Originally Posted by fmw
I try to look at things from a marketing perspective. I haven't figured out how you want to market this material hybrid. Mixing materials just for the sake of a mix isn't destined to make a viable product. Give some thought to the why. What would motivate a bicycle manufacturer or a bicycle enthusiast to buy this mix instead of another? To put marketing into the simplest terms it is the process of 1. finding what people want, 2. getting it for them and 3. telling them you have it. I'm not sure you've even progressed to step 1.
I'll help. Marketing can be cultivated because people operate at different levels of perception. Those relunctant to embrace all steel or all carbon fiber but are quick to acknowledge respective merits of each may be perfect for the synthesis of both. Further...there is always the esoteric...something a bit different...these frames could have very high aesthetic quality with a weight advantage over full steel for less cost than a full CF frame. There is a marketing angle to this type of frame...depends on the execution.
George