Trek Carbon Fiber (Hincapie Crash)



IronDonut

New Member
Apr 26, 2005
219
0
0
Did relying on Trek carbon fiber in his steerer tube cost George Hincapie some skin and maybe his last chance to win a Paris-Roubaix?

What was that line our mechanic always used to say regarding super-light and fragile components?

"To finish first you must first finish..."

Thats what you get when you try and save a few grams by using a very fragile material like carbon fiber when the superior strength of a metal (pref Titanium) part was required.

When will you carbon fiber suckers learn?
 
Oops. In my haste to bag on carbon fiber I jumped the gun.

Oh well. As I've said before aluminum sucks too at least as much if not more than carbon.

If that was a Ti or steel steerer it wouldn't have broken.




TrekDedicated said:
Um, if I heard correctly, he had an aluminum component in the headset...
 
of course not, but that also weighs way to much, the grams do matter, dont be so quick to judge carbon fiber. If it were unsafe then it would not be raced with.
 
If that was a Ti or steel steerer it wouldn't have broken.[/QUOTE]

So let's take a look at the top 20 placings and see the CF components against the metal? I bet you'd play tennis with a wooden raquet too.

Keep the metal on the trainers and leave the CF for the serious riders.

Oh yes and what about the one about "You only beat me because of the bike!"

Hello ... carbon is an excellent bike material.
 
IronDonut said:
Did relying on Trek carbon fiber in his steerer tube cost George Hincapie some skin and maybe his last chance to win a Paris-Roubaix?

What was that line our mechanic always used to say regarding super-light and fragile components?

"To finish first you must first finish..."

Thats what you get when you try and save a few grams by using a very fragile material like carbon fiber when the superior strength of a metal (pref Titanium) part was required.

When will you carbon fiber suckers learn?


Wow is all I can say - no matter what broke, snapped, or failed what an experience that must be - look no hand-hold. I had a friend who this happened too, he was riding a NEW Specialized Carbon Fiber bike. The steering tube just cracked in half. At least five riders went down in the paceline. There was no warning, just all of a sudden - no hand-hold.

Wow. George hope you're ok.
 
IronDonut said:
Did relying on Trek carbon fiber in his steerer tube cost George Hincapie some skin and maybe his last chance to win a Paris-Roubaix?

What was that line our mechanic always used to say regarding super-light and fragile components?

"To finish first you must first finish..."

Thats what you get when you try and save a few grams by using a very fragile material like carbon fiber when the superior strength of a metal (pref Titanium) part was required.

When will you carbon fiber suckers learn?

Just goes to show how little some people know about materials and design. Clearly, Iron Donut is absolutely daft when it comes to such things. The way he jumps on a topic without using his 20 or 30 brain cells is exactly like the way people respond in mobs or KKK rallies. Mindless, brainless, totaling lacking any clues, and completely unable to perform even the most basic critical thought.

If he'd have even done the most rudimentary study of Paris-Roubaix he'd have found that P-R has broken even venerable materials like steel.
 
Top 20 places in a pro race? Who cares the pros ride what they are paid to ride. Secondly long term durability isn't even a thought in the pro ranks.

In the pro ranks it matters that the bike makes it to the end of the race. For all of us that have to buy our bikes the criteria is totally different. It matters that the bike lasts for a number of years.

Using that criteria for my money titanium is superior to carbon fiber. It's more durable in a crash. The finish is indestructable because it's raw brushed metal. And with the exception of time trialing where carbon fiber can be shaped into complex and aero shapes I don't see an advantage to using a material is the so fragile.


miday said:
If that was a Ti or steel steerer it wouldn't have broken.
So let's take a look at the top 20 placings and see the CF components against the metal? I bet you'd play tennis with a wooden raquet too.

Keep the metal on the trainers and leave the CF for the serious riders.

Oh yes and what about the one about "You only beat me because of the bike!"

