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Bowman Palace:R frame, fork & headset 2017

10
£695.00

VERDICT:

10
10
One of the best racers out there just got better and more refined – and it's a bargain too
Weight: 
1,500g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Delivering astounding levels of performance and excellent handling, the Bowman Palace:R is an exceptional race machine just perfect for pushing you up the points table in your local race league or smashing that pb on your favourite loop.

Bowman has taken our Frameset of the Year 2014, the original Palace, and made it better in pretty much every single way.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

Bowman Palace R - riding 3.jpg

Refined, Revised, Reborn

That's what Bowman says about the Palace:R on its website, having made small tweaks throughout the frame and fork to make the whole setup a little more refined, chucking another 'r' word in there.

Thankfully one thing that hasn't been touched is the geometry. "Handling is the start point of every frame we design," said Neil Webb, Bowman's head honcho and the man behind the design, when I discussed the original Palace with him.

Bowman Palace R.jpg

Heading off from the office on the Palace:R, it took a mile or two to get acquainted with the handling – not exactly helped by the Bath traffic – but I was soon back in the groove, with the Bowman feeling settled and under control.

I'd just delivered the Merlin Nitro SL back to road.cc HQ, a bike that rode very well and was no slouch in the handling department, but it was amazing just how much more direct and quick the steering felt on the Bowman.

Bowman Palace R - bars.jpg

With the first technical descent appearing, I just pointed the Palace:R at the first apex and unleashed it. The downhill probably lasts a couple of minutes, though its rough surface, tight bends and heavy traffic make it a real challenge to nail every line just right. The Bowman was in its absolute element.

Hunkered in the drops, I flew into each of the bends, scrubbing a little speed on the way in if needed before kissing either the kerb or the central white line, before blasting out the other side to do it all over again at the next corner.

Bowman Palace R - headtube.jpg

Even when unsettled by a ripple in the road surface or avoiding a pothole appearing mid-bend, the Bowman just deals with it by you applying a little bit of weight onto the handlebar to tweak its line.

The Palace:R also feels just that little bit more settled on the road than the previous Palace, bringing a slightly more planted feel over rough road surfaces and, with that, even more confidence to push things right to the edge.

With a frame weight of 1,145g and a 355g fork, the Bowman is responsive, especially when it's wearing a pair of lightweight carbon fibre wheels. The Boyd deep-sections you can see in the pictures are very fast indeed, and the Palace:R's stiffness levels made full use of them when it came to massive acceleration and sprinting.

Bowman Palace R - tyre and rim.jpg

In the interest of keeping the playing field as level as possible, I spent quite a lot of time using the same set of Miche Altur wheels I used on the original Palace for general riding. You lose a little bit of the aerodynamic gain, but the Palace:R was still massively responsive and became even more stable in crosswinds.

The way the Bowman responds to your effort is phenomenal and something you never tire of as you sprint to the next group or just drop the hammer for that village sign sprint.

This translates to a decent climbing machine too. Whether you're out of the saddle or seated, the Palace:R stands firm, that new profiled seat tube obviously doing its job at the bottom bracket junction.

Bowman Palace R - riding 2.jpg

Another thing that has been refined is the comfort levels. Don't get me wrong, the Palace:R is still a firm machine and probably won't be your first choice for long jaunts out into the country, but I did a few three and four-hour rides on it and never once found it uncomfortable. The new triple-butted tubeset could possibly be just absorbing that little bit of extra road buzz. You'll be rattling through those miles at speed, too, so if you are going out for a set time you'll be covering a bit more distance than normal.

Bowman Palace R - chain stay.jpg

My average speed on the Bowman was always higher than normal, irrespective of the type of route.

Frame and fork

Neil discussed all of the updates to the new Palace:R in a video with us a few weeks back, but I'll give you a little recap here too.

The Palace used the same grade of alloy, but for the Palace:R the 6069 triple-butted tubes have been tweaked to create profiles with thinner tube walls but maintaining the same levels of stiffness.

Bowman Palace R - rear brake.jpg

The key thing here is obviously weight loss, as all of these small changes have seen the frame lose around 150g. Stripped down, this 54cm test model weighed a very impressive 1,145g. Well up there with the best in the business.

A key feature of the new frame is the FlareSquare seat tube. It's wide and squared in profile at the bottom bracket, the idea being to resist the twisting forces during hard accelerations. It's something we've seen on what is probably the Palace:R's main rival, the Kinesis Aithein.

