You upped your chances by not driving 3 hours to Brooklyn this morning--more crashes, but the CF survived from what I hear.

Buy whichever one you like more. Carbon Fiber has come a long way, and is no where near as fragile as most people make it out to be.

However, that 59 cm frame is NOT going to fit you. Don't buy a bike that doesn't fit like a glove.

All the motor vehicles I have owned over the last 28 years:
- 1982 Jeep CJ-5.
- 1993 Jeep Wrangler.
- 2006 Jeep Wrangler.

So for me the answer would be "Yes".

+11 It's not like he asked "Hey, you guys like Bikes Direct bikes?" It was a well thought out question and deserves a well thought out answer. Not just OMG serches the forumozors!

Yes. 130,000+ miles on my 2000 Volvo; 120,000+ miles on the 2000 Subaru. No imminent plans to replace either.

yes i have a 2000 ford

Yet ironically he will get more and better information if he acts on my reminder to search. What have you contributed besides being butt hurt?

Fixed....

How long do you keep your chicks?

Have a full carbon fiber Zona tandem with only 30,000+ miles on the odometer. A tandem takes a lot more stress/torque with 2 folks pedaling than a single.
Also have a c/f Zona single with only 10,000 miles on the odo.
Steel never breaks huh?! Our steel tandem broke twice: once at 50,000 and again at 56,000 miles. Sold it with 64,000 miles on the odo.
Any material can eventually fatigue and fail.
Yes we keep our bikes a long time . . . as well as our cars.
Our Accord station wagon is only 13 years old with 145,000 miles on the odo. Quality and proper care/maintenace is the answer!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

How long do we keep our chix?
55 years, so far, and still very HAPPILY married!

Yes my bike will outlast my car. However, I think I spend more on bike stuff than I do car stuff. It seems like I am alway buying something for my cycling addiction. I am waiting for a new set of wheels that are in transit by UPS right now. I woudn't spend as much on wheels for my car as I would on wheels for my bike.

I would.

Pft. I spent a grand on wheels and tires for my car... and they were cheap, cast aluminum knockoffs of an expensive forged aluminum design. They aren't even light enough to be called "race" wheels.

But, like you said, it's about what you, as the owner, would be willing to spend.

I have a '96 318ti (hatchback). I carry my bike everywhere in it.

I Just spend $900 on bike wheels because the manufacturer gave me a $500 trade in on my old wheels. A few years ago I bought some stock BMW wheels that were taken off of another car and they had Michelin tires with 70% life left in them. I paid $450 cash and sold my old wheels for $100.00. So, I am willing to spend twice as much for bike wheels as for car wheels they don't even come with tires. Am I a fool or an addict?

A great car! I had a 91 325i convertible. Loved that car, but the wagon has proven to be more useful, but not as exciting.

A buddy who raced (14yrs ago) for the Taiwan National Team rode steel (Colnago). He said he could feel the bike lose stiffness after about 6mths. (And that is about how long they used them before replacing).
BTW he held the Indoor track record (don't ask me which one) for about 8yrs before it was broken in the last couple years.
So carbon can't be all that bad.

Those are cool cars. My bike fits perfectly in the trunk of my e36 m if the front wheel is off and the seats are folded down. I need some kind of roof or trunk rack soon though, since I'm not going alone so much recently.

Carbon fibre technology is not new. It is not new in bicycle construction. It is new to you. It is not new to the experts who build the bicycles we ride.

I bought an Aegis Aro Svelte in 1996. I have ridden thru 3 cycling computers. I have towed a BOB trailer over 2000 miles with 40 lbs of gear. I'm on my 3rd wheelset. I replaced everything in 2007. I have ridden thru hundreds of pot holes. The only thing I have not done to this bike is crash it.

It's as flash as the day I bought it. Very few people believe the age. They all think old carbon bikes look like those original crappy Trek bikes. The only difference between my bike and the newer ones is the weight. Aegis chose not to make 1000 gram frames, because they can be damaged in crashes.

The Global Warming "jury is still out" argument is laughable.

10-20 minutes.

Boy howdy!!! I didn't mean set off a cacophony of tangents and discussions on this topic. I have been talking to people I ride with, people I meet when I ride, LBS dudes, and now yall and I did do previous research. I read much about ride quality but little about simple longevity. One thing I did garner was to get the right fit. When I ran 10k half and full marathons, I bought I sweet pair of Mizunos, that were regularly $120 for $10 at a thrift shop. The only kicker was that they were a .5 size too small. No worries, I thought, I'll make it work. Yea, my feet freaking HURT! Just like my back after I get my my bike after 35 miles. I did borrow a buddies 59cm Litespeed Hyperion and I could feel a difference. In fact, I have never owned a bike that actually fit me. I think I'll go with fit first, then material. Speaking of, That is a first purplefender. I've never seen steel do that. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

And beamers are SWEET!!!! They make nice motorbikes too... but I'll stick to my Ducati. I got a thing for Italian 2 wheeled machines.

I like my truck. 11 years old and 159,000 mi. My wife's car is 13 years old and just turned 200,000 mi. Both still run great. So yes, we keep our cars.

I'm still riding my 1980s Columbus SL steel frame Ciocc San Cristobal and driving a 2001 Honda Accord. I have a daughter to put through college and a mortgage to pay-off, so buying new bikes or cars every few years isn't a priority for me.

If a frame is well-made by a reputable builder, is should last for many years (if properly cared for) regardless of whether it is steel, aluminum, titanium, CF or bamboo.