watch at about 1min 50secs:

FFS, course it will be damaged under the superficial vanity layer.

Yes Alu one would dent if given a big enough wack, but carbon not damaged by the equivalent, P’ah.

I’m not knocking whyte bikes atall here, just displaying the foolish acitons and words by this guy in the video.

Er, don’t see your problem. Maybe you should find out a bit more before you dismiss carbon as useless.

I’m not knocking whyte bikes atall here, just displaying the foolish acitons and words by this guy in the video

I’d believe him before I’d take any notice of you…….

because the manufacturers don’t realise that mountain bikes sometimes go outdoors…. 🙄

poor trolling 2/10

I actually like carbon, and therefore not putting it down as useless.

Just the fact that the twonk in the video suggests that aluminium will dent etc when infact the carbon, it won’t do anything to.

This is simply bullocks.

Go take a hike!

This is simply bullocks.

Go take a hike!

perhaps if you elaborated on your qualifications to make this assertion we’d be more kindly disposed towards you?

I think what you were trying to say is “Oh look at me I’m ignorant of these things but love the sound of my own voice so listen to me!”

Just the fact that the twonk in the video suggests that aluminium will dent etc when infact the carbon, it won’t do anything to.

This is simply bullocks

No. It’s not at all. You’re so wrong I’m astonished by your incredible wrongness.

I like these:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_O9PLorYPA[/video]
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lsDXEEUlRE[/video]

To be fair,

The OP is right in some respect. The way that composites break is from the back face.

ie, if you took a plate and smacked it with a hammer, you would see all the damage on the side opposite to the hammer strike. The damage would be almost unnoticeable from the stricken side, unless the gel coat (the superficial vanity layer) cracked.

However the amount of energy (size of the impact) to cause this type of laminate failure is possibly (depends on layup etc) going to be far more than that required to produce a superficial dent in the aluminium. The difference is, metal structures deform prior to failure, composites don’t. They just break.

Because they are in layers, unless all the layers break giving you an obvious crack then the failed layers may go completely unnoticed until final failure.

I hope that makes sense, I tried to keep it concise!

Theres a good one somwhere of 2 frames (scott ransom?) being hit against each other untill the aluminium one fails, OK so the carbon one might not be advisable to ride it but its still in one piece so even if it catastrophicaly fails later on just bear in mind the aluminium one failed first.

Some might say that’s the best thing to do with a pair of Ransoms 😯 😀

OP- you disagree with someone who’s right? That’d make you wrong.

Remind me to keep the hammer away from my bike then.

One thing that springs to my mind is that the damage is so visible on the non carbon frames so you know not to ride it. From what I could see and heard this was not the case with carbon. It would take the abuse but then not show it. Not a lover or hater of carbon but if my metal frame takes a serious whack I will be able to see it and make a choice about riding it any more or not. This seems not to be the case with carbon.

Crikey, how could that cause a rant? He taps it a couple of times with a tyre lever! I’m sure I could hit any of my bikes (including the featherweight Principia) like that with no damage. I’m going back to sleep. 😐

*wanders off to workshop with a large hammer*

The thing with carbon is you could put a suitably sized patch of carbon cloth and epoxy on the outside of the frame and repair the damage yourself. May not look so pretty but it would work.

i thought there was going to be a carbon bashring i could buy. ahhhh. balls

I think the OP is actually right (and isn’t attacking carbon) – the specific claim made in the Whyte video is that an alu frame would have been dinged under those blows. Short, rounded tool, limited force and the frame held one handed, I reckon the best he could get out of an alu or steel frame would be a bit of scratching assuming it wasn’t taped and as Whyte heli-tape their carbon bikes I would be slightly suspicious he is tapping a taped frame.

Its just silly bike sales hyperbole.

The OP is right in some respect. The way that composites break is from the back face.

I think I know what you are trying to say but this isn’t really correct as a generalisation, it might be true in certain circumstances, but I’ve done plenty of composites making and testing in my time, tensile, compression, 3 and 4 point bend, impact, buckling, hammer drop tests and haven’t really witnessed this. There is not really anything in the literature about this either. Care to name your source?