I've purchesed a R1000 bike (60cm CAAD7 frame + ultegra). Bike looks realy sharp. But the thing that worries me is frame durability. Candl. requires to check frame for any cracks, and says that the life expectancy for this frame is 2 years (for competetive rider). All my previous bikes had steel frames. I'm worried if I ever crash on it the frame is just going to brake. Even bike transportation might be tricky. I ride 4k/year on average and looking for a bike that is going to last. Any experiences/advices with CAAD7?
I've purchesed a R1000 bike (60cm CAAD7 frame + ultegra). Bike looks realy sharp. But the thing that worries me is frame durability.
They don't offer the lifetime frame warranty anymore?
-- Scott Johnson "There is nothing, I think, more unfortunate than to have soft, chubby, fat-looking children who go to watch their school play basketball every Saturday and regard that as their week's exercise." - John F. Kennedy, 1962
However, the CAAD7/Optimo supplement referred to by the poster would make me not buy a CAAD7. Then again, I wouldn't but a frame made out of Ultra Foco either. It's always a balance between weight and longevity when you are footing the bill for your own machine. The Cannondale supplement makes this point very, very clearly. See: cannondale.com115936.pdfOpen ↗
However, the CAAD7/Optimo supplement referred to by the poster would make me not buy a CAAD7. Then again, I wouldn't but a frame made out of Ultra Foco either. It's always a balance between weight and longevity when you are footing the bill for your own machine. The Cannondale supplement makes this point very, very clearly. See: cannondale.com115936.pdfOpen ↗
Wow. Makes me want to buy an OCLV just for the warranty, even if they are little fredly.
First we'll see how long I have to beat on my CAAD3 for it to fail. :-)
-- Scott Johnson "Always with the excuses for small legs. People like you are why they only open the top half of caskets." -Tommy Bowen
Many, if not most carbon frames are fairly easily repairable, and typically the cost of replacing a tube in a carbon-fiber frame is similar to steel (which is not to say it's cheap, but still less expensive than a new frame).
We don't yet know how light you can safely build a carbon-fiber frame, but that's not such a bad thing. When I sell somebody a TREK OCLV, it comes without the dire warnings about lifespan that apparently accompany other frames of similar weight but different material.
