Professional Cycling - Exploding bike!

After seeing that guy's Specialized carbon fibre frame just literally explode in the Tour de France the other night....I'm wondering how safe my current ride is.
Should I trade it on an alloy frame?
If I believe that a carbon frame may explode into pieces, is it OK to sell it to someone else?

Do you mean the one that broke in half when it hit the solid sign post head on at 30+ MPH?

An alloy frame would be just as unridable after that impact.

Yes. Your carbon bike will blow up randomly. I'll trade you for my aluminum. PM if interested.

My friend is looking for a carbon frame, please pm me if you would want to trade yours for his aluminum.

Do you mean the one that broke in half when it hit the solid sign post head on at 30+ MPH?

An alloy frame would be just as unridable after that impact.But it just...disintegrated!
Either the frame was unsafe or it's sabotage.

yawn..........

But it just...disintegrated!
Either the frame was unsafe or it's sabotage.


wrong on both counts.

Oh yeah? Carbon is supposed to just shatter is it?

Oh yeah? Carbon is supposed to just shatter is it?

When it hits an unmovable object, yes

When it hits an unmovable object, yes

The signpost moved. The bike just moved 'more'.

If it's a 50cm, it's absolutely unsafe. PM me for an disposal address. I'll even help you out with the shipping.

If it's a 50cm, it's absolutely unsafe. PM me for an disposal address. I'll even help you out with the shipping.The more I think about it the more I'm tempted to treat it like a crashed helmet i.e. destroy it completely so nobody ever gets hurt by it.

I saw this car wreck on TV. That steel car got all crumpled up!! I'm switching to bamboo, for safety's sake.

Neither a carbon frame or fork, nor an aluminum frame or fork is safe to ride after a high speed crash that bends or twists the fork or a tube. Neither material can be safely realigned after being damaged.

If you want a frame or fork that can be realigned safely after a crash, you need steel. If you already have a carbon frame or fork, just relax and enjoy your bike. If you damage the fork or frame in a crash, just buy steel next time...or buy aluminum...aluminum frames have become so cheap they are essentially
"throwaway" items.

Oh yeah? Carbon is supposed to just shatter is it?


are you familiar with the laws of physics?

I saw this car wreck on TV. That steel car got all crumpled up!! I'm switching to bamboo, for safety's sake.

:roflmao2:

This thread reminds me in the 70's when I had a Raleigh Chopper (red/yellow decals) and I hit a small tree. The steel frame bent in the middle but my dad fixed it up for me. :thumb: After school I went out riding like there was no tomorrow with a big :D

These things are unsafe.
They should be banned IMO.

troll

Did you see the crash?

Carbon is the devil....lol

These things are unsafe.
They should be banned IMO.

I agree completely! Let's get rid of sign posts entirely!

After seeing that guy's Specialized carbon fibre frame just literally explode in the Tour de France the other night....I'm wondering how safe my current ride is.
Should I trade it on an alloy frame?
If I believe that a carbon frame may explode into pieces, is it OK to sell it to someone else?

Frame material is the last thing you need to worry about when hitting a stationary object at 30 mph. That guy was damn lucky! I half expected to see him in hospital sucking his lunch through a straw.

actually, i would rather a frame crumple and take some of the inertia away rather than a solid steel frame just not flexing and transferring all the forces into me and catapulting me 5 meters

you guys didn't pickup on the sarcasim 15 posts ago?

Couldn't one make the argument that carbon is actually safer in these situations? The fact that it "exploded" perhaps demonstrates that the frame took all the force/energy of the impact, thus transferring less to the rider than either aluminum or steel.

Engineers, is this plausible?

Neither a carbon frame or fork, nor an aluminum frame or fork is safe to ride after a high speed crash that bends or twists the fork or a tube. Neither material can be safely realigned after being damaged.

If you want a frame or fork that can be realigned safely after a crash, you need steel. If you already have a carbon frame or fork, just relax and enjoy your bike. If you damage the fork or frame in a crash, just buy steel next time...or buy aluminum...aluminum frames have become so cheap they are essentially
"throwaway" items.

A steel frame would have also been trashed in that crash. A lugged steel frame might have been repairable by replacing a tube or two,but then you have to consider whether that's worth the cost.

haha awesome thread. damn, i'm glad that guy's still alive!

Couldn't one make the argument that carbon is actually safer in these situations? The fact that it "exploded" perhaps demonstrates that the frame took all the force/energy of the impact, thus transferring less to the rider than either aluminum or steel.

Engineers, is this plausible?

It is not plausible, it just is. This is actually how F1 and Indy cars are designed. Crash and break apart. Every peice moving through the air is energy not exerted on the driver/rider. Carbon is a brittle material, so you suck up energy by breaking. Steel is ductile so it can suck up a ton of energy by bending. Think tooth pick (carbon fiber) versus a paper clip (steel) you make the ends touch of both have taken a bunch of energy, but they are in different states. Hope that makes sense.

If it had been me I would probably eneded with one huge tube(s) sticking in or out of a lot of unconfortable spots on my body.

It actually looked to distribute the forces away from the rider allowing him to get up off his black and blue butt and a new bike.

Bah... I did it first...



More here...

http://imcginley.gallery.netspace.net.au/stack

Sweet, when did Scott get into the folding bike business?

actually, i would rather a frame crumple and take some of the inertia away rather than a solid steel frame just not flexing and transferring all the forces into me and catapulting me 5 meters

+1
I was just happy the guy got up after that. I would be so upset they didn't have someone there with a flag, like other places along the route. I am sure someone got an ear full.

I think carbon frames are just fine. Yes you hit something at 30+ mph and it is going to brake, I don't care what material it is made from. He bent the heck out of that sign post though lol.