To carbon or not to carbon (another annoying carbon post)
Sorry in advance. I’ve been reading through the sub but I think I need some direct input because I cannot make a decision. I’m finally in the market for a bike that isn’t older than I am, and didn’t set out for a carbon bike. The problem is I’m having trouble finding fucking anything in my size/with preferred specs near me (new or used). I’ve found two used carbon bikes at the upper end of my budget (Orbea M30 Team and Specialized Diverge Sport) that tick all of the boxes for me, and frankly I think the Orbea is a gorgeous machine…but I’m so torn on the fact that they’re carbon frames. I’m a casual cyclist with some sportier ambitions. I live in a city and most often bop around exploring with my kid (they’re on their own bike), so most of my riding is going to be on pavement/easy off road. I don’t do grocery runs or hauling by bike. Eventually I want to do some touring, maybe some commuting when I start grad school. On paper it seems fine for my use case. Overkill, but fine. My last bike was literally 45 years old and solid as hell. I wasn’t worried about accidentally knocking it over. I think I’m mostly concerned that I’m about to spend this money and then majorly fuck it up and then I’m out the money and a bike. Should I just hold out for a regular ass bike for my regular ass riding?
So I guess my main concerns are durability and longevity vs. cost. I’m not the type of person to baby something. I’m not exactly abusive, or doing any crazy intense riding but l don’t want to have to worry about locking my bike up on a rack, etc. which many people say they wont do with carbon. Obviously there is going to be a negative bias on the internet, because people are posting bigger damage more often than regular wear and tear. But like…how much do I have to worry, really?
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.