Carbon Bikes

[Bill B]

After reading the bad posts about the M5 and a year or two earlier the posts on the Lightning R84 I
ask these questions. Are carbon bikes considered to be a long lasting bike? Does the carbon get
brittle[sp?] over time? After seeing several DF carbon frames break and shatter I think i'll stay
with good ole Chro MO

 

[Mikael Seierup]

"Bill B" skrev...
> After reading the bad posts about the M5 and a year or two earlier the posts on the Lightning R84
> I ask these questions. Are carbon bikes considered to be a long lasting bike? Does the carbon get
> brittle[sp?] over time? After seeing several DF carbon frames break and shatter I think i'll stay
> with good ole Chro MO

I wonder if it is due to the material? Maybe its because the builders want to build light and
occasionally go too light/weak. Theres been as many reports of metalfatigue IMHO. Look at all the
Barons. A couple of Double Visions too if my memory serves me. Lightnings. Early BikeE's too?

Regards Mikael

 

[[email protected]]

"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> "Bill B" skrev...
> > After reading the bad posts about the M5 and a year or two earlier the posts on the Lightning
> > R84 I ask these questions. Are carbon bikes considered to be a long lasting bike? Does the
> > carbon get brittle[sp?] over time? After seeing several DF carbon frames break and shatter I
> > think i'll stay with good ole Chro MO
>
> I wonder if it is due to the material? Maybe its because the builders want to build light and
> occasionally go too light/weak. Theres been as many reports of metalfatigue IMHO. Look at all the
> Barons. A couple of Double Visions too if my memory serves me. Lightnings. Early BikeE's too?
>
> Regards Mikael

Carbon fiber seems so easy to work with, but as we have seen problems arise...many manufactures have
failed to produce a cf bike that will last. Calfee road frames have been made since about 1988 and
Craig Calfee spent many years working in the composite and epoxy arena for years before making bike
frames...there is simply no better cf product on the market. We don't make frames to fall apart or
crack or fatigue. All our bikes have a 25 year warrenty on them. Calfee excells where others have
failed. Also on another note...I have seen several broken Calfees since I've been here(most common
accident which brakes the frame is people driving into their garage with the bike still on the roof.
I've seen the front end anywhere from just cracked to completly broken off...and you know what?
after fixing the bike it looks as good as new and is too! Carbon can be fixed easily if you know
what your doing. Freddy

 

[Robert Stevahn]

On 8 Aug 2003 10:04:43 -0700, [email protected] ([email protected]) wrote:

>All our bikes have a 25 year warrenty on them.

Now for the questions of the day: How long for a lowracer or highracer, how long for a tadpole
tandem trike?

Ever hopeful,

-- Robert

 

[Review Boy]

I have ridden a Trek carbon fiber MTB off-road for years. It is a hand-me-down from my brother who
also road it off-road. There have been no problems with the frame, and this bike has really taken
a beating.

When a cf road bike frame fails, I have trouble believing that it is simply because carbon fiber is
not strong enough for bicycle frames. It has to be a design or manufacturing error.

"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I wonder if it is due to the material?

 

[Bikertriker]

A friend of mine has two OCLV Treks. One started life as a 96 model and the other is a 98 model. He
has 80,000 miles on the older one and 60,000+ on the newer one. About all that is original is the
frames. He has had Trek repaint them a few times over the years and they look and work as new. Well
as new as any bike that gets ridden a thousand miles a month. I am sure that there are bikes that
have failed. But failure isn't an intrinsic property of CF. I met a fellow last year that had a like
new 853 bike and the down tube had folded without having an accident. Dave

[email protected] (Bill B) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> After reading the bad posts about the M5 and a year or two earlier the posts on the Lightning R84
> I ask these questions. Are carbon bikes considered to be a long lasting bike? Does the carbon get
> brittle[sp?] over time? After seeing several DF carbon frames break and shatter I think i'll stay
> with good ole Chro MO