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Carbon Fibre


ogre

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I've known how much better carbon is since it started being used when an engineer friend spoke to me about it, but I've never been able to properly trust is.

The last test literally had my jaw hanging. I thought carbon was strong in the way the first two tests demonstrated, but it's major drawback was impact to the sides.

Cannot believe how resistant to "knocks" ( :giggle: ) it is! Why are we only just starting to see carbon frames?! I'd trust frames before forks purely 'cause of all the stress on the steerer/crown.

I'm TOTALLY on board with the M5 now. I didn't like it 'cause I thought it'd splinter and shred, but looking at whacking it on a concrete block says it'll probably take more abuse than an ally frame!

Amazed - so glad you re-posted it.

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What!! I didnt even realism cf was anywhere near that strong.

My views still haven't changed, as its price remains so high :(.

But, still, WOW!

you can't discriminate a new product on price, it's still a huge USP, prices will be silly for years, if you consider the amount of research and tech that goes into designing and manufacturing a frame it's really not unfair the price they charge.

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cf is very stong but most carbon frames fail on the bonded joins to the alloy dropouts, pivots, bb and headset areas.

and punctures from sharp rocks. alloy will bend and dent when a sharp rock hits the downtube where carbon would be left with a small crack like a stone chip in a window. althought those are easily repaired by patching the crack.

but i have to say the most common is a dropout or the main pivot dislocating from the chainstays.

a completely one piece carbon moulded frame would be massivly strong

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you can't discriminate a new product on price, it's still a huge USP, prices will be silly for years, if you consider the amount of research and tech that goes into designing and manufacturing a frame it's really not unfair the price they charge.

I completely agree with you there pal. My main view being the price on cf just means couldn't afford a CF frame, though i would love to have one.

The actual idea, research and development is amazing though.

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Failure in composites differs form failure in metallic materials.

Although they do have higher stiffness and strength compared to metals, toughness (impact resistance) is reduced. A lot of the damages are under the surface so visual testing is not very valid.

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put alot more faith in me regarding carbon fibre.

I could be wrong but I'd hazard a guess that Santa Cruz CF is of much higher quality than the generic stuff we get in trials.

None the less, despite cringing at the tests they performed, they have made me much more confident about owning a Karbon fork. I didn't know CF was that strong to be honest, especially when it came to the "smash the frame against a sharp concrete edge test".

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I could be wrong but I'd hazard a guess that Santa Cruz CF is of much higher quality than the generic stuff we get in trials.

This.

Santa Cruz have spent 6 years developing their own proprietary layup process with a specialist composites manufacturer that only make front triangles/frames for them.

Edited by ZeroMatt
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Well i have just buffed down a cf headset spacer to fit on top of a monty ti stem to make it flat and .........

It too ages on a stone wheel, l had to hacksaw to a close angle then buff down and file and sand down, the thin end still feels really strong and rigid surprised the stone wheel didnt make that much impact on it prob less than steel i would say, weird and didnt get overly hot like metal but when i took it to a flatsheet of 800 grit wet and dry it really took alot off

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i will get some samples of carbon sheets tmz and do some test for you guys here :D it is very very strong stuff put together correctly.

i say if you want to trust in carbon bike frames its not all about the material it about the prosess they use when building, testing and designing the frames.

i can list a few companys whom i would never buy carbon frames from

cannondale ie crack n fail

lapierre ie crackierre

whyte ie thats the colour of the filler they use .

x lite handle bars cracked from new

kenesis has anyone even looked at there carbon seat stays, just no

i have seen snaps in all of these.

but that doesnt mean all will snap. just saying i havent yet seen

a giant carbon snapped but thats the only company i know of making there own carbon weave from carbon on reels.not prepreg or wetlay ect..

if made properly, i cant see why bike companys cannot suppy a raw frame cut in half as a show frame to let the customer see what there buying into. if this were law i think a lot of carbon bike would have never been sold.

Edited by dezmtber
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i now have a sheet of 3mm thick carbon, made from weaved carbon wet layed and pressed at 40tons under a vacum while it set. tommora i am cutting it out for some dh bike mods, on harry heaths bike, you will see a post for these parts as i think the trials bikes using gears may like.

but i will be video taping some tests to show just how strong carbon can be, belive me this carbon is stupidy strong the sheet i have is a5 size and it hardly bends at all.

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After watching this it made me cringe like hell they tests they was doing. Carbon is stronger than i expected..

Only minor i have ever found with carbon.

I have some trialtech carbon singlespeed spacers had them 2-3 years now they were great until one of them being a thin one decided to split/snap the other week from tightening my lock ring. As daft as it sounds but is there different grades of carbon out in production?

It would be interesting if koxx/try-all did a test video on there carbon products. I was thinking about carbon bars the other day for the Ozonys.

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As daft as it sounds but is there different grades of carbon out in production?

Carbon fibre is carbon fibre but there is scope for a massive variation in strength and performance when it is laid up and made into a component. Singlespeed spacers will just have been made from a length of relatively simple and cheap CFRP tube but to make something like a set of bars or a frame where strength is required the layup process, fibre orientation, number of plies etc. all makes a massive difference to how the final product will behave.

Seems like Santa Cruz know what they're doing but I'm still not convinced that CFRP is necessarily the best option for trials frames which often get scratched and beaten to shit.

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