KonAaron Snake 

I know that riding style, weight, individual bikes, usage and other factors will alter the answer significantly, but I was wondering what kind of life span someone can truly expect from an aluminum or carbon frame. Are they over manufactured to the point where it's not really a relevant issue? Has anyone seen, or heard of, a frame dieing from pure fatigue factor (not an accident)?

The question also comes into play with wheels and parts...I think almost all of us are using aluminum or carbon rims...how long a life span do you get from them? Most of us are using aluminum or carbon parts...from handle bars to cranks. I'd assume that handle bars aren't really getting THAT much stress, but that cranks are probably under enormous pressure. Does anyone have an expectation on carbon crank life? I'd rather date it with an expiration date than find I reached that point on a nasty descent!