Bowman Palace R - frame detail.jpg

Beefing up this area has also allowed Bowman to go for a narrower bottom bracket shell and external threaded bearing setup rather than the original model that used a Press Fit bottom bracket, without sacrificing stiffness. If anything, I'd say the Palace:R feels even stiffer.

Up at the top, the seat tube accepts a 27.2mm-diameter seatpost, which will allow the smallest amount of flex for comfort compared with a 31.6mm.

Bowman Palace R - top tube detail 2.jpg

The Palace:R still uses external cable runs for mechanical groupsets but the guides are removable and replaceable should you want to go internally for Di2 or other electronic gearing.

The head tube is tapered, and inserted into it is a new full carbon fork which weighs 355g, impressive for a fork this stiff. It doesn't suffer from chatter or flex at all under heavy braking or hard cornering.

Bowman Palace R - fork.jpg

The frames are available in six sizes from 50-60cm and come in either the black/jade you see here or green on green.

Value and competition

The Palace:R's direct competition is going to be the aforementioned Kinesis Athein and Cannondale's CAAD12. Both are top flight alloy race bikes that deliver in exactly the same places as the Bowman.

Handling and stiffness from these two are pretty exceptional, so the Palace:R really needs to shine to take the crown – which it does by a decent margin.

> Buyer's Guide: Aluminium road bikes

I own an Aithein, have done for about three years now, and I love it. I don't ride it as much as I'd like, but when I do I get that little grin spread across my face, especially in the twisty bits.

Back when I reviewed the original Palace I had that and the Kinesis on a pretty equal footing, with the Aithein taking it on comfort. This new, refined Palace:R has the edge everywhere – the handling feels sharper, it's more responsive, and as far as comfort goes you can't separate them. The Bowman is 20 quid more expensive at £695, but it's worth the extra purple note.

Bowman Palace R - head tube badge.jpg

With regard to the Cannondale, the Palace was marginally better than the CAAD10 when I tested it, especially in terms of harshness, and although the CAAD12 is a more refined beast, the Palace:R in my opinion still takes the trophy. Prices for the CAAD12 frameset online range from £799.99 to £850. I'm a big fan of Cannondale's alloy bikes, but I know which I'd go for.

Conclusion

If you want an alloy bike to race or just... No, scrap that. If you want a bike to race or just get out there and blast around on, then the Bowman Palace:R needs to be right up there at the top of your wishlist.

It's sensibly priced and you are going to struggle to find anything near it that offers such a punchy, thrilling and grin-inducing ride.

I love it. Any bike that can give you goosebumps when you're just planning a ride on it is a winner in my book!

Verdict

One of the best racers out there just got better and more refined – and it's a bargain too

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Bowman Palace:R frame, fork & headset 2017

Size tested: 54cm

Frameset

Tell us what the frameset is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Bowman says: "Learning from what made the first Palace great, we've refined small details, totally revised the whole tube-set and the Palace is reborn – we give you: The Palace:R."

"A bike as at home on the hairpins of the Col De Soller as it is on dead man's turn at the race circuit from which its name derives, the Palace R is everything you could need from a speed focused road machine."

The Palace:R is a much more refined version of the original Palace.

State the frame and fork material and method of construction

*6069-T6 triple butted frame

*Toray HM, full carbon, tapered steerer fork

*Di2 compatible, removable cable guides

*Forged 1-1/8 to 1.5in tapered head-tube

*Asymmetric chainstays

*FlareSquare seat tube

Overall rating for frameset
 
9/10

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

A well built and finished frameset and it's great to see provision for internal electronic gearing wires too.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

50 52 54 56 58 60

top tube (effective) 505 520 535 560 585 600

head tube 120 130 140 160 180 200

head angle 71.5 72 72.5 73 73.5 73.5

seat angle 74.5 74 73.5 73 72.5 72

seat tube c-t 495 515 525 540 560 580

chainstays 400 405 405 405 410 410

bb drop 70 70 70 70 70 70

stack 519 530 542 562 583 602

reach 361 368 375 388 401 404

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

Our 54cm model has a stack of 542mm and reach of 375mm, which makes it very slightly taller and shorter than my equivalent Kinesis Aithien frame.

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

Yes. The ride quality is more refined than the original Palace, so better on long rides.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

The level of stiffness is near perfect.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Brilliantly efficient.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?

A tiny bit.

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive? Lively.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

The Palace:R's handling is its defining characteristic; the steering feels razor sharp and so communicative.

Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for high speed stability:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:
 
9/10
Rate the bike for low speed stability:
 
9/10
Rate the bike for flat cornering:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for cornering on descents:
 
10/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
 
9/10

How did the build components work with the frame? Was there anything you would have changed?

The build here is quite high-end with its carbon fibre bar/stem setup and deep-section wheels, but the frame isn't overshadowed. The wheels were very fast but also very twitchy in the wind.

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Absolutely!

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

Rate the bike overall for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the bike overall for value:
 
8/10

Use this box to explain your score

If you're after a 'point and shoot' bike for racing then the Palace:R is quite literally one of the best available. All of that performance and stiffness doesn't cost a fortune either.

Overall rating: 10/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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54 comments

Avatar
mhalliwell | 5 years ago
0 likes

I know this is a little older thread, but I'll throw in my two cents (or pence) in here anyway.

I've been using both carbon fibre and alloy for a variety of purposes for over 30 years now and carbon fibre has come a long way, but, both materials still have their strengths and weaknesses...something that isn't going to change. When you consider steel and titanium as well, it can be even more challenging to pick a "best" for all purposes.

Carbon fibre can be made into whatever shape you want and is extremely resilient...but it's not tough at all. You can do a lot to carbon fibre and it will be fine, but you can also do very little to carbon fibre and it will be completely useless....it's an all or nothing type of material. I recently killed a fairly high end carbon bike frame with damage that would have left a small dent in an alloy frame. It's the same if you crash....the frame will be fine, or it won't....there's no middle ground with carbon.

Similarly, alloy is tough, but not as resilient. It will bend, deform and can readily be welded...but it's harder to customize the shape and you're going to pick up nicks, dents and other damage that a carbon frame wouldn't be susceptible to. You can also have fatigue issues or bends that take things out of alignment and cause other issues that you won't get with carbon.

Alloy can transmit a bit more road "buzz", which is why many alloy frames come with carbon forks and seatposts. On the flip side, carbon can absorb too much of the road noise (depending on how the frame and fork are laid up) and feel "dead."

At this price point, you have your choice of either a higher end alloy frame or a lower end carbon frame. I personally don't think you'll get a lower end carbon frame with the type of carbon, number of layers, orientation of layers and type of resin (i.e. overall lay up) to be comparable to a higher end alloy frame in terms of quality and longevity. Add $1000 /  £500, and I think things flip entirely and you get a much better carbon frame that most alloy frames cannot match.

Avatar
steelerswheels | 6 years ago
1 like

Lordy! Now if that Palace R had disc brakes then I think Bowman could single handedly put a stop to n+1 forever! 

Avatar
Rahario replied to steelerswheels | 6 years ago
0 likes
steelerswheels wrote:

Lordy! Now if that Palace R had disc brakes then I think Bowman could single handedly put a stop to n+1 forever! 

The new Pilgrims Disc has very similar geometry to PalaceR, with just slight differences, and has similar frameset weight.

I've ordered one, and have probably reached S-1 in the process...

Avatar
dazlyons0102 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Good morning gents,

 

I am in a slight predicament with ordering the correct frame size of the Palace:R.

 

I'm 173cm with a 78cm inseam. Size guide points me towards the 54 frame, but I notice that the tester is 180cm and rode the 54 with a 130mm stem. I'm also wanting to run a longer stem, of 120mm so was swaying towards the 52 frame instead...

 

Can anybody who has or has rode one of these please give a bit of advice?

 

TIA.

Avatar
PJB123 replied to dazlyons0102 | 6 years ago
0 likes
dazlyons0102 wrote:

Good morning gents,

 

I am in a slight predicament with ordering the correct frame size of the Palace:R.

 

I'm 173cm with a 78cm inseam. Size guide points me towards the 54 frame, but I notice that the tester is 180cm and rode the 54 with a 130mm stem. I'm also wanting to run a longer stem, of 120mm so was swaying towards the 52 frame instead...

 

Can anybody who has or has rode one of these please give a bit of advice?

 

TIA.

 

Daz I would suggest emailing them.

I am in a similiar position to yourself but I have a shorter inseam. I emailed them myself t ask about sizing as I was in between two and they were very helpful

Avatar
dazlyons0102 replied to PJB123 | 6 years ago
0 likes
PJB123 wrote:
dazlyons0102 wrote:

Good morning gents,

 

I am in a slight predicament with ordering the correct frame size of the Palace:R.

 

I'm 173cm with a 78cm inseam. Size guide points me towards the 54 frame, but I notice that the tester is 180cm and rode the 54 with a 130mm stem. I'm also wanting to run a longer stem, of 120mm so was swaying towards the 52 frame instead...

