Titanium Frame, Carbon Frame Or?

Jennifer wants to get her hands on a new top end road bike; she has been given some advice that she should buy a titanium frame with carbon forks and with other carbon parts as this will absorb road vibration. We agree that titanium is good for this, but we have our reservations.

Question:
I shattered my elbow last year. I am looking to upgrade to a high end bike, but need to get something that would smooth out the bumps in the road as well as vibrations. I am a recreational cyclist, 5 foot 3 inches and 120 pounds. My rides are usually between 35 and 55 miles and include hills. I have been told various things about materials, but someone told me that titanium frame would be better than carbon to smooth out the bumps in the road, and a carbon fork seatpost, stem and handlebars would dampen out vibrations. They recommended the Litespeed Archon. Do you have any thoughts on the best materials for someone in my situation? I am mainly looking for comfort in my ride since I don’t race.

Hi Jennifer,

Your friend is correct about a titanium frame absorbing the bumps and carbon will take away the road vibration. We like titanium, as a well manufactured titanium frame will lasts for ever and looks good for a long time.

We have tested and reviewed quite a few titanium frames and we have found them too soft for a top class frame. Yes they do soak up bumps and bad roads, but we have found that a bike of this price and supposed quality that the performance is not great as they feel soft, which is great for comfort, but not so good for performance as it absorbs your efforts and can feel a bit flexible on bends and climbs, so titanium is not a favorite choice.

Trek Madone

We would go for a carbon frame with more comfortable dimensions, with a laid back angle to the seat tube. Take a look at Trek, Look and Cervelo who all have more comfortable designs specifically for riders who value comfort over stiffness and are looking at riding longer distances in Sportif or touring events.

These frames are carbon and light and also have a built in stiffness in the correct directions so that no effort is lost. The angles and tube length are so designed to give you a comfortable position. If you want comfort and performance we would suggest you conceder comfortable Carbon.

Litespeed