Originally Posted by
Ed333
The question as posed, with reference to years owned, triggered another question : Assuming hard regular use, do carbon fiber frames have a safe useful life span (one short enough that anyone now living might want to know about? Newbie question...big and heavy....wondering about used CF bikes....
Carbon fiber is super stable. Provided that the fibers and epoxy stay intact, a carbon frame would outlast a steel or aluminum frame easily. The mtbf of carbon fiber is insane. The epoxy that holds it together will break down under UV light, but paint and clear coat inhibit that kind of radiation. Carbon fiber is so stable in fact, that throwing carbon frames away is a problem, since they won't degrade.