Should i buy a carbon frame

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treetrees
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:34 pm

by treetrees

Ok peeps I currently ride a cannondale caad 8 which has all ultegra and deda components on it and i'am about to pull the trigger on a 2015 caad 10 frameset. My dilemma is that the lure of the carbon is driving me mad , I love the look of the chunkier frames but I just don't trust it . I have heard and seen some horror stories about cracks and things which is putting me off and as I have fallen off my bike on numerous occasions through some fault of my own and car drivers too ,I don't know if I should go down that route . Obviously the caad10 frameset is cheaper than the equivalent carbon frame so I could use the money to upgrade wheels right ? AM I BEING PARANOID ?

Marin
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Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

This is 2015, we're in the future now.

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreZdUBqpJs

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treetrees
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:34 pm

by treetrees

Anyone got real world experience and not test lab . I noticed they did not drop anything directly onto the carbon from the side though as if you had fallen off .

Sleepless
Posts: 224
Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2014 7:58 pm
Location: Istanbul, TR

by Sleepless

I slipped and fell numerous times, crashed into a car @40km/h, rear derailleur flew into rear fork and my Supersix is still rock solid.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

treetrees wrote:Anyone got real world experience and not test lab . I noticed they did not drop anything directly onto the carbon from the side though as if you had fallen off .


Except for the bit where they're swinging it like a baseball bat into the corner of a concrete block, you mean? :wink: Obviously though, that's a seriously chunky DH frame with far thicker walls than a road bike.

CF has the potential to be better in every way than aluminium, it just depends on how you choose to use it. Some carbon frames have areas where you can flex the tube walls with finger pressure, others are more solid. A crash that's going to break a carbon frame would probably seriously dent or bend a CAAD10 also. And hey, there's always insurance...

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

1st hand experience, well I'm 80kg and can put out a decent amount of power, and I've been riding an 895g no-name Chinese carbon frame for the past year, for several 1000 kms and up & down over 80.000 vertical meters. And I'm still here to type this.

I also have a carbon MTB (Specializes Stumpjumper) and a Chinese carbon CX bike. Plus, bars, seatposts and rims. Actually, there's less steel and aluminium than carbon in my bikes :)

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Miller
Posts: 2764
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:54 pm
Location: Reading, UK

by Miller

Yes you should buy a carbon frame, they just work (to borrow a phrase). What's more, they are quite repairable if you do damage a tube.

Svetty
Posts: 539
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:06 pm
Location: Yorkshire - God's Own Country

by Svetty

I have multiple bikes - carbon, aluminium, titanium. The carbon bikes are just nicer to ride. Any bike can crack if you mistreat it. I wouldn't normally say this but as you've asked a direct question.....Yes, you are just being paranoid. :D

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

I've been riding a 1 kilo carbon HT off road for the last 4 years. Taken it well beyond its design limits. (Fairly much flat out through rock gardens and the occasional DH run on a head down, arse up XC bike!! (with narrow bars and a long stem :wink:))
Its got a few scrapes, but no dents. And no creaks either.

colster
Posts: 98
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:02 pm
Location: West Yorkshire, UK

by colster

If you want/need an engineering perspective on frame material choice to convince yourself then read the article below. At 20 years old the author could only really comment on carbon fibre in theory rather than practice as not many FULL carbon bikes had actually been made at that point, but this article is still a useful introduction to frame building theory, and was written when alu was at it's most popular

http://www.ibiscycles.com/support/technical_articles/metallurgy_for_cyclists/

After all is said and done though just go and test ride a carbon bike and compare it to an alu, then make your mind up based on the ride quality. Don't fret over fears of material/build quality as you will have no real way of evaluating that, and neither will the shop staff, so just leave the numbers game to the frame designers.

BTW did you know Cannondale was nicknamed Crack'n'fail by many mechanics (at least the ones in my LBS)? Has yours cracked and failed?

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Powerful Pete
Moderator
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Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

You are being paranoid. A few CF frames are currently being ridden on a regular basis out there with no ill effects. You will be fine on CF (as you would be riding an alu frame, for that matter).
Last edited by Powerful Pete on Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Typo!
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

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Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez
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Location: around Paris

by Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez

BUT if you're short money-wise YES you'd better buy a CAAD 10 and great wheels (that will probably be carbon LOL )

BTW the most critical point on a bike is the fork steerer not the frame

mattr
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

colster wrote:BTW did you know Cannondale was nicknamed Crack'n'fail by many mechanics (at least the ones in my LBS)? Has yours cracked and failed?
Only 1" head tubes iirc. And it wasn't the mechanics, it was anyone who had anything to do with them............

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ITTY
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Location: Bremerton, WA

by ITTY

Marin wrote:This is 2015, we're in the future now.


Yep

to OP, :welcome: to weightweenies
Moloko Plus 6.24 kg

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by Weenie


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Cleaner
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 7:13 pm

by Cleaner

I chose a CAAD10 frameset over the carbon offerings from Cannodale, Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cervelo and a few others. The geometry was the same as the SuperSix and I was not able to discern a difference in the ride or handling between the aluminum and carbon frame with the same geometry and both having a full carbon fork.

I bought the frame only and built it up with SRAM Red and Hollowgram SL crank and DT Swiss 240 hubs laced to HED C2 aluminum rims with Sapim X-ray. With these rims and a larger volume tire (23-25 mm) at 80-90 psi much of the road buzz is not transmitted. It is very noticable improvement over my first Cannondale, a Criterium 3.0 with a steel fork which would really beat on you over anything bumpy.

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