|
Originally Posted by El Diablo Rojo
And yet most of us don't think twice about spending $40k+ on a car that 'wears out' every 4 years. Or several thousand dollars on an HD flat screen that will wear out in 5 years.
|
Well, everyone's making good points but I did read that monocoque carbon fiber frames were more prone to fatigue/crash-fractures.
OK, found it on wikipedia: (One) type of carbon fiber frame is manufactured in a single piece, called monocoque construction. While these composite materials provide light weight as well as high strength, they have much lower impact resistance and consequently are prone to damage if crashed or mishandled. It has also been suggested that these materials are vulnerable to fatigue failure, a process which occurs with use over a long period of time. |
Originally Posted by One Way Rider
:rolleyes: Oh yeah...like they don't have something to sell you! Those sites are hype city! If they can't effectively make you dissatisfied with the stuff you currently have, they won't be able to get into your wallet. And that IS why they exist.
I thought that was what BF does to you. |
Originally Posted by One Way Rider
:rolleyes: Oh yeah...like they don't have something to sell you! Those sites are hype city! If they can't effectively make you dissatisfied with the stuff you currently have, they won't be able to get into your wallet. And that IS why they exist.
If that's how you feel, then it must really suck to be you. |
Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Where do people get this stuff? Incredible. Every material that is put under stress experiences strain. Strain is the deformation of the material (bending and torsion in a bike frame). When you put many strains on a material it is possible for that material to fatigue. The amount of fatigue has a great deal to do with how close to the ultimate failure of that material the strains in question are. So (duh!) the lighter the bike made from the same material, the more likely fatigue will be an issue. That's if proper engineering were not a factor, since poor engineering concentrates stresses and thus decreases the fatigue life.
All that being said, here is the fatigue life of popular bike frame materials, from best to worst: carbon fiber, titanium, steel, aluminum. Steel and titanium are very close together, perhaps indistinguishable, however titanium has greater notch sensitivity. Carbon fiber laminate is also notch sensitive. In other words, inspect your frame for dings. Of these materials, only aluminum has no limit below which it does not fatigue. You might want to visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fatigue The takeaway: your LBS is a commercial enterprise. The mechanic/salesman thought he could sell you a set of wheels more easily and sooner than a carbon fiber bike. As a salesman, sometimes you have to make the call and then stick with it. If you're running the same wheelset that came on your Litespeed, and you keep them maintained, you don't need another wheelset, either. Equipment is like 3%. Nutrition is like 5%. All the rest is training. Guess where you should put your money and time to get the best results? I know, numbers like these are just for disputation. But it's not entirely a joke. |
Originally Posted by Doggus
What car are you referring to? I don't know of a $40k car that will not last longer than 4 years on average. I have a Nissan truck from '86 with 200,000+ miles and still running strong. Minor repairs just like on a bike. Most cars will easily last 10 years with proper maintenance. Many will last longer.
|
I just don't feel compenet enough as an owner to use a carbon frame. I'm always banging my frames against walls and doors, droping stuff on them, etc. I'd be afraid I would ruin a carbon frame. Hence my suspicion that the frames are fine, but it may be harder to maintain the integrity of a carbon frame by the average Joe rider, hence the expected turnover or useful life has more to do with how the frames are actually used and abused. Maybe I'm wrong - it's just a thought.
|
Originally Posted by donrhummy
Well, everyone's making good points but I did read that monocoque carbon fiber frames were more prone to fatigue/crash-fractures.
OK, found it on wikipedia: That's relative to non-monocoque carbon fiber frames. So it's not the carbon fiber that adds fatigue risk but the monocoque construction. here's a good example of the 'facts': http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/55932.html |
Originally Posted by DocRay
You know how wikipedia works? info is contributed and edited blindly
|
Originally Posted by patentcad
Sounds right up your friggin alley DR.
|
Originally Posted by Barabaika
Well, NASA's shuttles are wrapped in composite tiles, which, as we all know, crack and fall down all the time.
Russian spaceships are made of good old titanium. And it can be reused. What are titanium frames made from? Russian scrap metal. :roflmao: I hope you were joking... Does anyone here actually think the Carbon-Carbon/ceramic heat shield tiles are the same as the carbon fiber/epoxy systems used on bikes? Do you think the russians use titanium (super low melting point) as their heat shield? ....sigh....:( |
carbon fiber sucks
|
Originally Posted by patentcad
Sounds right up your friggin alley DR.
I keep reading those mesmerizing threads that are brilliant, while they may just seem like the ranting of an impotent computer store employee, when read backwards, they have an almost zen-like haiku that can be boiled down to just a few lines of philosophical genius and simplicity... I did something today... It's important, because I did it... you disagree? thou art an idiot... I am important, no one takes me seriously in the real world... I can tell people who don't care about how far I can ride my bicycle... I can tell people who don't care about how my bicycle is best, and why they suck... I can feel nice and big and potent on a forum... forums are better than the real world My computer hums when you're online, as if the electrons must give way to the utter flow of intellectual energy to the eventual climax of 'idiots' , only prefaced by, ..."what I buy is best, what you buy sucks, I buy, therefore I am..." You are infinitely wise, you care about us, because you don't want to make us feel inferior with your knowledge, so you just assure us that if caddy says it's right, it's just right, ...'idiots', that term that lets us know we are loved, and that we don't need to now why or how, just that it is.... God bless 'caddy, a true American hero. [wiping tears of joy]... I can remember the first time you called me 'pinhead'...so simple...yet so sublime...surely the topic of a Harvard dissertation as we speak. A new Noam Chomsky of the two-wheeled brotherhood. Yes 'caddy, one day soon, I WOULD like fries with that... god bless again... |
Originally Posted by rallen
carbon fiber sucks
|
Originally Posted by DrPete
Hmm... I can recall one off the top of my head. It was an Aloha airlines 737 whose roof blew off because of stress cracks in... you guessed it... Aluminum.
