This customer of mine has been telling me about this CF he got for a steal for months now. Real nice guy. Like the nice guy from Mayberry. "oh Dan" he says, it's really light compared to my fixie." I guess he bartered some work to get it. So today he finally brings it by for me to look at it.
It's a Zycle Fix. Never heard of them. And I noticed it's got some mighty chunky welds there too. I pick it up and geeze I think...this isn't much lighter then my aluminum frame. Actually it seems a little heavier. The fork is carbon like mine but it's got brazed on center pull breaks and side pull on the back.
I never paid close attention to CFs because the price tag sends me scurrying across the sale floor but I can't imaging welds like that needed for a CF bike.
I guess I could be mistaken though.

Is this thread for real?

Cf isn't welded.

Zycle Fix is a company that markets bicycles with frames made from aluminium or from Hi-Tensile steel. I could not find any sign of carbon on their website.

Hope you don't work in a bike shop....

There are no carbon bikes. Period.

What do exist are bikes made from a composite of carbon fiber and something else. In it's highest tech form that something else is some kind of plastic resin. Lots of things, however, are made from some kind of metal and wrapped with a cosmetic layer of carbon fiber.

So weigh the thing and quit guessing... His fixie was probably made from a electro welded Schwinn Varsity frame.

I love going to my LBS with my fully dressed bikes, hanging them on the scales and watching the weight weenies cringe. My record so far was my city bike with panniers... 54#

Aaron

Carbon frames don't welded.

(Been said, but warranted repeating in the proper idiom)

ZycleFix makes low-quality aluminum bikes.

How can TWO people (OP and the rube) not be able to distinguish aluminum from CF???

Corben -

Zycle Fix seems to have a few different frames, and all but their geared road bikes have hi-tensile steel frames - perhaps called 'carbon steel' by someone your friend spoke to.

Does the bike have derailleurs? Because then it is almost definitely aluminum. If it is a fixie then it is steel.

Edit:

Also, none of their bikes come with carbon forks, so the ones with canti braze ons was likely added by the original owner.

A small magnet is sometimes helpful to confirm if it is steel. I'm not an expert on carbon frames but I've never seen one with welds; all the carbon joints I've seen are smooth seamless transitions from one tube to another.

Yes it does have derailleurs. I figured it was aluminum but thought it wise to make sure before I break the bad news. I'm gonna give him some old tires of mine. The set he has now don't match. Assuming the wheels are 700s.

Sorry for the dumb question. Just wanted to make sure.

Of course not.

I think some of the CF forks may have a metal crown, CF tubes, and aluminum dropouts. However, I wouldn't even expect visible welds on the crown.

There are some very nice water slide carbon fiber decals.

From reading the description and responses, my guess is the frame is an aluminum frame with carbon fiber water slide decals (which obviously make it lighter and faster).

I hate to think some newbie didn't know the difference between carbon steel and carbon fiber, or aluminum?
If carbon is listed first, it must be mostly carbon, right?

Nope. Pork and beans is mostly beans.

In the future, a good way to tell if a bike is metal or CF, if it's not obvious, is to flick the frame a few times with the top of your fingernail- meatl will make a metalic "ping" sound; CF will make a much different, dead, "click", and then assplode. [Well, just kidding about that last part....]

I hope the poor guy didn't trade a good bike for it! (Then again, if he thinks the ZycleFix feels lighter than his old bike...probably not!) -They seem to sell for about $300 brand-new.

ESL? To be Helpful, Are would have been more appropriate .. than Do..


They are more like Paper Mache' but the paper is a carbon cloth and the wheat flour Paste is A Catalyzed, Epoxy-Polymer .

Monocoque CF frame, Yes.

Tube & lug CF frame: No. Example: https://calfeedesign.com/products/luna/

No. Carbon-Fiber bike frames are NOT welded.

Carbon is NOT a Metal...

Any attempt to weld a Carbon Frame would probably set the Bike on fire.

Have you ever read any of your own posts(like that one)? I've actually translated them for people. Pot calling the kettle black.

Ha! That's what happens when you don't have a fixed work schedule! wTf?

You can "weld" most plastics, and CF is basically fiber reinforced plastic. However, simple welding it would be extremely weak at the joints without additional reinforcement. I have a CF frame with round tubes and aluminum lugs, but the lugs are cast, of course,

One definition of welding is to "combine to form an effective whole", so yes carbon fiber bicycle can be considered to be "welded". I think for the purpose of this discussion and as answering the OP, welding refers to the use of blowtorch or electrical arc to heat metal so that multiple parts join together. Under that definition, carbon fiber bicycles are not welded.

Excuse me, yes, you could "weld" a carbon frame... you will need Epoxy Resin and Fiberglass... mix Epoxy thoroughly , (wear rubber gloves) , dip the 'Glass Cloth, and wrap , like Tape... 4 to 7 layers should do...

It looks to me like Zycle Fix is aluminum. Maybe the fork was carbon?