Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
Carbon fiber is stronger than steel. But there are different types of strong. A bike is a weight-bearing machine, and in that sense, CF is great. But it has poor impact strength, which is why it's prone to not surviving crashes. ( Although, in fairness, I've totaled an aluminum frame. ) It's great for its intended purpose - riding - but if the wind blew it over while you were getting your lock ready, that could spell curtains.
NO. CF is less resilient to impact than steel, that's true. But to tell anyone that it's likely to break just by falling on the floor, that is ridiculous. Most carbon frames survive most crashes. They are not porcelain, they don't break if you drop them on the ground. There are, as others have pointed out CF MTB and cyclocross bikes. The material will more than stand up to a trip to the shops.