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Aluminium vs Carbon XC bikes - is there any speed difference?

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#21 · (Edited)
I would get the Trek Procaliber 9.6 for myself, because it comes in Radioactive Red. Effin' beautiful. That is a cool bike.

Sure, it isn't going to actually work as well as some other alternatives for cruising flat paths. But you and your friends enjoy that mountain bike experience and feel comfortable on them. The speed of the group ride will depend on the limitations of the slowest rider, and they will all have mountain bikes with all the same limitations.

I personally would be able to feel the 2 kilo / 5 pound weight difference each time I accelerated. I would feel it starting from a stop. I would also feel it when at cruising speed when I need a burst of extra speed to pass someone. Would it make an £875 difference in feel? Probably not, but I already over-spend irrationally way too much on bikes. I'm way past the point of ever justifying my bike purchases as "rational"
 
#22 ·
Sometimes you just want to get the bike you want, even if it's not the one designed specifically for the thing you think you're going to be doing. IMO a 10-36 gearing will take you as fast as you need for pleasure or workout riding, about 31 mph on 29" wheels at 100 cadence, 26mph at a more comfortable 85 cadence, many mountain bikes can run a 36t chainring including the one you're looking at. Maybe you want the option to explore trails later on, maybe mountain bikes are just cooler... :cool:
 
#23 ·
I had an irrational fear of those curly (road) bars right up until I went on a test ride. Before that, I'd always ridden the hardtail on the local roads...right up till it started to become really uncomfortable (somewhere around the 30 mile mark, I think). Those funny lookin' bars really do make a difference.

As far as suspension goes, I didn't miss it until I started taking it out on the local singletrack. Greens, mostly OK. Blue, definitely miss that suspension. :)
 
#25 ·
Harold said:
bicycle roads? no such thing.

it sounds like you're saying, though, that you'll only be riding paved trails and not on dirt.

I have to ask why you're wanting a mountain bike for the kind of riding where you have no intention to go anywhere near dirt with the bike? This screams to me road bike territory. If it's simply a handlebar preference, there are flat bar road bikes.
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Mountain bikes are just cooler, more comfortable riding position, and more versatile. That would be my reason.
 
#26 ·
GKelley said:
Mountain bikes are just cooler, more comfortable riding position, and more versatile. That would be my reason.
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I wouldn't put xc race bikes up as a pinnacle of comfortable riding position.

OP isn't asking for a versatile bike.

and the "cooler" thing is just relative. there are a lot of bikes out there. I can pretty much guarantee that there are a number of bikes ideally suited for OP's specific riding conditions that will fit many different riders comfortably and appeal to a fairly wide range of aesthetics. Just gotta do the legwork to find them and keep an open-ish mind. Don't JUST search for mountain bikes.
 
#27 ·
Other things being the same or somewhat similar, a lighter bike is easier and more fun to climb on. Wheels are the most important but weight on climbs is important. I'm talking about long climbs and not 100 ft elevation changes.
 
#28 ·
If you can afford it but a nice steel road bike like a colonago or a lemond. They hold their value and are great for long road rides. Aluminum is too stiff and carbon is big money. Carbon is really nice and quiet tho. It soaks up chatter well in my opinion. For mountain bike I have carbon for road always well made steel. The steel soaks up bumps well and can take a beating.
 
#29 ·
tigris99 said:
A lot of people having issues with mtb on pavement/paths. I had a road bike, had a flat bar as well. All gone.

I have 2 bikes, my dedicated trail bike, 2020 stumpjumper. Second is my 2011 Mukluk fatbike. Fat in the off season. Spring to fall, 29" wheels with surley Extraterrestrial tires. Most comfortable thing I've ever been on for long rides especially on pavement.

Everyone here thinks you gotta have "the exact bike" for whatever you want to ride. And it's STOOPID. If mtb cockpit geo is what you like, then do it. Get the tires that match your needs and enjoy. I won't every go back to a gravel/road type bike.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
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Right on! I also have a 2020 stumpy it's sweet. I live in a town with a lot of hills that have to be ridden to get to the trails. The stumpy is slow and bouncy and the one by drivetrain spins out fast going down hill. Sometimes I joke I want to strap the stumpy to my back and ride the lemond to the trail. My real problem is I spend too much on bikes and I can't afford a truck to just toss the stumpy in. But yeah you can make just about anything work if you have to
 
#31 ·
Just_xc_bike1, if you don't mind let us know on what you decided.
 
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#32 ·
When driving a car on the road, suspension is overkill. You only need suspension when you're driving on jeep trails. Similarly with a motorcycle: you don't need suspension on a street bike, only for motocross. Anybody who thinks they need suspension when driving on paved roads is just wasting money, and the suspension adds weight to the vehicle and slows you down. With eBikes, the trend of adding a short-travel fork for a dedicated road bike is just a waste of money and weight, because everybody knows that you don't need any suspension or shock absorption when riding on paved roads. Furthermore, all people must have similar preferences to me, and I'm sure nobody else has back problems or neck issues that would lead them to want to minimize road shock when riding a bike on pavement. And everybody else has exactly the same concerns about efficiency as I have, and I know for sure that it's worth it to have a lighter bike that accelerates a little bit faster, even if it costs much more. Furthermore, we all know that the dominant road bike style, the drop bar, unsuspended racing bike with high gearing, is absolutely just as appropriate for the average Joe as it is for Wout van Aert, because we have the same needs, and of course I can push a 53/11 on flat roads, no problem, and I can lay out riding in the drops with my back parallel to the ground for hours at a time while pushing 450 watts.
 
#33 ·
Yes, there are a few individuals on this board who can be very heavy when offering their opinion. We all have opinions and they're kind of like our a-holes... They all stink and everyone has one.

The fun is in sharing our opinions in a less aggressive way, but maybe some people are just eager to be abrasive. Or maybe they don't intend to be abrasive but only come off that way to some of us. Who knows?

It takes all kinds to make a world.
 
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#34 ·
I don't think there's going to be a great deal of speed difference between those two bikes on tarmac on the flat.

If it was me I'd choose the Trek Procaliber 9.6 because it has the built in rear isospeed decoupler for a bit more comfort and it can be fitted with a larger 34 or 36 tooth chainring which is useful to have on the road. :)
 
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