Fifty Plus (50+) - It's Spring and a young man's fancy turns to...

New Bicycles! And banjos!

Ok, it's *almost* but not quite yet Spring and I'm not all that young anymore (am I really going to hit 58 this weekend? Yikes) but a new season is upon us and I am starting to wonder how many miles is the "life" of a modern carbon frame?

I've got my 3 or 4 year old Giant with -I don't know- 4, 5, 6000 miles on it
The roads here are not the best and the bike does take a bit of a pounding
Sometimes, running down our hills at 30 or 40 mph, I think "What would happen if this thing just fell apart... Ooooo not a good thought" Does carbon fatigue to the point of catastrophic failure? When?

Or, maybe, after a few years, I'm just ready for a new bike. Dunno. Stay tuned, I guess.

Sounds like you need a Ti bike. :innocent:

And, yes, I am giving that some thought. They sure ain't cheap, though

Yes. I would think that you are well into the first 2.5% of the expected life of your frame. :D

Never too early to start thinking about N+1.

keep it out of the sun and you will be fine, it could explode.

ok...where do the banjos fit into this? Or, do I not want to know.

And, early happy b-day!

Why, thank you, Miss Jean....

To those of us in the world of stringed instruments (and not just us, right BluesDawg?), N+1 is not just a cycling affliction.
I already play guitar, dobro, and ukulele. Banjos are tuned much like a dobro so I figured why not?
I just celebrated 28 years of marriage, maybe it's time for a D-I-V-O-R-C-E :lol:

And, yes, I am giving that some thought. They sure ain't cheap, though

What size do you ride?

... And banjos!...


Squeal like a pig?

Why, thank you, Miss Jean....

To those of us in the world of stringed instruments (and not just us, right BluesDawg?), N+1 is not just a cycling affliction.
I already play guitar, dobro, and ukulele. Banjos are tuned much like a dobro so I figured why not?
I just celebrated 28 years of marriage, maybe it's time for a D-I-V-O-R-C-E :lol:

Step away from the banjo and nobody gets hurt go buy yerself a new Gibson Hummingbird.:)

I know... I know... the devil's instrument and all that

All I know is: good enough for Jerry, good enough for me

keep it out of the sun and you will be fine, it could explode.

I thought it was cold air that made them shatter like glass.

I thought it was cold air that made them shatter like glass.

So that might explain what was happening last January, who'd have thought.

They have been making leaf springs out of carbon fiber for at least 20 years. I have never here of one of them breaking. Not to say it hasn't happened, but air planes have been made of CF too and for sure if one of them came apart the whole world would have heard of it. I, for one am not worried about mine imploding.

"It's Spring and a young man's fancy turns to..."


"New Bicycles! And banjos!"



:twitchy: Wow... things sure have changed since I was young. I'm suddenly fearful for the outcome of the human race... :lol:

I have a question about the original premise. I haven't noticed any changing of young men's fancy regardless of season - and it has little to do with bicycles or banjos either.

Now I'm wondering how many of you 50+ folks have forgotten.

I think the OP asks a reasonable question; what is the life of a carbon frame? I would think, however, that the question is one that could be asked of any frame material. I've wondered about this because for a variety of reasons. I know that some higher profile professionals don't ride a frame beyond one season. This leads me to believe that the real question is how hard have I used my frame, and is it time to replace it. I'm not sure, short of seeing cracks, splits, chips, rust, pitting, etc. how one would judge this.

I know that some higher profile professionals don't ride a frame beyond one season.

Some higher profile professionals may have annually renewed endorsement contracts.
...just sayin'. :innocent:



Actually, you have a point, I'm just funnin' ya. :D

I'll let you know when my 2007 Giant breaks.

Seriously, I've been working on a lot of 10+ year-old Trek OCLVs that are still going strong.

My Orbea Diva is 3 years old, with 9K+ miles on it (mostly in the sun, as I'm a weather wussie) and shows no signs of exploding, imploding, or disintegrating. It does, however, need a good cleaning and waxing. But I digress.

My next bike will be steel or ti.

SKT, you should test-ride dozens of different bikes until you know you're on "the one." You'll know when that is. Meanwhile, enjoy the (test)ride!

Why, thank you, Miss Jean....

To those of us in the world of stringed instruments (and not just us, right BluesDawg?), N+1 is not just a cycling affliction.
I already play guitar, dobro, and ukulele. Banjos are tuned much like a dobro so I figured why not?
I just celebrated 28 years of marriage, maybe it's time for a D-I-V-O-R-C-E :lol:

If you've got any pluck at all...you'll just keep stringing her along...:innocent:

I doubt that I'll find another like Mrs S in *my* life time

Vis the bike, I've read about frame material fatigue ... I don't know how true any of it is but I do have to remind myself -frequently- that carbon is not platic. It's probably pretty durable stuff, really.
In the end, after three years a a few thousand miles and I'm pretty comfortable with my Giant, I.e., I know how it feels, handles and reacts. Reason enough to keep it. And then there's that fitting she just bought for my birthday. Let's see how good it can be...

Why, thank you, Miss Jean....

To those of us in the world of stringed instruments (and not just us, right BluesDawg?), N+1 is not just a cycling affliction.
I already play guitar, dobro, and ukulele. Banjos are tuned much like a dobro so I figured why not?
I just celebrated 28 years of marriage, maybe it's time for a D-I-V-O-R-C-E :lol:

And to those of us into alpine skiing - N+1 means another pair. I went into the store the other day for some spray wax and a waxing brush and walked out with a new pair of Volkl race tigers. Not quite as much as a new TI bike, but the do have a Ti plate in them. That makes 4 pair, more skis than I have bikes.