Originally Posted by Bobdohm31
So I've been looking all over the internet and it seems that carbon fiber is everywhere. From full frames to part of the frame to forks. I'm just curious, since it's been around for a while now does anyone have an opinion on how it compairs to steel in the durability department. The next bike I buy I would like to keep for as long as I want and not have to get rid of it becuase it has worn out or just broke. To me, steel and titanium are the way to go but I may have a chance at getting a new Trek carbon fiber for dirt cheap thus the reason I'm looking for input.
Thanks,
Bob
I currently ride a 1990 Allez Epic carbon fiber bike which I bought new while I was a sales rep for Specialized. It has 10's of thousands of miles on it with no sign of letting up.
A few technical facts about carbon fiber: on the engineering tables that compare relative strength/weight of materials, carbon fiber is rated the strongest, titanium second, steel third and aluminum dead last.
Common sense should tell you that if carbon fiber is the material of choice in cutting edge state of the art aerospace (Stealth Bomber), automobile (Formula One, Ferarri, etc.), recreation (golf shafts, tennis, cycling) designs, it should be obvious that this material has passed the scrutiny of many brilliant engineers and product designers with respect to overall performance which would of course, include durability.
Besides strength, carbon fiber offers great vibration damping and the ability to be formed in a great variety of shapes to achieve the best performing design.
Top athletes, be they TDF cyclists, pro golfers or tennis players would not be using equipment incorporating carbon fiber if it did not perform. They simply do not want to take the chance of jeopardizing their results with the possibility of untimely failure. This is not to say that there is
never breakage. In this year's TDF, there was handlebar/stem breakage. I'm sure those designs and/or the quality control in the manufacturing process will undergo rigorous re-working.
Carbon fiber is here to stay, it will get more affordable and even more reliable regardless of the few negative opinions emanating from the "steel is real" school.
Steel is a great material as well, durable and at this point cheaper. It is unlikely that it will dissapear soon.
It is certain however that it is already gone at the highest levels where performance is the ultimate litmus test.