Carbon Road Bike

Carbon fiber is 3 times stronger and 4 times lighter than steel, which makes it the ideal material for road bikes.

Carbon fiber is an amazing metal.  It’s light and strong and is used in tennis rackets, skis, ski poles, road bikes, and is even making its way into the car industry.  Carbon fiber is the material of choice for road bikes for its strength and versatility, but more importantly, because it’s so darn lightweight.

Carbon road bikes are made from strands of carbon comprised of millions of nanotubes  of carbon fibers.  It is all held together with a strong epoxy resin used in aerospace.  These nanotubes are uneven, giving the epoxy tooth and grip on which to adhere.

If you’re in the market for a carbon road bike, here are some thing to keep in mind while shopping for a road bike:

1. Solid carbon road bikes, as opposed to part aluminum and part carbon fiber, start at $1500 and go up from there. I saw a Trek carbon road bike at my local bike shop for $10,500.
2. Carbon fiber is available for mountain bikes, road bikes, commuter bikes, and time trial bikes, so you’re not just limited to a carbon road bike.
3. It’s best to spend the most on getting a top quality carbon road bike frame initially and upgrade components later. You can slowly upgrade your wheels to carbon road bike wheels (about $1,100), better shifters, brakes, and clips. All worth it in the end. But who among us can afford to drop $5,000 at once on a bike?
4. Carbon fiber road bike frames come in various sizes, so important that you are measured by someone who knows what they’re doing to know what size you are. This service is available at any competent bicycle shop.
5. Lower quality carbon road bikes will have poor quality, lumpy welding at the joints. This is not only an issue of aesthetics, but of strength. You certainly don’t want to hit a pot hole or a large bump at 30 mph and have your frame snap in two.

I’m a big supporter of going local, so my first suggestion would be to swing by your local cycling shop.  Folks who work at bike shops are a wealth of knowledge and answer questions you may have.  You can also get measured for your bike while you are there.  Smaller, non-chain bike shops are also more likely to haggle with you on price or throw in store credit towards gear like helmets or shoes.

If they don’t have what you want, the wonderful world wide web is your next stop.  Performance, Bike Nashbar, and Bikes Direct are a few of my favorite places to shop.