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Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 852
Bikes: 1903 24 spd Sunbeam, 1927 Humber, 3 1930 Raleighs, 2 1940s Sunbeams, 2 1940s Raleighs, Rudge, 1950s Robin Hood, 1958 Claud Butler, 2 1973 Colnago Supers, Eddie Merckx, 2 1980 Holdsworth, EG Bates funny TT bike, another 6 or so 1990s bikes
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1500 watts
The only advantage of a CF frame is if you can ride a bike at 25 mph for 5 hours without wheel sucking, a CF bike will place you half a mile ahead of your non carbon opponent.
The ridgity of a CF bike means more of your power transmits to where the rubber hits the road. Metal flexes and that flex draws efficiency and you are consquently slower than your stiffer CF opponent. Unfortunately you have to be strong and extremely fit to take advantage offered up by any CF bike - especially after 200 kms.
In the mountains any weight is an important factor but putting a pair of water bottles on a $10 K bike will turn it into a 1990s steel Eddy Merckx and will destroy any CF advantage.
Finally ,and most tellingly, in a a sprint finish - after 200 kms - the sprinters crank it up to an amazing 1500-2000 Watts. At that wattage a steel or Ally bike will flex like a bastard and your plastic rivals will leave you for dead over the final 100 meters - but these people are freaks and train 5 hours a day, six days a week.
Last edited by Johno59; 12-06-19 at 12:28 PM.