 

Can anybody who has or has rode one of these please give a bit of advice?

 

TIA.

 

Daz I would suggest emailing them.

I am in a similiar position to yourself but I have a shorter inseam. I emailed them myself t ask about sizing as I was in between two and they were very helpful

Thanks.

I will do!

Avatar
veskox | 6 years ago
0 likes

What is a max fit tire ? On older version 28c what is hire? This frame can fit Continental Grand Prix 4000s2 in size 25c ???

Avatar
khaostik | 6 years ago
0 likes

I've bought a 54 carbon Viner mitus 0.6 from planet-x and I can say that the stifness sucks. At 74kg and  while standing/climbing I can clearly feel the BB flexing. Having this said.. It was cheap.. It costed me around 600€.. but if I knew in advance how it was I would have bought a canyon ultimate al which costs just a little bit more.

Until today I've had some bikes: Fuji team issue c7, canyon ultimate cf, canyon ultimate al, giant advanced sl, and the viner mitus.. and clearly the viner is the worse of all in terms os stiffness.

So for me, high end al is definitivly a go instead of entry level carbon.

Cheers,

Filipe Dias

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
0 likes

Disc argument aside, i love a nice alu frame, i was fortunate to have owned/ridden two Principia's.

The first was the Rex e, almost horizontal top tube, oversized downtube, weighed 1385g in a 57, rocket ship, put your foot down with purpose from the first pedal stroke and it just took off. The Isaac forks were fantastic and only 365g.

Had mine with DA 9 speed/FRM CU2 cranks and a Brooks Pro. Edit: Just checked my data sheets and with DA7700, FSA K force light cranks, gigantex 38mm CF hoops, Velo ti saddle, shimano 105 pedals it came in at 7192.4g!

Second and because it was a bit too small I didn't hold onto it long was an RS6, even more rocket ship like than the Rex e but a bit more meat on the bone compared to the uber light RS6 pro which is even lighter than the Bowman here at 1120g for the 55.

In terms of how it feels for outright speed and agility I'd have either of my Principia's all day long over my KTM which is no slouch and a lovely thing to ride but the prinny's are a cut above.

I sold the RS6 to a chap about 6-7 years ago (For less than £200 IIRC) who was going to use it for crits, he'd had one before and reckoned it was superior to every middle range CF frame he'd ridden (& I got the sense he'd ridden a few) and many top end ones of the time for this type of racing.

I'm not so keen on the colour scheme pictured here, squared off tubes are a bit meh but a lightweight, tight and snappy frame like this is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face for short blasts and longer.

Avatar
mtbtomo | 6 years ago
1 like

All fairly subjective isn't it?

There are probably very few bad frames out there and without riding a few different ones, one would be none the wiser as to what they preferred or thought was better.

Planet X and Ribble get good write ups in the magazine's and they'll be as cheap as the Bowman but so what??......

Avatar
Skylark | 6 years ago
0 likes

They're all up to it now. Ripping off the reference design of a modern alloy frame which has already been invented and perfected for almost like over ten years now. If they wish to show innvation (should they even care) then they'd come out with something fundamentally new. It isn't going to happen.

Avatar
mtbtomo | 6 years ago
0 likes

What do you mean by dry fibre??  Surely if there's no delamination and its just residue from resin, then there's no issue I would think?

Avatar
Tom_D | 6 years ago
3 likes

I managed to get hold of a custom painted frame just as I moved from England to Germany so I could fit in with all the euro-fluro.

So far I have done about 800 miles around the German/Austrian Alps with a mixture of every type of road possible, from 10 mile alpine climbs to short group blasts after work or all day through the valleys with the girlfirend, and have loved every minute of it.

With an Ultegra/Dura Ace mix, Fizik R1 finishing kit/cockpit and some Fulcrum Zero Nites, its about 7.1kg, so pretty good with room for improvement.

It may be wheel related (was on Easton tubs previously), but it is harsher over long distances than previous carbon bikes (Bianchi Oltre), but like people have said, its designed as a point and shoot weapon, and the handling around the corners in the Alps is so much more fun.

PS. Long time lurker, first time poster.  If anyone is in the Munich/Ingolstadt/Bavaria area and fancies a ride then drop me a line

 

Avatar
Vejnemojnen | 6 years ago
1 like

I have 4 buddies who sold their alloy bikes, because they simply could not tolerate riding it.. 

