For years people have debated which bike material is the best, aluminum or carbon fiber. Especially for bike frames, each material will give a different feel and riding quality to its rider. In this article, we will help you settle this years-old debate by highlighting each material’s disadvantages and advantages. For the sake of simplicity, we will use the Trek Checkpoint SL5 2022 gravel bike for reference.
Aluminum
Firstly, one of the primary advantages of aluminum gravel bike frames is the minimum cost of production. Therefore, aluminum gravel bikes tend to be relatively inexpensive in comparison to the carbon fiber one. However, this doesn’t mean that it is less good than carbon. In fact, aluminum has a similar degree of stiffness as carbon fiber.
On the other hand, gravel bike ride comfort is highly dependent on the frame’s damping quality. If your frame is too stiff, riding a gravel bike would not be comfortable. For this reason, aluminum is inferior compared to carbon gravel bikes. On top of that, aluminum is considerably heavier than carbon fiber. So, if you want a light gravel bike, aluminum is probably not a suitable option.
Carbon fiber
Carbon bike frames use less material weight to produce the same or even greater stiffness as aluminum. For this reason, carbon gravel bikes, like Trek Checkpoint SL5 2022, are lighter in comparison to its aluminum counterpart. In addition, specific frame sections of the bike can be produced with different flexibility.
For instance, bottom brackets are constantly under heavy load, especially on rough terrain. So, manufacturers can increase the fibers and resin volume for that part only to make it stiffer. On the other hand, chainstays tend to be built more flexibly to allow tire clearance adjustments. As a result, manufacturers will make this part less stiff.
As for the drawbacks, carbon fiber bike frames are relatively susceptible to impact. In addition, the damage is not always visible to the naked eyes. So, a damaged carbon frame can just break before you can diagnose any damage. So, make sure to keep your carbon Trek e-gravel bike from impact.
Trek Checkpoint SL5 2022 Conclusion
In conclusion, there are no frame materials that are deemed better than others. While the vast majority of people may think that a carbon fiber frame is the superior frame, it isn’t always the case. A good carbon bike frame can only be built by experienced bike manufacturers with high precision methods. Therefore, carbon gravel bikes, like Trek Checkpoint SL5 2022, always tend to be more expensive than aluminum.