first steel then aluminum then titanium and then carbon fiber
it is pretty much the material of choice to build bikes out of nowadays
in fact, you have to go back nearly 20 years to find a non-carbon fiber bike on the top step of the podium step of the Tour de France
but the fact is this material is much misunderstood
so we thought we tackle the subject try and put an end some of the injuring myths
so we have spoken to lots of carbon composites engineers including Sebastian the designer at Canyon
who looks exactly the same as John Degenkolb
has anyone ever told you actually look just like John Degenkolb? No, never actually
you look just like John Degenkolb I almost blushed
to find out the truth about carbon
Carbon isn't suitable for heavy riders
WRONG
The suitability of a component in general doesn't depend on the material.
every part should be engineered with a specific Load case in mind
admittedly there is a risk with carbon, fiber as with any frame material
that you can push the limits of it in order to hit a super-light goal for example
but problems only arise if it hasn't been engineered correctly
so the goal of lightweight is being prioritized above strength and durability
if you are heavy rider you should always check
to make sure a component you're buying doesn't have a weight limit attached to it
no matter what the material of component you are buying
but nowadays you shouldn't really have a problem
all carbon used on bikes come from just 5 manufacturers
TRUE
all carbon fiber frames and bike components are made using fibers from just 5 manufacturers
yeah, that is actually true
now admittedly those manufacturers make different grades of carbon fiber
so it is not like every bike frame is of equal quality
also you've got a lot of other ingredients to add into the mix
not the least the engineering and also the manufacturing processes
that ultimately determine the outcome of your bike
higher modulus carbon means higher quality bikes
Wrong
"modulus" refers to the stiffness of the fibers that are woven into sheets of carbon fiber
So as you go from a standard Modulus Fiber right through to ultra-high modulus
the fibers get stiffer lighter and more expensive to manufacture
hence why the marketing guys trying to sell you Bikes
want to advertise the fact that their frames are made out of ultra-high modulus carbon
but the truth is though
No matter how expensive your bike you always need a mix of those fibers
so if you were to make a bike entirely out of High-Modulus carbon
it will be very light, it will be uncomfortably stiff and it would be exceedingly brittle
so the art form of designing carbon fiber bikes is to get the right mix of fibers
in the right places and in the right directions in order to get a bike that is light, stiff, comfortable and strong
so High Modulus of this doesn't necessarily mean high quality
You can't lean your bike against a radiator
WRONG
to make a carbon fiber bike it needs to be cooked
so if you were to happen to leave your bike leaning against a radiator then it'll melt right?
well NO, fortunately that is wrong
the resins used to glue carbon fibers together are able to withstand temperatures far higher than the humble radiator can produce
just think about your Carbon wheels for example
the braking surface Needs to survive temperatures well in excess of 100 C
which is the temperature that your radiator probably hopefully won't ever have to exceed
if you were to leave your bike carelessly in an oven though
well that might give you cause for concern So try and avoid that at all costs
and in actual fact, leaving it next to an external electric heater
"the kind that glow bright red" that might also give you problems
So be a little bit careful about where you leave it
Sunlight Weakens Carbon
WRONG
Well actually that one could almost be true "Not that we would ever find out here in the UK"
the fact is that the resins used to glue Carbon Fibers together
can sometimes be susceptible to UV light
meaning that your frame or parts could "in theory" degrade over time
but the fact is thought that carbon manufacturers evolved to take that into account
so UV resistant resins are now used and UV protective finishes are also applied to the Carbon
meaning that you should be able to use your frame or parts indefinitely
and if you are still skeptical about this
I suggest you take a strong look at that airplane next time about the board it
Carbon Can't be repaired
Guess what?
WRONG
It took me a long time to believe this one
Well, Steel frames, they can be fixed right? Re-welded
But carbon?!!
when that gets damaged the just goes in the Bin right?
Well, No, Wrong
It turns out that you can fix carbon fiber parts
in fact, people do some absolutely amazing things to resurrect carbon
you may lose some of the lightweight or stiffness that you enjoyed before it was damaged
but you may still be able to ride your beloved bike
Carbon is less safe than aluminuim
That is ....
WRONG
Science Glasses
theoretically speaking: almost any material can be made safe if you take into consideration its properties and thus capabilities
and then it's just a matter of looking at the stiffness and the weight and therefore the performance
so carbon is neither less safe or more safe than aluminum
it's just different
but one thing I did learn a couple of weeks ago that I thought is very interesting
is that that because Carbon is laid up at 90 degrees or 45 degree angles to any possible crack
It leads to a step-by-step or crack-by-crack type of failure
whereas aluminum if that would get damaged, then is pretty much GAME OVER because that is an isotropic material
whatever the ****** that is
now yes carbon will fail catastrophically but then so will aluminum
if the load exceeds its capabilities......is just plain physics
but what carbon will Do " as we Just said" is give out possible warnings you just need to pay attention to the signs
so any kind of cracking noise, crackling noises or visible signs
hopefully by watching this I will have laid some enduring carbon fiber myths to rest
if not, and in fact even if I have, I hope that there will be some healthy debate going on down the comments section below is video
so do make sure you get involved in that
now before I go, I would just like to pick up on the last point about safety
this is not an endorsement for buying any old carbon fiber part
as a material it is absolutely brilliant for making bike parts out of
but as with any material
it is only as good as the engineering and the manufacturing processes behind it
so always be diligent when you buy Bike stuff and particularly if you are buying second hand
with that last one in mind if you click up there then I've got a video showing you just how to your bike over after a crash
which is important as we now know with both metallic bike part and carbon Bike parts
or if you click down there, then one of the founders of CERVELO "Phil white" has a really interesting
and in-depth discussion about exactly what it is that makes up carbon fiber so do make sure you check that out
otherwise, to Subscribe to GCN just click on the globe
CC made by @ASKCYC on twitter