Felt F30 (Carbon) or Casati Laser (Steel)

Nils Erik from Norway has a very nice Felt F30 Carbon frame with Shimano and Mavic wheels, but he has taken a fancy to a steel Casati Laser with all Campagnolo equipment. He likes that Italian style and he likes to climb hills! We do too, well the Italian style anyway, but we are not sure if steel is a great choice over carbon, we compare the two bikes, Steel V's Carbon

Question: Hi!

I already have a Felt F30 with Shimano Dura-Ace 27-spees and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels.

Now I consider to by a new bike, a Casati Laser with Campagnolo Record and Campagnolo Shamal Ultra wheels - all Italian and steel.

Am I crazy going for a steel frame these days? Or is it all about carbon? I like the classic lines and the craftmanship...

I have been in the French Alps and the Italian Dolomittes with my Felt, and look for a bit more "comfy" ride in the Pyrenees this summer. 4-5 hours in the saddle 8-10 days in a row is not that relaxing on the aluminum frame with carbon seatstays... c",)

And yes - I like to climb mountains :)

:) Nils Erik

Hi Nils,

OK so the Casati looks great, its Italian, its classy and its steel, so I'm not sure if this is a good move as you want to climb mountains and carbon is the choice for the hills for its stiffness and lightness. Steel does have a comfort value, but then so has carbon and it has the advantage of its lack of weight. Your Felt has alloy main tubes this makes it quite a hard ride that a full carbon frame (and steel) would make more comfortable. Here are our thoughts on these frames.

Casati Laser

The Casati Laser has beautiful lines and for steel is quite light at only 1,550 grams, its made with EOM 16.5 steel tubes to the riders measurements, it is a combination of modern design methods and a "traditional" tube material. The frame comes in two versions; all steel with external cables or all steel internal cables and internal saddle clamp, the forks are full carbon. A very nice example of steel workmanship and its made to fit you so it should be comfortable and ride well, but its steel, nice, but...

You have the older F 30 which has alloy 7005 main tubes with a carbon back end and forks, another nice bike, but the alloy does give a harsh ride, especially on rough mountain roads. The steel Casati will be more comfortable, but have you considered an all carbon frame?

The new Felt F 30 is made using Ultra-High Modulus Monocoque carbon fiber, it's light and has the handling that you are used to. If you still want that Italian style then take a look at the Casati Laser Carbon, it still has the steel main tubes, but like your Felt they are married to a carbon rear end and carbon forks. Maybe you should go for either the full carbon option or the steel/carbon mix. All these bikes are a real nice choice, good luck and let us know what you decide.

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