DeadWeightDave

I have a cannondale caad 8 frame with a dent about the size of a dime in circumference, from what I consider to be a small wreck. I have been told that if it had been carbon I would've needed a new frame. I'm looking at getting a new bike particularly looking at a carbon giant but I need something that will last at least a few years. My question is: is carbon really that much easier to break? or is it just a myth?

Thanks for the replys

LowCel 

It really depends on how it was crashed, it could be fine (where the aluminum dented) or it could be trashed. I've owned quite a few carbon frames and I have never had a problem. With that said I will probably lean mine against a building right before a strong wind comes and knocks it over and breaks my frame.

umd

A little of both. Any frame material has its strengths and weakness. Thin-tubed aluminum frames can dent easily and be rendered useless. Some carbon frames may be damaged easily and some may not. I have a Giant TCR that I've crashed a bunch of times (including some run-ins with cars) and it's fine. I have an aluminum Allez that I crashed once and it is basically destroyed. Carbon failures tend to be more spectacular, but it's generally not as fragile as people think.

electrik

In the off-road market they install protective sheets on areas like the down-tube/bottom bracket because a flying rock could ruin the frame.

So, i think... CF is stronger when the fibres are all intact but, less resistance over time to sharp crushing blows. Many frames have a super-hard poly-urethane type coating to prevent fiber damage from rocks, but it can happen.

fa63

I am usually not the one to do this, but please do a search as this has been discussed at least several times in the last month. You will find pages of reading material to answer your question (and more).

crhilton

I've seen lots of guys with carbon frames they've been riding for years. I know a couple of guys riding carbon bikes from about 10 years ago. Both work fine.

I ride aluminum and steel and have yet to trash a frame. Although I seem to be trying.

jrobe

Every hobby I have now uses carbon components - cycling, photography (tripod), hunting (arrows), fishing (poles), skiing (poles), hiking (poles), etc.. Carbon components make all of these hobbies more fun and more efficient (especially cycling). The only thing I have ever broken yet was the tip on a fishing pole that I slammed in my car door.

Don't buy any toys that would cause you financial hardship if they broke or were stolen but don't waste time in your life worrying about them. There are more important things to worry about.

My1stRoadBike

I just Got a Caad 8 Frame Bike Today! . I got about 23-25 Mph Down a Hill in No Time... What a Nice Ride Not much Vibration in the Frame, Feels So Smooth With the Race Rubber Tiers. The Frame Did Feel Good and Light. I Personalty would always stay with Mother's Nature Gift, Great Ole Heavy Metal Alloys over Man Made Carbons Frame'z.

I Have a Nice Cro-Mo Tange Frame from 1986. Tange #1 frame and Shimano 600SIS on my 1986 model. -Ironman Dave Scott

I still think the Old School Feel of Cro-Mo is better than some Modern bikes. I Still Lugging "Old Iron" With My 700c x23 Conti's Ultra Gatorskin's Rubbers! What a True work out!!!! But you get that Old school Feel of Lean and Mean! Bad ass bike for $200.

I still say Metal over Man made Carbon Fiber Frames !

jonathanrules

have you ridden a modern CF bike? give one a try!

Chris R.

Kinda like saying that you drove a 1960's VW beetle and loved it and think its way better than a new POrsche 911 Turbo without having tried one...
I guess it also depends what you want to do with it. CF is light, stiff, can be aero and has a great feel to it, not to mention it's light.
Steel is great too but if you want a stiff BB for sprinting and climbing, you will not find that in a steel frame without a huge weight disadvantage.
Go demo a good ($3000+) CF bike and see what you think. Report back please.

Bob Ross

Right...'cuz CroMoly is a naturally-occuring alloy.

merlinextraligh

I wouldn't count on Al being more durable than CF. as stated above, everything can break, and whether a particular crash would have damaged a particular frame is a matter of speculation.

That said, my wifes's CAAD7 was rendered unrideable with a dent in the top tube from falling over in the garage (just the bike, not her on it.)

Our Aluminum tandem has a small dent in the Top tupe from sliding down a poll in front of a convenience store. (Not so bad the frame is trashed, but a possible long term problem, and a cosmetic issue.)

On the other hand, my CF TCR has fallen over several times leaned up against polls, porta johns, etc. The worst that has happened to it, is marking on the clear coat that came out with a rag and elbow grease. Its also been crashed twice without damage.

