Test 2016: Vélos de course en aluminium contre vélos de course en carbone - Duel de vélos de course : aluminium contre carbone

It's been a good 15 years since the carbon wave hit the world of road bikes with full force and shook things up. Since then, racing bikes have become lighter, more comfortable and more aerodynamic. Young companies that recognised the opportunities offered by the fibre early on rose to become industry giants. Traditional brands that missed the boat disappeared from the scene. One man's joy, another man's sorrow: while carbon bikes dominate the market today, interest in aluminium racers has declined sharply. It is unlikely that this trend will reverse again. Cube's cheapest carbon bike now costs €1,499, Canyon's €1,399. So why buy a bike with an aluminium frame?

You can download the full test report of these road bikes below:

Aluminium / Carbon
- CANNONDALE CAAD12 Disc Dura-Ace / SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Ultegra
- CANYON Endurace AL 7.0 / Endurace CF 7.0
- CUBE Attain SL / Attain GTC
- RADON Ignite Ultegra Light / Sage Carbon
- STEVENS Aspin / Izoard
- STORCK Visioner G1 Ultegra / Visioner Comp Ultegra

Cost advantage for aluminium

If you've been thinking along the same lines so far, this test might give you pause for thought. Although the dominance of carbon frames will not change in the foreseeable future, the situation for aluminium racers is not quite as hopeless as outlined at the beginning. Especially at prices of around €2,000, aluminium frames are likely to remain an interesting alternative for some time to come. This is mainly due to their still drastic price advantage over carbon. Frank Greifzu, Product Manager at Cube, reveals the order of magnitude involved. "A carbon frame like that of our entry-level model Attain GTC costs around four times more than an aluminium frame at a comparable level when development, mould construction, raw materials and manufacturing costs are taken into account," he says. For high-quality carbon frames, the price gap is even wider compared to aluminium.

The cost advantage of aluminium is particularly important when the sales price is a very important argument for a bike. In the range of round sums - business people call this a "price point" - such as 2,000 euros, bikes are never designed with the best possible technology in mind; the starting point for planning is a predetermined final price. You can imagine it like a counting game. The gears and brakes cost X amount, the wheels Y amount. Once all parts such as handlebars, saddle, tyres and so on have been determined, a certain budget remains for the frame. If a cheaper aluminium frame is installed instead of a carbon frame, the manufacturer has more room in the overall calculation for higher-quality equipment. And with a better component group or lighter wheels, the aluminium racer is usually the better overall package compared to a similarly expensive carbon bike.

It is not possible to say where the limit lies where the cost advantages of aluminium and the technical advantages of carbon outweigh each other. However, this test, for which we asked six manufacturers to send us one aluminium and one carbon model, which should be comparable in price or at least technically. The price spectrum of the twelve candidates ranges from 1,200 euros for the aluminium Attain SL model from Cube to 4,000 euros each for the two bikes from Cannondale. The six pairings allow for revealing comparisons. Three of the manufacturer-internal duels ended in a draw, twice with slight weight advantages in favour of the carbon bikes. In two cases, the aluminium bikes came out on top, while carbon clearly won once.

Great family resemblance

The easiest to compare are the Cube models Attain GTC and Attain SL. Even from a metre away, it is difficult to tell the difference between the carbon and aluminium bikes. The geometries, tube shapes and equipment, right down to the fork, are almost identical. The ride tests also revealed no significant difference. In the end, the bikes are separated by 300 grams and 300 euros. If we had to choose between the two, it would probably be the heavier but cheaper aluminium model. The decisive factor is the better price-performance ratio.
The choice is not quite so easy with Canyon. Here the bikes differ not only in terms of materials. The cheaper Endurace AL 7.0 has a higher quality Ultegra groupset, while the 100 euro more expensive Endurace CF 7.0 "only" has a 105, but the groupsets are now so close in terms of function that even experienced testers find it difficult to tell the difference. The 200 gram extra weight of the 105 is easily compensated for by the 400 gram lighter frame of the carbon model. The handling of the bikes is also very similar, the carbon frame looks more modern and the riding position is sportier. In terms of the final score, the bikes are on a par with the Cube models. For visual reasons, we would rather opt for the carbon version.

