Carbon vs Aluminium at the £1500 mark

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #30958
    Rilkal47

    Hi Everyone,

    I am looking at spending around the £1500 mark, at this range should I be looking for a Carbon frame or Aluminium? I am torn between the Canyon Endurace AL 7 Disk or the Ribble R872 Disc. Both weigh about the same, both have the Shim 105 groupset.

    https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-r … ano-105-1/

    https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes … ection-tab

    https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=cany … z.LG|w.700

    The main trade offs seem to be the Canyon has better wheels and an 11-34 cassette vs the Ribble having a 11-32 cassette with a carbon frame.

    I’d prefer disc brakes however this caught my eye and I’m astounded that o could afford Ultegra

    https://www.decathlon.co.uk/edr-af-endurance-road-bike-white-black-ultegra-id_8569095.html

    It would mainly be for proper riding with a club and events like London to Brighton over commuting as I’ve got a gravel bike for that so I am not worried about the fragility of CF

    Is CF at this price point a bad Idea or is it better from an upgradability standpoint?

Viewing 4 replies - 16 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • #961947
    0
    Rilkal47

    I was thinking the Ribble too

    I was thinking the Ribble too. It’s the one I’ve liked most from the get go. 

    #961945
    0
    hmjb

    Have you considered second

    Have you considered second hand? Have a look at Road Cycle Exchange (https://roadcycleexchange.com/) in Kingston and Strype Street Cycles (https://www.instagram.com/sscrecycle/)  – both sell used bikes with warranties and will take I know that Road Cycle Exchange will also take Cyclescheme vouchers as well. You could get a LOT more for your money.

    #961943
    0
    bobbinogs

    I reckon that cassette ratio

    I reckon that cassette ratio and a slightly better wheelset aren’t deciding factors in this, give it 12 months and there is a good chance that both could be replaced by then.  11/32 & 11/34 are cassettes with a much bigger range than I would use personally, 11t is very much over-rated/under-used for many ‘normal‘ riders and a 34t at the back is a very low gear if matched with a 34 on the front.  

    Regarding the frame material, it really is a case of ‘it depends’.  I would rather have a good frame fullstop, than a poor one irrespective of material and, IMO, there is a lot of nonsense talked about the magical properties of CF anyway. However, what makes a good and average frame is never easy to determine and most people just use the terms to mean that the frame they like has the right geo and excites them (stack/reach…colour). 

    Groupset? Totally agree that current 105 is very good and most people wouldn’t notice a difference between it and Ultegra (in fact I run a 4700/5800 combo on my AL winter bike and that gives me everything I want from a groupset, same goes for Potenza on my CF summer bike).

    So, it all kind of boils down to…all the options look good and there are many others too.  I would suggest the OP pops down to a decent LBS and has a look at a few, have a chat with the people there and some of the folks in your club…then pick one that fits, you like the look of and want to ride.

    #961941
    0
    Compact Corned Beef

    They all look capable and

    They all look capable and good value but I’d go for the Ribble. Discs are a big draw and while the wheelset on the Canyon is better than the Ribble, neither are good enough rule out an upgrade down the line.

    11-32 or 11-34 is much of a muchness unless you’re going somewhere really steep. 105 over Ultegra at club run/occasional sportive level doesn’t make sense for me personally.

    And I like teal.

Viewing 4 replies - 16 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.