Originally Posted by
Carbon Unit
Actually, a well built carbon fiber frame will out last a steel frame. Carbon has a much longer fatigue life than steel. I know of carbon frames with over 120,000 miles and they work the same as if they were new.
However, I have heard that 80,000 on a well made steel frame isn't a problem.
There was a guy in the Potomac Pedalers club (Washington DC area) who would
always win the yearly mileage competition -- he'd rack up between 15 and 20,000 miles a year. At any rate, whenever I saw him, he'd always be on the same steel bike (Holland Cycles, I believe? Made in Maryland, I think).
I haven't lived in that area for many years now, but for the 7 or 8 years I lived there, he'd rack up at least 15,000 miles a year, so he got at least 100,000 miles out of the same frame (and I'm guessing many, many, many more).