Opinion on Marin frame sought

Suggestion...

If you are going to do longer rides, consider getting a bike with drop
handlebars. I was a reluctant convert to drops - basically I was given a
bike with drops... It took a little while to get used to drops but now I
*much* prefer them - especially on longer rides as there's a greater range
of hand positions and this aids comfort on a longer ride. I won't willingly
go back to flat bars.

Nothing wrong with aluminium. If it was as prone to breaking as is sometimes
made out, it would not be used for bikes. I've ridden aluminium and it's
fine, and quite frankly I can't tell any noticeable difference between
aluminium and steel in terms of ride quality. The thing I do notice,
however, is carbon front forks. On my bike with carbon forks the ride *is*
noticeably smoother than on my steel bike with steel forks.

Cheers, helen s

There seems to be an aversion to aluminium in AUK; most of the top end
bespoke bikes are steel. Not sure why. But every AUK ride I have ever
done was on an aluminium bike

MartinM said:

There seems to be an aversion to aluminium in AUK; most of the top end
bespoke bikes are steel.

I think it's because of the availability of steel frames with a range of
braze-ons. Not so common on alu frames.

Would a carbon fork survive the rough & tumble of commuting or light
trecking down gravel paths? I recently sat on, and really liked, the
Marin Fairfax, but was advised that the fork would not stand much
abuse.

buzz_ig said:

Would a carbon fork survive the rough & tumble of commuting or light
trecking down gravel paths? I recently sat on, and really liked, the
Marin Fairfax, but was advised that the fork would not stand much
abuse.

I would hope that a carbon fork is as strong as any other fork!

Well, from what I remember of my materials lectures too many years ago,
and some word-of-mouth since, carbon fibre is 'directional', and is
/very/ strong in the direction it is designed to be strong in, but less
so if force is applied from an unexpected direction. Hence the
question, whether boucing up & down curbs or over the odd tree route
could get very expensive, very quickly.

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks, is this because there is no
advantage, or because it is an actual disadvantage?

buzz_ig said:

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks, is this because there is no
advantage, or because it is an actual disadvantage?

I'm sure I've seen cf mountain bikes.

Simon Bennett said:

MartinM said:

There seems to be an aversion to aluminium in AUK; most of the top end
bespoke bikes are steel.

I think it's because of the availability of steel frames with a range of
braze-ons. Not so common on alu frames.

In the only test I know on frame fatigue, which comes with Sheldon's
moniker of approval, ali frames faired far better than steel.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/EFBe/frame_fatigue_test.htm

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

buzz_ig said:

Would a carbon fork survive the rough & tumble of commuting or light
trecking down gravel paths? I recently sat on, and really liked, the
Marin Fairfax, but was advised that the fork would not stand much
abuse.

Carbon fibre is fine for that. Where it is worse is if it has a big
impact, from e.g. a crash, the strength can decrease a lot whereas steel
or ali just dent/bend.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

buzz_ig said:

Well, from what I remember of my materials lectures too many years ago,
and some word-of-mouth since, carbon fibre is 'directional', and is
/very/ strong in the direction it is designed to be strong in, but less
so if force is applied from an unexpected direction. Hence the
question, whether boucing up & down curbs or over the odd tree route
could get very expensive, very quickly.

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks, is this because there is no
advantage, or because it is an actual disadvantage?

Pace forks? A few carbon fibre MTB frames and cranks around as well.
The main issue I would have though is the effect of impact damage and
crashes tend to be par for the course in mountain biking.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

"buzz_ig" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks, is this because there is no
advantage, or because it is an actual disadvantage?

Bzzt! Wrong!

I bought a pair of Pace RC35 carbon forks in 1993, as AFAIK Pace still make
carbon rigid and suspension forks. Fair enough they are basically tubes
rather than swaged and curved road bike forks but so are cast suspension mtb
forks.
I imagine cast mtb sus forks are cheaper if mass produced.
--
Pete
http:[email hidden]/P

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There seems to be an aversion to aluminium in AUK; most of the top end
bespoke bikes are steel. Not sure why. But every AUK ride I have ever
done was on an aluminium bike

Probably because steel can be worked much more easily by small scale bespoke
frame builders who can then manufacture the frame to fit the client.

Ali requires much more fancy heat treatment etc. which makes it fine for
mass production.

T

wafflycat said:

The thing I do notice, however, is carbon front forks. On my bike
with carbon forks the ride *is* noticeably smoother than on my steel
bike with steel forks.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/rinard_forktest.html

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

Tony Raven said:

In the only test I know on frame fatigue, which comes with Sheldon's
moniker of approval, ali frames faired far better than steel.

Where did I say steel frames were stronger than alu? My comment was about
braze-ons.

Simon Bennett said:

Tony Raven said:

In the only test I know on frame fatigue, which comes with Sheldon's
moniker of approval, ali frames faired far better than steel.

Where did I say steel frames were stronger than alu? My comment was about
braze-ons.

Nowhere; I actually meant to reply to MartinM's comments in the other
Marin frame thread that said ali frames didn't last.

Gomenasai Bennet-san

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

Tony Raven said:

Gomenasai Bennet-san

Better!

in message <[email hidden]>,

buzz_ig (') said:

Would a carbon fork survive the rough & tumble of commuting or light
trecking down gravel paths? I recently sat on, and really liked, the
Marin Fairfax, but was advised that the fork would not stand much
abuse.

What do you think they race the Paris-Roubaix on, these days?

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'You cannot put "The Internet" into the Recycle Bin.'

in message <[email hidden]>,

buzz_ig (') said:

Well, from what I remember of my materials lectures too many years ago,
and some word-of-mouth since, carbon fibre is 'directional', and is
/very/ strong in the direction it is designed to be strong in, but less
so if force is applied from an unexpected direction. Hence the
question, whether boucing up & down curbs or over the odd tree route
could get very expensive, very quickly.

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks

Wrong.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Human history becomes more and more a race between
;; education and catastrophe.
H.G. Wells, "The Outline of History"

in message <[email hidden]>, Simon Bennett

(') said:

buzz_ig said:

Mountain bikes do not have carbon forks, is this because there is no
advantage, or because it is an actual disadvantage?

I'm sure I've seen cf mountain bikes.

You have; obviously, a heavy crash will make the frame suspect, but
that's true of most other materials mountain bike frames are made of
these days.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; ... of course nothing said here will be taken notice of by
; the W3C. The official place to be ignored is on www-style or
; www-html. -- George Lund