Close race

The race is also extremely close at Radon - at least if you look at the final score. The Bonn-based mail order company has equipped its models almost identically. Nevertheless, the aluminium Ignite model is around 100 grams lighter than its carbon counterpart, the Sage, which is mainly due to the lighter fork. The Ignite is also the more exciting bike from a technical point of view. Its 1,200 gram aluminium frame may not look super modern, but technically it is outstanding. The carbon hype of the past few years has meant that
that there are hardly any real high-end aluminium frames left. In this respect, the Ignite is one of the last representatives of its kind and disproves the preconception that stiff aluminium frames are inherently less resilient than carbon frames. With slightly wider tyres and a high-quality carbon seatpost, the Ignite even seemed to us to have slightly better damping. As the bike is also lighter and cheaper, the subjective verdict is clearly in favour of the Ignite despite the same final scores. The vote for Stevens is even clearer. Here, the aluminium Aspin is superior to the carbon Ignite in every respect. 100 euros cheaper, 200 grams lighter, better groupset, top tyres - the Aspin is a very attractive bike, not just for cool calculators. The Izoard is almost a little pale in comparison. Stevens can't be accused of making a mistake with this model, but you won't find a real highlight on this bike. A clear win on points for the aluminium model.

While the models in the previous pairings were conceptually quite similar, the situation with Cannondale and Storck is different. We were interested in the CAAD12 Disc Dura-Ace from Cannondale because, at € 3,999, it is probably the most expensive production road bike with an aluminium frame still available. The addition Dura-Ace also promises that this is a bike with high-end aspirations. As a counterpart, we chose the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod, also for 3,999 euros. Here, the US brand has combined its super-light high-end frame with relatively simple but solid equipment. A mix that doesn't seem very coherent at first glance. However, anyone speculating on the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod frame in particular may well get their money's worth with this variant, as the bike is a good basis for later upgrades with higher-quality components. In contrast, the aluminium bike proved to be a disappointment. The expensive Dura-Ace groupset offers no functional advantage over an Ultegra or 105 groupset. Heavy wheels, handlebars that are uncomfortable to grip and disc brakes that offer no advantages over good rim brakes, on the other hand, put a noticeable damper on riding enjoyment. In view of the mediocre final score, € 4,000 for the complete bike seems overpriced.

The two Storck models are also far apart. The idea behind this duel was to compare the most expensive aluminium bike with the cheapest carbon racer from the Hessian brand. For a premium supplier like Storck, this means that the bikes are exactly 1,000 euros apart despite having almost identical features. The carbon Visioner Comp is a solid, not particularly light bike with a sporty design for the price of € 2,999, which rides very well. Its aluminium counterpart, the Visioner G1 for 1,999 euros, on the other hand, is
The design of its aluminium counterpart, the Visioner G1 for € 1,999, is reminiscent of the great era of Storck aluminium frames at the turn of the millennium, when models such as the legendary Scenario Pro were among the best on the market. This makes the beautifully finished bike a classic; however, compared to modern carbon bikes, it rides relatively stiffly and the geometry with the comparatively high bottom bracket is not to everyone's taste.

Difficult choice

Such comparisons are naturally a snapshot in time. A few years ago, aluminium bikes would usually have come out on top in comparable pairings. However, the six pairings show that there are now also attractive carbon models at entry-level that are not too far away in price from comparable bikes with aluminium frames. The choice between the materials will therefore be even more difficult for keen riders in the future. However, models such as Radon's Ignite or the Stevens Aspin are clear proof that aluminium is far from being a thing of the past.

Downloads:
download