Originally Posted by
Mr. Tuff Dandy
Thanks for the feedback.
Although, I have been reading a Giant Bicycle Owner's Manual, and it has given me more reasons to fear carbon, and seems to confirm that effects like the CF fork shearing in half due to a crash are not abnormal.
I quote from that manual here:
I interpret those quotations to be sensible reasons to stay away from CF.
However, the same part of the manual also argues that the frame or fork breaking due to a crash is a moot point, because the rider is guaranteed to fly over the front of the bike anyway, if at the time of the crash, he or she was going at a speed "above a fast walk."
Do you guys agree that a crash at a speed "above a fast walk" guarantees that the rider will fly over the front of the bike?
Again, if you crash hard enough to break your carbon frame , the bike will be the least of your worries. If you have the same crash on a steel bike you are still going to the hospital. There is some risk involved in riding a bike. Most people's concerns with carbon fiber are the risk of catastrophic failure while riding that causes a crash not damage from a crash. If you crash your carbon frame lightly or drop it there may be hairline cracks that you don't notice that cause a catastrophic failure down the line. Same can happen with aluminum. Google it. Plenty of people have had aluminum frames crack in half while riding. People have had stems crack in half while riding and send them over the bars and to the hospital. Even steel can fail if it ridden after a crash. Any of these things can happen with any bike but they probably won't. Odds are in your favor. Millions of people ride all kinds of bikes every day without them imploding