Getting hard to find a new bike that doesn’t have carbon seat stays these days.
I hear all the time about how all carbon isn’t created equal, and some carbon executions are great, and some are just disasters. Who’s making all these seat stays? Are they made out of good carbon, or disasterous carbon?
There are plenty of really good bikes without carbon stays (cervelos, Merckx, etc). I think the tide is actually beginning to swing away from the carbon stays. Most of the stays seem to be coming out of Taiwan, which can be good or bad. Most of the companies making them only real industry insiders have ever heard of. A few name companies like Reynolds and Deda also make carbon stays.
The frame I don’t understand is the Isaac with carbon front triangle and aluminum stays. What’s up with that?
Martec
Columbus (some sets made by Ideltec in Tiawan)
Dedachai
Easton (have only seen demo stuff so not sure there)
and many more made in Tiawan and China.
So is there any well to tell who made the stays for any particular bike? Does it matter?