Know your fabricator

Triathlon Forum
1

Yes, I have posted this story on my blog, but I felt that this merits a pst on slowtwitrch,as well.

Last week, there was a discussion about Chinese Carbon Fibre. Well, add this to what I have read on the net in several places (who are reliable), including cyclingnews.com, and have paraphrased: There is a shortage of carbon fibre due to demands of the aerospace industry, so the price will be a lot higher. There will be some short-cutting due to this problem.

Carbon over aluminium, which is already in widespread use will be more common. One other practise has been reported (and could be more widespread due to the price of raw fibres): fibreglass cores. It can be dyed to look like carbon fibre, and would be totally undetectable unless an expert would be employed to test this.

My word of caution is this: ask the manufacturer (or importer) several questions, including how is the bike made, if they have been awarded their ISO standards, and the country of origin. Also ask about the factory in which your carbon bit or bike was made, how long have they been doing it, and whether or not there is an independent source to verify this information.

I do not want to scare consumers, I just want to make certain that they are getting what they pay for. I also want to make certin that the consumer’s safety is not compromised by unsafe practises.

Read my blog, comment, and click on my ads.

2

One other practise has been reported (and could be more widespread due to the price of raw fibres): fibreglass cores. It can be dyed to look like carbon fibre, and would be totally undetectable unless an expert would be employed to test this

Ah, Doug, there is one way to detect this real easy: the weight of the finished product. Fiberglass replacing equal strength of carbon fiber will be far heavier, no?

3

Not necessarily. The Lotus bike weighed about five pounds, and some other monocoque frames can get into the four-to-five pound range, easily.

Yes, the fibreglass-cored bikes could be heavier, but not necessarily so. Some carbon bikes have a responsible weight, some even are less expensive because of the lower weight.

Just remember-if the deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is.