Originally Posted by
WestPablo
Thus far, the whole gist of this thread has been that carbon is basically a PITA to commute with, due to elemental climate concerns, theft, and abuse on the part of others. No bicycle commuter has quite the profound concerns as a CF bicycle commuter.
Many CF bicycle owners like to claim that carbon fiber is tough, strong, and doesn't need to be coddled. This may partially be true. However, there's no doubt that a carbon fiber bicycle seems to require just a tad more care and protection than its aluminum and steel siblings. IMHO, this is coddling...
I have three different bikes, - two with carbon forks including the winter bike. The winter bike gets exposed to everything: rain, snow, salt, extreme cold, etc. I don't worry about it in the least. I worry about it less than I would a steel fork because any scratch in the finish of a steel would lead to corrosion. I chose CF over steel for that very reason.