Hello ... carbon is an excellent bike material.[/QUOTE]
 
IronDonut said:
Top 20 places in a pro race? Who cares the pros ride what they are paid to ride. Secondly long term durability isn't even a thought in the pro ranks.

In the pro ranks it matters that the bike makes it to the end of the race. For all of us that have to buy our bikes the criteria is totally different. It matters that the bike lasts for a number of years.

Using that criteria for my money titanium is superior to carbon fiber. It's more durable in a crash. The finish is indestructable because it's raw brushed metal. And with the exception of time trialing where carbon fiber can be shaped into complex and aero shapes I don't see an advantage to using a material is the so fragile.

So let's take a look at the top 20 placings and see the CF components against the metal? I bet you'd play tennis with a wooden raquet too.

Keep the metal on the trainers and leave the CF for the serious riders.

Oh yes and what about the one about "You only beat me because of the bike!"

Hello ... carbon is an excellent bike material.

Apparently you care what the pros ride because you're the one that brought the topic up. So if you're going to use what the pros ride as cover for your ignorance about science and engineering, then it's perfectly valid for others to use what the pros ride to show that your incorrect assumptions are just that: incorrect.

The fact is you know nothing about what you're talking about. You'd like to think you've gained knowledge by having seen something or talked to a buddy, but the fact is that history is rife with people who incorrectly made conclusions based on what they thought they saw. It is for that reason that we have something called "scientific method" upon which all science and engineering is based. It removes personal bias and subjectivity from analysis and provides a mechanism for others to verify or disprove theories and hypotheses. You should look it up: "s-c-i-e-n-t-i-f-c m-e-t-h-o-d."

The fact that you can't look at this issue objectively is painfully obvious. You make stupid assumption about people based on what you think you read in their posts. You hold to some extreme belief...actually it's nearly a religion for you....regarding materials, a belief that has no scientific basis whatsoever. And to top if off, you are completely unable to critically analyze or respond to any posts, questions, ideas, etc.

If you did even the most rudimentary search, you'd find that there are plenty of examples of Ti failing, just as there are examples of steel, Al, CF, Mg failing. If you spent even a picosecond thinking, then, you'd realize that since all materials that bikes have been made from have failed at some time or another, design, construction, and proper use of a given material are the critical factors, NOT solely the material itself.

Alas, I don't think anyone expects you to think. I'd say most view you as a persistent troll, one so bored with his lackluster life that he has to keep digging up the same dead and trite digs and claims to spew on a BBS.
 
alienator said:
Apparently you care what the pros ride because you're the one that brought the topic up. So if you're going to use what the pros ride as cover for your ignorance about science and engineering, then it's perfectly valid for others to use what the pros ride to show that your incorrect assumptions are just that: incorrect.

The fact is you know nothing about what you're talking about. You'd like to think you've gained knowledge by having seen something or talked to a buddy, but the fact is that history is rife with people who incorrectly made conclusions based on what they thought they saw. It is for that reason that we have something called "scientific method" upon which all science and engineering is based. It removes personal bias and subjectivity from analysis and provides a mechanism for others to verify or disprove theories and hypotheses. You should look it up: "s-c-i-e-n-t-i-f-c m-e-t-h-o-d."

The fact that you can't look at this issue objectively is painfully obvious. You make stupid assumption about people based on what you think you read in their posts. You hold to some extreme belief...actually it's nearly a religion for you....regarding materials, a belief that has no scientific basis whatsoever. And to top if off, you are completely unable to critically analyze or respond to any posts, questions, ideas, etc.

If you did even the most rudimentary search, you'd find that there are plenty of examples of Ti failing, just as there are examples of steel, Al, CF, Mg failing. If you spent even a picosecond thinking, then, you'd realize that since all materials that bikes have been made from have failed at some time or another, design, construction, and proper use of a given material are the critical factors, NOT solely the material itself.

Alas, I don't think anyone expects you to think. I'd say most view you as a persistent troll, one so bored with his lackluster life that he has to keep digging up the same dead and trite digs and claims to spew on a BBS.
OUCH!!
 

Similar threads