 

all of them switched to crabon.. none of them wants to go back. oh, and I have a a buddy who owns a bikeshop. the ratio between sold alloy and cf bikes is around 1 to 5.. 

 

i guess, people are just plain stupid to avoid alloy..

Avatar
mtbtomo | 6 years ago
6 likes

Crikey, all this talk of comfort, there will be talk of do they have mudguard mounts next

They're marketed as race bikes.  As (relatively) cheap race/fast bikes they fulfil that brief.  I can get comfort out of a carbon seat post, bigger tyres, different saddle if I want it when I'm racing.  So long as it holds the road well and isn't harsh to the point of being uncontrollable on rough surfaces - which I've yet to find a bike that would be that bad - then they more than do the job.

Racing crits for between 1/2 hour - 1 hour or even a road race of say ~60 miles, comfort doesn't come high up on my priority list and doubt other racers either.

And is the Aithein's weight limit really that low for anyone who races competitively??

Avatar
700c replied to mtbtomo | 6 years ago
0 likes
mtbtomo wrote:

Crikey, all this talk of comfort, there will be talk of do they have mudguard mounts next

They're marketed as race bikes.  As (relatively) cheap race/fast bikes they fulfil that brief.  I can get comfort out of a carbon seat post, bigger tyres, different saddle if I want it when I'm racing.  So long as it holds the road well and isn't harsh to the point of being uncontrollable on rough surfaces - which I've yet to find a bike that would be that bad - then they more than do the job.

Racing crits for between 1/2 hour - 1 hour or even a road race of say ~60 miles, comfort doesn't come high up on my priority list and doubt other racers either.

And is the Aithein's weight limit really that low for anyone who races competitively??

 

Sure, they're not endurance / sportive bikes or whatever, and yes would be good for crits for competitive racers.  But I still think that's a fairly small proportion of readers on this site.

FWIW the Athein's rider weight limit, at 14 stone/ 89 KG is pretty much my weight - and at 6'2 I don't think many would consider me *that* overweight! But of course I'm not a competitive amateur racer.

I was just making the point that, if you need to specify such a weight limit, then there are clearly compromises on the strength to make the alloy that light.  

That said I do admire the technology in these frames and there's nothing wrong with Aluminium. I rode alu/ scandium Kinesis frames for some while and loved them.

Avatar
pablo | 6 years ago
0 likes

I'd have no problems buying a high end alu frame in fact I'm looking for a caad12 or 10 frameset. I own a evo hi-mod and have ridden a caad12 on holiday and while it's not as good (in a very narrow window) as the hi-mod I still want to own one. Alot of the ones at a decent used price do have dings to the point I might go for a new frameset at the end of the season. might even go disc but I'd have to buy a new wheelsets which seems pointless when I have a few other sets about and I'd rather do a trainer ride than get wet anyway.

Avatar
700c | 6 years ago
0 likes

There are compromises to make aluminum this light. Namely durability/ strength:

The kinesis athein that everyone raves about has a pretty low rider weight limit. I wonder if this one does too..

Also whilst they may be stiffer than eqivilent carbon, they sound like they're less comfortable (reviews don't exactly praise them for comfort).

Avatar
Jimmy Ray Will | 6 years ago
1 like

There are very few £700 carbon framesets that deliver anything like a race level performance available out there. 

However, that money will get you something really good made out of Alloy. 

Yes, it won't be as refined a ride as a top carbon frame, it probably won't last as long as a decent carbon frame, but then it costs a third of the price.

That is the joy, opportunity put forward by these frames.

A few guys in my club are now crit racing on alloy frames, despite owning top end carbon rigs. 

For them, the weight penalty is not as important around the local circuit as it is in a road race, therefore the affordability on the alloy frame is the way forward. i.e. if you stack it on a £600 frame as apposed to a £3k frame, its not the absolute end of the world. 

 

Avatar
Chapo replied to Jimmy Ray Will | 6 years ago
1 like
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:

It won't be as refined a ride as a top carbon frame, it probably won't last as long as a decent carbon frame, but then it costs a third of the price.

I have a Canyon Ultimate AL SLX (and other bikes  1 ). Current retail £700 - so same ballpark as all the other premium alloys. It's light. Very light. The size XS - weighs 1kg. 

Stiff ride. Like a race bike should be. But compliant. Run it with 25mm tires. And have no hesitation taking it on longer rides.

The biggest influence on ride is - tube profile. 
ie. Steel can be made stiff and uncompromising. Alloy can be made compliant.