Ironically, aluminum is my preferred bike frame material. 3 of my 4 bikes have aluminum frames. Haven't had any problems with any aluminum frame I've ever owned. |
Originally Posted by Sprocket Man
I was on that flight! Let me tell you, nothing will put the fear of flying into you like seeing the roof of the airplane you're riding in get ripped off midflight and watching a flight attendant get sucked out at 24,000 feet. I was near the back of the plane, thank goodness. I didn't get on a plane for 3 years after that. My family chartered a boat to get me from Maui back to Honolulu.
Ironically, aluminum is my preferred bike frame material. 3 of my 4 bikes have aluminum frames. Haven't had any problems with any aluminum frame I've ever owned. |
Originally Posted by Sprocket Man
I was on that flight! Let me tell you, nothing will put the fear of flying into you like seeing the roof of the airplane you're riding in get ripped off midflight and watching a flight attendant get sucked out at 24,000 feet. I was near the back of the plane, thank goodness. I didn't get on a plane for 3 years after that. My family chartered a boat to get me from Maui back to Honolulu.
Frankly, given the incredible amount of air traffic every year, I'm amazed at how safe planes are. Statistically, you are worse off in an elevator (steel cables). |
Originally Posted by DrPete
Holy hell, Sprocket Man... Have you actually flown since that event? I'm guessing it took a while. Glad you're still here with us! Sheesh!
Originally Posted by DocRay
That first plane ride after three years must have been awful.
Frankly, given the incredible amount of air traffic every year, I'm amazed at how safe planes are. Statistically, you are worse off in an elevator (steel cables). |
Originally Posted by Jonathan Drake
\\
If that's how you feel, then it must really suck to be you. Does the fact I have a different perspective bother you that much, my dear sweet little Jon? |
Originally Posted by Sprocket Man
Yes, in fact I fly to the outer islands 2-3 times a month because I work for a company that has facilities on Kauai and Kona. And I fly exclusively on Hawaiian Airlines. Not that it really matters all that much - It could happen to any plane at any time. I do think about it from time to time though, and I find myself getting anxious in bad turbulence.
It was awful. I didn't even have to travel - I took the flight specifically to get over my fear. I flew to Hilo and back to Honolulu later in the day. The flight back was much easier than the first flight over, and flying has gotten easier ever since. Like you say, it's an amazingly safe way to travel. I find comfort in the safety statistics. Glad you got over this, not sure I could, but most certainly relieved to know you live to tell about this. |
Originally Posted by powerglide
Do you think the russians use titanium (super low melting point) as their heat shield?
http://www.ussr-airspace.com/index.p...roducts_id=652 It says, "Orbital space ship Buran honeycomb hot structure-Titanium alloy with flight heating up to +400 C degree." |
Originally Posted by DocRay
LOL... you should work on your GED and write professionally. Seriously, I'm developing this strange masochistic fetish, I want to be called an 'idiot' like all the others you target, spank me 'caddy...spank me...
I keep reading those mesmerizing threads that are brilliant, while they may just seem like the ranting of an impotent computer store employee, when read backwards, they have an almost zen-like haiku that can be boiled down to just a few lines of philosophical genius and simplicity... I did something today... It's important, because I did it... you disagree? thou art an idiot... I am important, no one takes me seriously in the real world... I can tell people who don't care about how far I can ride my bicycle... I can tell people who don't care about how my bicycle is best, and why they suck... I can feel nice and big and potent on a forum... forums are better than the real world My computer hums when you're online, as if the electrons must give way to the utter flow of intellectual energy to the eventual climax of 'idiots' , only prefaced by, ..."what I buy is best, what you buy sucks, I buy, therefore I am..." You are infinitely wise, you care about us, because you don't want to make us feel inferior with your knowledge, so you just assure us that if caddy says it's right, it's just right, ...'idiots', that term that lets us know we are loved, and that we don't need to now why or how, just that it is.... God bless 'caddy, a true American hero. [wiping tears of joy]... I can remember the first time you called me 'pinhead'...so simple...yet so sublime...surely the topic of a Harvard dissertation as we speak. A new Noam Chomsky of the two-wheeled brotherhood. Yes 'caddy, one day soon, I WOULD like fries with that... god bless again... |
Originally Posted by Grasschopper
To hit that number you would have to do 6k mi per year...I am pretty serious and I know I don't do 6k miles (maybe I need to get more serious).
|
Originally Posted by Da Tinker
In steel & ti frames, the stress levels are below what fatigues the frame. Bothe steel & ti have a wonderful property of having an infinite fatigue life when the stress is below a certain level. However, Al does not. So a good steel or ti frame can outlast you.
Oh, and I do have formal training in material science. |
Originally Posted by BetweenRides
Suit yourself. 240 lb Clyde here. Lemond CF frame, 8+ years, ~ 30K miles. :)
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:37 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.