|
|
| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
How fragile are different bicycle frame materials, especially cannondale? |
I'm looking to buy a new bicycle, i think i'm going to get a cannondale and i've been researching frames and my options are aluminum, carbon, or alloy. It will be a road bike and everywhere i read i find warnings saying how fragile these bikes are, particularly the carbon and aluminum, that if the drop or anything it might dent or crack. I don't race a whole lot but i want something that i can have for a while but will also be very comfortable riding for long periods of time. Does anyone have good advice or experience with these frames and can tell me if these are huge factors that I should worry about or are the warnings just because it has happened a few times. "Alloy" could apply to aluminium, steel, titanium, or any other combination of metals. No biggie. In the real world, a quality bike made from any of the above will hold up fine to several years of hard riding, as long as you take proper care not to squish it, crunch it, bend it, crash it, or otherwise to anything but ride it. Carbon gets griped on because if proper care isn't take, small cracks can develop that lead to big problems, or the tubes can be crushed in a clamp or by banging hard into something (like when handlebars whip around in a crash) Aluminum gets damaged when it's bent at all - like in a crash, it doesn't take well to bending and unbending. Steel and Ti are more resilient, but can also get beat up. i have a giant ocr3 for about a year now and nothing is wrong with it i've had some falls and nothing damaging the bike. cannondales are good strong bikes. i would go with a giant or a cannondale. Carbon frames are more fragile than aluminum or steel frames, but when it comes to everyday riding, you shouldn't worry about denting or cracking your frame. Some carbon frames may have a weight limit so if you are a clydesdale rider (200+ lbs) you may want to do some research into the specific frame to see if that is an issue. Most if not all the major manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on the frame so if you do damage it, new frame! That is a great question. I have rarely ever seen a steel or aluminum frame run into trouble any only witnessed a small number of carbon fiber frames run into trouble. I personally don't like carbon fiber's ride. It feels to "spongy" to me. But that may just be me and how I ride. I would look STRONGLY at Cannondale's financial situation before I would buy their product and keep it for a while. I have broken the rear chainstays off of one, and dented the toptube with my knee from a MILD crash. I use to race on Cannondales exclusively - but, if it were my money, I would look at something else! Magnesium by the way, is EXTREMELY CORROSIVE and does NOT weather well at all - realistic three year lifespan! - read here: http://www.magnesium.com/w3/forum/read.p... Pound for pound Aluminum is stronger than steal - read here: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materi... Bike Shop Manager As far as aluminum frames are concerned, Cannondale has a well-deserved reputation fro making solid, strong and light bikes. I've seen a few catastrophic failures on aluminum frames but never a Cannondale. The worst I've seen on a C-dale is a dented tube (think beer can, just stronger). Aluminum C-dales are hand made in USA so quality is not an issue. Even the rough ride of aluminum has been minimized. If you want a bike that is hard to damage, steel is the way to go although there are some superlight steels that have thin walls that dent easily. If you want indestructible, titanium is the only choice. Heard many stories of race crashes involving badly hurt riders and intact titanium frames. Nice ride too. |
| Tags |
| Recumbent Bike Bmx Bike Kids Bike Schwinn Bike Cruiser Bike Road Bike Folding Bike Mountain Bike |
| Related information |
"Alloy" could apply to aluminium, steel, titanium, or any other combination of metals. No biggie. In the real world, a quality bike made from any of the above will hold up fine... I work in an A+E/ER dept. I don't see as many bicycle accidents in adults as I do motorcycle ones. The speeds involved also make serious inj more likely on mb's. I have had 2 fatalit... The rider has a weight W = 60 kg*9.8 m/s*2 That weight generates a torque of W*length of the crank arm. T = W*.155 m The torque is passed on to the wheel and the torque T can then be... Most of your reputable and industry leading manufacturers have STRICT policies against selling their products online. You don't get to be industry leader if you let internet sales decre... You are very limited in that price range. I would recommend checking Craigslist for a higher quality used bike. Try a search for "cyclocross" bikes- they have many characteristics ... If you are sure that it is the right size and in good condition. I would go for the Co-motion. I would recommend servicing it though. Your bound to get many years of good riding out of it. ... I'd recommend a cro-moly steel framed touring bike. There are many manufacturers of these. They are designed for touring long distance with large loads. The tourers usually come with ... You acn buy it online at............. amazon.com... |
Bike Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |