A carbon fiber frame is as good as aluminum bikes?

To be fair, top end alloy frames are stiff... mighty stiff, and mighty responsive. 

A good alloy frame is all but on a par with carbon in that region.

The problem is, with the dominance of carbon these days, you don't see many decent alloy bikes around... so peoples experience of alloy is of a non-responsive, and non-complant ride.

But even the good alloy frames fall short of carbon, in that its impossible to build in, power transferring stiffness, along with ride comforting complaince, light weight, and durability... you just can't have it all with alloy the way you can with carbon.

However, not all carbon frames are equal. A budgfet carbon frame can be dead, heavy, uncomfortable etc etc... 

The other difference is stiffness. On hills, or under acceleration, you can see and feel, the flex of an alloy frame. Pedal harder on a hill, more flex, and that twisting of the bottom bracket which you see, saps power that should be going to the back wheel. On any half decent carbon frame, there is no flex, and when you push harder, the bike responds instantly. Carbon bikes are just way more responsive.

If you want anything more specific, as Lincolndave says, your subject heading with no message doesn't provide much information!

90% of the time, crabon is superieur. more comfortable, more compliant, not prone to overuse failure (though direct impact hits will certainly harm it )

I'd grab a cf if I were you

Hi Amy, your post seems to have gone missing, what sort of cycling are you doing?