I don't know how much I'm willing to spend yet, or how much they will cost me, and I won't be purchasing until next year. I'm familar with the benefits of a carbon road frame, but what are the benefits in a mountain frame? just weight? Also people seem to think carbon road frames are fragile but I've seen many nasty accidents in races and very few broken frames. Personally I've had both a carbon frame and an alu frame hit by cars but only the alu frame was damaged! How typical is it for carbon mountain frames to be damaged in crashes, or just from general abuse?