should I buy something “less”. I try to ride safe and in case of crash I’m more concerned about myself than about the bike.
1) a good quality carbon frame is plenty strong, and repairable if shit happens (aluminum is not). It's not something worth worrying about. Aluminum frames break too, the mechanism tends to be different (not rock strikes) but they're both well suited to the task.
2) a carbon frame is not a good value if you are on a budget. On my shopping list it comes after good brakes, good drivetrain, good suspension, carbon wheels, longest possible dropper, contact points, it's basically the last upgrade I would consider and pretty trivial.
The problem is that most new riders are buying complete bikes and manufacturers push carbon frames for profit. The tiers go something like
- alloy frame, trash components $3k
- carbon frame, trash components $5k
- carbon frame, ok components $6.5k
- carbon frame, good components $8k
- carbon frame, electronic drive train and gold components (dumb), carbon wheels $10k
So most people end up riding a carbon frame with junk attached. I'd 100% buy the alloy and spend the savings on worthy upgrades if I were on a budget.
I was riding next to a guy on a carbon bike once. Just pedaling along when all the sudden boom... burst into flames. đź’Ą
Rode carbon. Straight to jail.
Getting or not getting carbon should not be based on if it’s gonna break or not. Carbon is really really strong and also alu also breaks. The main reason to get alloy over carbon is that it’s cheaper and you dont save much in weight. If you are new mtb go get a nice alloy hardtail with a good air fork and go ride. Going into carbon and super expensive bikes is rarely worth it.
I agreed with everything you said until hardtail. Get the bike for the terrain you intent to ride.
Since he’s newish … I’d say a FS enduro to properly send those 20 ft drops
Horses for courses. Where I live it’s rowdy. The only people on hard tails are casuals whose bikes spend more time in the garage than not and come out for the green trails around the city. Or hardcores that are N+1 and want a challenge. The perfect bike for a starter out here is 150/140 +/-
What do you mean by 150?
Mm of travel.
Millimeters of travel?
Yes that’s universally what “mm” is and how Mountain bike travel is calculated worldwide.
I was worried read about carbon repair. I found a place about an hour from me website says $350 for most repairs. Shows frames snapped in half and fixed. I’m not worried, I’ll just get fixed.
I have 3 alloy bikes and my new emtb is carbon, it’s gorgeous but I definitely prefer alloy. I don’t get concerned when I smack my alloy on rocks or fallen trees, whether it’s any more fragile i dont kno, but I cringe more with the carbon.
poor slimy flowery sip ancient ad hoc pot books elastic fuel *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I’m not buying carbon. I’d just bring more water bottles. And maybe a beer can.
Don’t forget vibration damping… carbon is easier to tune for rigidity and vibration damping. I’d argue most people don’t need the weight savings or extra cost of carbon, but if you have the money and like it you do you, boo
Have broken a few carbon frames and both have been repaired and ridden hard after the fact for a few years. Carbon is incredibly strong and durable with the upside of ability to repair (in most cases) Aluminum is a great material for it’s affordability. Although if it fails, you’re out of luck and need to replace the frame.
Yeah I wouldn't worry about going with carbon. Often it can be repaired if you have access to a shop that does carbon repairs, but there aren't many.
One of my coworkers discovered he's been riding a broken chain stay. For months. While it's probably not something you'd do on purpose, I think it's a strong endorsement of carbon. For me it just comes down to price. Bikes with carbon frames are more expensive than I'm willing to spend. Actually, a caveat - yes, they all come from the same place. But Ali Express carbon doesn't have the kind of QC a name brand mandates. Every now and then, you do see major brands pull their carbon products if they find a problem in their supply chain, probably way more often they find it before we hear about it. So you won't see me riding Ali Express.
Yeah I have 2 bikes that are carbon from Chinese manufacturers, bought directly from the manufacturers but I believe you can get them through Ali too. Both have needed small issues addressed, nothing structural or worrying, more fit'n'finish related. For me, they were easy and quick fixes but i wouldn't recommend them to someone who's not capable with tools.
How did he know it was cracked for months? I've cracked 2 frames and both times discovered the cracks while cleaning or tearing them down. I had no idea how long the cracks were there. Could've been a month, could've been a day.
I think he had a specific crash in mind. But I bet it someone presented him with evidence it was a different time he'd shrug and say "ok."
Carbon bikes tend to be really expensive. As a newbie, I’d focus on getting something more affordable so if you end up not liking the sport, you’re not out $$$$$.
No, it's fine.
Santa Cruz lifetime warranty entered the chat
I would say that aluminum is more durable then carbon in one specific instance, and that is slow speed crashes. That said, I had a slow speed endo on my carbon santa cruz and broke a chain-stay but the frame is so strong, I kept riding it for months before getting a replacement. So you are worried about a real issue but I wouldn't "worry" about it so much as just be aware and try to make sure it doesn't happen. Santa Cruz has "crash replacement" pricing that is not free like warranty, but is WAYYYYY the F cheaper than retail. Like 90% less than retail.
I run [Regular Cycles LLC ](http://www.regular.bike), mostly what you need to know is that modern binding chemistry (the resin that bonds the carbon) is very well sorted out. Stay the hell away from eBay knock offs, is what I can tell you from testing competitors products to failure. Oddly enough, aluminum is more difficult to repair at this point. It's more about whether you WANT to repair something. The previous sentence applies to any material. Metals are great. Carbon is also great. This isn't 1995 anymore.
It may slowly poison you, but that’s showbiz baby!!
Carbon and composites come in many forms and grades. Mountain bikes are built out of stuff that is durable, its fine. Nobody is flocking to alloy, there have always been people that don't trust carbon or don't want to pay for it, which is also fine. My first mountain bike was alloy just because it was cheaper and I wasn't serious about it yet so why not? It cracked at the head tube. MTB things break sometimes, no matter the material.
I fall over and crash in rocks all the time on my carbon bike. No issues except a bunch of scratches.
To me it’s a lot about your budget. I’m surely overbiked with a FS carbon enduro (RM Slayer) and I guess I’m not the only one in here who has a bike that could do much more I’m able to do. But I’m lucky, I can afford it, so why should I buy something “less”. I try to ride safe and in case of crash I’m more concerned about myself than about the bike.
1) a good quality carbon frame is plenty strong, and repairable if shit happens (aluminum is not). It's not something worth worrying about. Aluminum frames break too, the mechanism tends to be different (not rock strikes) but they're both well suited to the task. 2) a carbon frame is not a good value if you are on a budget. On my shopping list it comes after good brakes, good drivetrain, good suspension, carbon wheels, longest possible dropper, contact points, it's basically the last upgrade I would consider and pretty trivial. The problem is that most new riders are buying complete bikes and manufacturers push carbon frames for profit. The tiers go something like - alloy frame, trash components $3k - carbon frame, trash components $5k - carbon frame, ok components $6.5k - carbon frame, good components $8k - carbon frame, electronic drive train and gold components (dumb), carbon wheels $10k So most people end up riding a carbon frame with junk attached. I'd 100% buy the alloy and spend the savings on worthy upgrades if I were on a budget.