A decent carbon frame - you're paying for higher grade carbon. It won't necessarily be any stronger or stiffer than a cheaper carbon frame. But it will be lighter. But what that means is there is no connection between price and longevity of a carbon frame. And it doesn't mean a premium alloy frame will be any less durable. 

 

Avatar
gnarlyrider replied to Jimmy Ray Will | 6 years ago
0 likes
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:

There are very few £700 carbon framesets that deliver anything like a race level performance available out there. 

However, that money will get you something really good made out of Alloy. 

Anyone have a view where decent performance starts for a carbon frame? Do you need to go to one of the brands - Trek, Giant, Specialised, BMC, Cervelo, Pinarello.. or are there anything worth a look among the smaller names - Planet X, Dolan, Ribble or other alternatives? 

Avatar
DrJDog | 6 years ago
1 like

I had an Aithein and went to an entry level supersix evo and never looked back. Far more comfortable, felt stiffer out of the saddle, and the front end of the Aithein was as twitchy as anything I've ever ridden.

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bigblue | 6 years ago
0 likes

.

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mtbtomo | 6 years ago
1 like

I had a Giant TCR SLR alloy, Kinesis Aithein and a not exactly budget carbon framed bike.  When I couldn't justify three race bikes, it was the carbon frame that I sold.  It just felt a bit dull, not as sharp or responsive when I stomped on the pedals in a race.  The difference was probably slight but I felt like I could tell a difference.

 

I now still have the Giant and another decent carbon frame and I like both.  Decent alu frames feel good under acceleration, no doubt some cheap carbon frames do too and some will feel softer, but I don't see how anyone can make such blanket statements that carbon is better regardless. 

 

And have you seen the weights for some budget carbon frames?  Well over 1kg and often heavier than these premium alu frames.  IIRC the cheapest Trek Madone (before the aero one came out) was 1350g frame weight!!

Avatar
csdnorton | 6 years ago
0 likes

Hi Stu,

After riding a carbon TCR for the past 8 years I have just ordered a Palace:R and am very excited to change over to Alloy.  I have noticed you are 180cm and rode the 54" frame. I am 181cm and ordered the 56". I am a little worried I have ordered the wrong size. What would you suggest from your test? 

Thanks

Charlie

Avatar
Stu Kerton replied to csdnorton | 6 years ago
0 likes

csdnorton wrote:

Hi Stu,

After riding a carbon TCR for the past 8 years I have just ordered a Palace:R and am very excited to change over to Alloy.  I have noticed you are 180cm and rode the 54" frame. I am 181cm and ordered the 56". I am a little worried I have ordered the wrong size. What would you suggest from your test? 

Thanks

Charlie

Hi Charlie, 

You should be fine. For my height I tend to ride a size smaller than most as I like a really compact position, a lot of seatpost and a slammed front end.

Virtually every bike brand places my height with a larger frame.

Stu

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dazlyons0102 replied to csdnorton | 6 years ago
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csdnorton wrote:

Hi Stu,

After riding a carbon TCR for the past 8 years I have just ordered a Palace:R and am very excited to change over to Alloy.  I have noticed you are 180cm and rode the 54" frame. I am 181cm and ordered the 56". I am a little worried I have ordered the wrong size. What would you suggest from your test? 

Thanks

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

How did you get on with the frame size that you ordered? Would you say you could've sized down to the 54? I'm just about to order and am unsure whether to go for a 54 or 52. 

Best wishes,

Darren 

 

 

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yupiteru | 6 years ago
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The problem is I have never had a problem stopping in the rain with good caliper rim brakes, so don't feel the need for disc brakes especially when in my opinion disc brakes are so god dam ugly.

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themuffle replied to yupiteru | 6 years ago
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Well, commuting 52 weeks a year and braking can be a big problem - you get a horrible grimy paste build up on your pads/rims and braking does take considerably longer. Also your wheels are goung to last a lot longer with discs. With the new flat mount I think they look ok and mainly when it comes to my brakes on a bicycle I would like the most effecient system possible!

 

yupiteru wrote:

The problem is I have never had a problem stopping in the rain with good caliper rim brakes, so don't feel the need for disc brakes especially when in my opinion disc brakes are so god dam ugly.

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P3t3 replied to themuffle | 6 years ago
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njmoffat wrote:

Well, commuting 52 weeks a year and braking can be a big problem - you get a horrible grimy paste build up on your pads/rims and braking does take considerably longer.

This is a race bike. If you are commuting 52weeks a year on this then you are doing it wrong!  1

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