Shhhh....you're breaking the "code of silence"

---

-Andrew

I thought only carbon manufactured in China failed...? /pink

I got to the part where he says "The bikes, they completely explode" and I couldn't read any more.

I got to the same point and said the same thing, my mechanics made me finish the article. HTFU

---

Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Come to think of it, my Reynolds 731 Austro Daimler Olympian still is kicking around some 35 years.

On the bright side, exploding carbon fiber bikes mean manufacturers sell / produce more bikes. What good is it if a wheel or frame lasts more than a season or two

W...T...F?

My brain broke at this point as well.

Where do they get these idiots?

I literally died laughing at the thought of all the TV replays of bikes exploding during the TDF.

Since when does carbon fiber + epoxy = plastic?

Ummm.... I tend to think the frames broke because they were crashed.... not the other way around. Thsi all started by some rumors without any good facts behind them because several top tour riders went down.

So if anything the bikes are now light enough that they tend to break when crashed.

This sums it up:

"Riders described landing on the top, horizontal tube of the bikes during crashes and ending up on the road after their frames splintered and collapsed. Small spills that used to mean, at best, straightening handlebars often require a bike change."

Wait, you mean they are not designed so you can sit on the top tube? What a poor design. That like saying my new BMW 3 series is a POS because when you crash it it crumples and deploys all the devices to save my life. My old 1960 (name any car here) was built "better" because you could hit a tree and after you dug the glass out of your forehead and wiped the blood out of your eyes, you could drive yourself to the hospital. Now you car is destroyed and all you can do is post a picture on Facebook and tell everyone how scary that was and discuss what color you'll buy this time.


I will admit, you probably don't want to buy a top of the line bike for Cri racing, unles you are sponsored or can afford to buy new bikes all the time. You'd actually want their midrange frame and more robust midrange bars and such.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

My supposedly super light and fragile Look all carbon fork I bought in 1999 is still on my road bike. it was one of the earlier all carbon forks commercial available. I got paranoid and replaced it with a cheap carbon fork one and it rode like shit, so I put the Look back on. It's buttery smooth even with straight blades. Hell, you can feel it flex when climbing.


Another good one:

"Frames are now built in molds, enabling exotic and aerodynamic shapes within the limits set down by the International Cycling Union. By manipulating the carbon-fiber fabric used in different parts of the frames, manufacturers can stiffen it in some areas, such as around the cranks, while building in flexibility for rider comfort in areas where it will not affect performance."

Uh...ya todays bikes? Trek was doing this in the mid to late 90's along with a few others. I guess 20 year old technology is pretty new to the NYT.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Isn't Brown an Ivy? Why is a professor of of sports med talking about materials science and explosives engineering. Why is the NYT using logical fallacies (appeal to authority) to support this bit of ignorance? English matters, words mean things. Bikes may crack, break, or shatter. Explode, though? EXPLODE!?

Actually, one could say that steel frames are more plastic than carbon fiber frames (according to definition of plastic, which indicates ability to flex).

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

^^ And yep, quoting a post which ends in a URL is still broken...

So what would happen if you had a Spinal Tap drummer ride a carbon bike?

Your thinking of plastic the adjective not Plastic the noun.

plastic the adjective refers to ability to be formed or molded not bent/flexed. Think silly puddy or play dough

Plastic the noun includes may different types of materials, one of which is resins. Like the epoxy used in carbon fiber bike frames.
Epoxy=Plastic bike, just like Plastic F1 cars and jet fighters.

I've heard of and seen pictures of some old Rev-X's coming apart but that was years ago and no recent wheel has been constructed the same was AFIK. I also think they stopped making those wheels in '98?

jaretj

I lost interest at Greg LeMond

---

_________________________________________________
When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

You're thinking of the contraction "You're" not the possessive "your"..

^^THIS^^

Oh no! Word Crimes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

Yes, words mean things. So does reading comprehension.


Perhaps the study of all these injuries and concomitant crashes informed Greve enough to be an actual authority on what happens to these bikes in these crashes. Probably more so than a materials science engineer.

Have you ever seen, for example, an exploded parts drawing? I have, and there wasn't an actual EXPLOSION that took place.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

There is a catastrophic failure rate of carbon fiber, it is not limited to bicycles but in the bike world I think the percentage is pretty minuscule. Higher than steel or aluminum but not by that much. There is a rate of catastrophic thermal events (catching on fire) for laptop computers that similarly isn't discussed but it does exist. That percentage is also very small. It is important to note that these incidents are more likely to happen to pros since they ride more than we do and are generally harder on there equipment than we are. The idea that carbon fiber doesn't fail is a risky one, it certainly does fail. When it does fail, it tends to be a catastrophic failure.