Originally Posted by
datlas
I met a guy today who works for countervail. Apparently they design an elastomer that makes carbon fiber more resilient and absorb shock better. We talked bikes for a few minutes, he said Bianchi has had good results with their tech. Apparently also useful in tennis racquets. Pretty cool stuff.
Agreed. In general such plastics additives will degrade stiffness so their use is not without issues. A common approach with such materials is to use them in combination with the stiffest types of carbon and resins which would be too brittle if used without the modifier. Often the combination of too brittle and too ductile is, on balance, more attractive than a single, in-between material by itself.