Most bikes at this price normally feature aluminium frames. That’s because it costs less to make a frame out of aluminium than carbon fibre. There’s nothing wrong with aluminium, we’re fans of the material especially with the advances that have been made recently.
Carbon costs more than aluminium so you will typically sacrifice the quality of the components, with a lower tier groupset, wheels and finishing kit common. A carbon frame is likely to be lighter and stiffer than aluminium, though and does offer good upgrade potential so you could replace parts as they wear out.
Boardman Road Team Carbon
If you want value for money you can’t go wrong with checking out the offerings from Boardman Bikes, with the freshly updated Road Team Carbon looking like a really smart choice. There’s no doubting its performance, but the frame is versatile, with eyelets for mudguards making it a dependable winter and commuting choice. It’s currently on offer for £849 at Halfords as well, making it even more of a steal.
Review in Road.cc by by David Arthur, 18th June 2016