I think a Rivendell Reader interview with the proprietor of Ruckus Components (Shawn) would be interesting. He's a smart, engaging engineer, with decided views on carbon fiber (pro) and the bicycle industry's use of it (negative? mixed?). He repairs carbon fiber bikes. He's deconstructed a lot of CF bikes, and says there's no correlation between brand reputation and quality of design or execution.
I toured his facility with some Portland bike builders, and he made a good case. Two "steel is real" builders left going, "dang, that changed my perception of carbon fiber." Philip Philip Williamson www.biketinker.com On May 9, 2:49 pm, grant <grant...@gmail.com> wrote: > Carbon fiber matrix > offers > large performance improvement in all kinds of structures. So carbon > fiber > matrix has potential for maintaining the strength and stiffness > required > with much less mass than most metals including the three common bike > frame > materials. However, careful design and fabrication procedures must be > followed. The implementation of carbon fiber in aircraft design has > progressed to the point that large percentages airframes are carbon > fiber. > > Jim Merz is a smart guy---smarter than I am---and maybe I'm > misunderstanding what he's saying here. But---whatever the future > holds for carbon, whatever its objective theoretical points of > superiority---its track record is abyssmal. I wrote that article so > long ago that I don't even remember izzactly what I said or how I said > it, but my opinion hasn't changed, and it's not due to my general > stubbornness. Carbon is chart-topping strong, but it snaps without > warning, and is the most "notch-sensitive" of any common frame or fork > material. So...UTS (ultimate tensile strength---the glamor spec of > frame materials) doesn't really matter with carbon. Glass has a much > higher UTS than CrMo steel, but it doesn't fail in tension. I must > have said that in the column. > > It is unlikely that any carbon frame or fork bought in 2012 (I'm > giving them time to improve it still) will be both on the road and > safe on the road in 2020. Something will happen, or at least wise > heads will quit riding them. > > Steel can break, but it breaks a different way; is the LEAST notch- > sensitive of any frame material; has an enviable---and I'd guess > unpassable track record. Not to mention the looks....but that's in the > eye of the berider, etc. > > I shall now shutup and quit repeating my already well-known 'pinions. > > Best, > > G -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
