Mountain Bike Aluminum Frame Vs Carbon Fiber

Carbon comes in various grades.

Mountain bike aluminum frame vs carbon fiber. The density of modern carbon fiber is about 1 9 g cm 3 compared to aluminum which has a density of about 2 3 g cm 3. The aluminum santa cruz bronson frame sells for 1999 while the carbon cc version sells for 3299. A carbon frame will almost always be lighter than an aluminum equivalent. Carbon frames are usually a bit lighter than aluminum up to a pound for mountain frames and up to a half pound on road frames.

That s a 1300 difference. The primary difference between carbon and aluminum comes down to weight and ride quality. The transition smuggler aluminum frame sells for 1999 while the carbon version sells for 2999 a 1000 difference. This means carbon bikes feel much faster while accelerating and will be much more responsive when setting off.

That begs the obvious question is a 1 5 pound weight saving worth the extra cash. When it comes to the strength to weight ratio few materials can come close to carbon fiber. While both aluminum and carbon bikes will offer a little bit of flex in this way carbon bikes will offer a far greater amount of power. Not all carbon however is created equal.

Ride quality is more noticeable on road frames than mountain frames with vibrations being damped by carbon more so than aluminum.