Conclusions

Knolly's alloy bikes are not low-cost options of their plastic versions - each tube is custom drawn and butted to their specification, and Knolly worked on perfecting alloy bikes for years before finally moving to carbon. Nor is the alloy Warden harsh to ride - in truth it has quite a refined feel. In fact, having ridden carbon bikes about 85% of the time over the last several years, I'd have to say the alloy Warden felt less different than I expected it would, and I came away impressed. What we have here is not a matter of good vs better, but one sensation vs another. Across the two platforms, the difference in frame material will cost you $1,500, and that is a lot of money for spare parts, beer, and gas. If the money matters - and for almost all of us, it does - my recommendation would be to choose alloy and not look back. You won't be getting an unsophisticated metal bike - quite the opposite - it is carefully designed and built to be a high-end alloy frame. The carbon, then, could be reserved for those who think that 0.9 lbs is a worthwhile difference (not to me) or who can discern an efficiency difference between the two - or a ride quality difference that they prefer. In this case, at least, my conclusion is that carbon is not better - it is different, and will still be preferred by some riders, but the choice is not overwhelmingly clear-cut when the price difference is north of $1,000 CAD (in this case, far north).

Yes, there are plenty of reasons to choose a carbon bike over an alloy one and yes, marketing would have us believe that riding a carbon bike makes us faster, lighter, or sexier. Coming out of this little experiment, I was happy to have not preferred the carbon Warden by a large amount, but I did notice some differences between the two. In the end, for my money, alloy is the choice, but the carbon Warden is a wonderful bike if you have the money, or if one of the advantages of the carbon tax resonates with you. At the end of the day, for me riding is about fun and while performance is part of fun (speed, capability, weight), the good news is that both of these bikes were equally fun. So, the fun:value ratio winner goes to the alloy bike for me.