Based on my limited sample I wouldn't say there's a crash survivability advantage to a light aluminum frame versus a CF frame.

carpediemracing 

I suspect that the really lightweight carbon frames seem to wreck easier than the "normal" ones. I have a number of friends who have wrecked relatively high end frames in the last year or so.

Keep in mind you can repair carbon (Calfee), and, relatively speaking, it's usually cheap (few hundred dollars). You can't repair aluminum, not heat treated frames like Cannondale anyway, and usually you can't buy a frame for the cost of a Calfee repair.

Some crashes result in little/no damage to the bike. Others will trash anything out there.

My primary bike is aluminum, it's been through one crash. Dent but otherwise okay. Last bike was carbon/aluminum (SystemSix). One crash also, cosmetic damage to the downtube. Prior to that I had a bunch of frames I never crashed over the course of 10+ years - carbon, alum, alum.

cdr

rdubbz

wrecked a reynolds 520 steel bike and it was done. wrecked a carbon fiber bike twice and it is still fine. carbon's probably easier than aluminum to repair too.

grolby

It also depends upon the type of carbon. For example, my understanding is that carbon weave has somewhat more impact resistance than the unidirectional stuff.

Ultimately, you don't plan on crashing. My aluminum bike has fallen over a few times, but never been crashed. It's still good. I've seen carbon bikes fall over, too. They seem to be fine as well. My teammate crashed his Eddy Merckx last weekend; he low-sided and slid out. The bike was fine, he just scuffed up the saddle, rear QR skewer handle and left shifter. Most of the time, that's the kind of damage you get. The kind of impact that it takes to really damage a frame is likely to do a number on pretty much anything.

I will say this: I think in the past there was less of the "bike in three separate pieces" phenomenon that you see now in really big crashes, but that doesn't mean that a steel bike would have survived the crash. So when carbon bikes go, they often go with a lot of drama.

jayp410

I had a high end $300 carbon fishing rod (and still use them) but one time I had a 1/8 oz jighead snagged. I pulled the jighead loose, and it came back and hit the rod. There was no visible damage, but a couple minutes later a fish broke the rod at the point that the jighead hit. That little incident made me distrustful of the ability of carbon to withstand impacts, and that's one reason I went with a titanium bike. (I've also had high end carbon fishing rods snap from being bent too much, but that kind of breakage is not as relevant to the discussion on bikes).

grolby

No offense, but believing that thin-walled tubular steel alloys are relatively easy to repair is kind of a demonstration of ignorance. Carbon fiber is probably the only material for which you CAN likely have a frame repaired, and have the result be as strong or stronger than before. The only circumstances under which that is true for steel, as far as I know, are tube replacements on lugged frames. On TIG-welded frames, forget it. When it's broken, it's broken.

umd

This thread is about aluminum vs. carbon. Wtf does steel have to do with it? Steel may be relatively easy to repair and more forgiving (and maybe it's not; don't care and don't wish to discuss it here), but that says nothing of aluminum, which is not.

Johnny Alien

I was responding to the person that mentioned they wrecked a steel frame. I realize that the OP said aluminum but another poster brought up their wrecked steel frame. Sorry to get off topic....proceed.

Chris_F

With all this worry about crashing just go buy a WalMart bike and be done with it. Better yet, buy five so you have a few backups to ride when you crash.

nahh

carbon fiber is definitely easier to repair than aluminium. you wouldn't think so just from CF being mysterious, but aluminium is such a pain to weld.

sfrider 

Do you actually weld aluminum? I would have expected it to be soldered - any welding ought to make it run off or just plain evaporate.

wens

Wait, are you serious?

sfrider 

Yes, I'm serious. Googling seems to suggest many alloys can be gas-arc welded so maybe it's a dumb question. I've only experience with plain arc and gas welding, not low-temp gas-arc. Never needed to, and never had the equipment.

andrewluke

You pretty much have to TIG aluminum because other welders typically provide too much heat and penetration. It's not easy to do at first but it's strong as any other weld once you get the technique down.

That being said, I love my aluminum CAAD9 and I don't see myself on a carbon frame anytime soon. I'm considering a SuperSix since the geometry is identical to the 9, but at this point, I have no need... just this urge to buy more bike stuff.