Originally Posted by
kickstart
That's true, but the threshold for structural damage will be higher for metals than composites. Also scratches, chips, and dings that would be nothing more than cosmetic on metal can continue to degrade in composites if not addressed. Not really a big deal as long as one is aware of the materials needs.
Composites aren't new, just the materials, Cool story about a 2000 mile voyage in a composite canoe, circa 1870s.
Voyage of the Paper Canoe by Nathaniel H. Bishop - Free Ebook
well that's not exactly true. it pretty much comes down to the frame but if you take a carbon/alloy/steel freeride or AM frame and bash it against a concrete block with all your might it's quite likely that the carbon frame will handle it fine where the metal frames will be completely destroyed. There was a video of the subject. Carbon won with flying colours.