Friday, November 2, 2007

Do we really need carbon bikes?

My buddy Tommy Bengel bought his 14 year-old daughter Nora an Orbea Orca full carbon fiber, Dura Ace, Kysrium SL, FSA carbon crank, carbon flat handle bar equipped rocket ship the other day. She now has a better bike than Tommy, her big brother Lee and me! I say carbon is overrated. Give me a nice Reynolds 853 steel bike or an aluminum Specialized any day... I mean, what does carbon give you other than a smooth, shock absorbing ride that handles corners better and is superior in sprinting stiffness than anything else out there. Yeah, carbon makes a beautiful appearance too. Okay, carbon is way cool! I'll keep my Specialized carbon Roubaix and my Giant OCR C1 carbon bike with the Dura Ace rear derailleur and FSA carbon crank. I just need to add more Dura Ace components and a better set of wheels to keep up with Nora...

1 comment:

john wyland said...

Steel is real !!
Actually my carbon road bike is the most comfortable and nimble road bike I've ever owned. I'd like to trade in the aluminum tandem back ache maker for a carbon tandem