in the market for a new bike and have thought (among many others) about the new Mount vision carbon, A mate from work then told me that carbon is no good for rocky trails, lake district etc as the rocks will damage the frame’ is this true, cheers

No, he’s an idiot.

I’ve ridden my carbon HT around the lakes, peaks, scotland and had plenty of rocks flung at it without an issue.

Crashed it on the weekend, not a massive impact at all but it caught a rock and split the drive side chain stay. Make of that what you will!

No, the crabon will break and you will die.
Everyone who has ever ridden these bikes off road has, or will, die.

Fwiw, I’d choose a different material if i did a lot of riding in the rocky stuff.

Carbon bikes are ridden by the fastest riders on the planet on the rockiest, steepest descents.

You’ll be fine.

The rocks will (potentially) damage a carbon bike worserer than alu or steel yes. A little hole (possible) Vs a little dent, which would you rather have? Which do you think would compromise the integrity of the frame more?

Go to about 5:15, try that with an aluminium bike.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xreZdUBqpJs[/video]

I’ve had a Trek Fuel Ex carbon, carbon 456, Titus FTMc and now a Lapierre Zesty carbon. Didn’t treat them any differently to an alloy bike.

They wouldn’t make carbon trail bikes if they were any more succeptable to failure than alloy ones. A flying rock that would trash a carbon frame would likely trash (dent) an alloy frame. Imagine the reputation of Trek, Specialized, Lapierre, Norco, Scott, Giant etc etc if their carbon trail bikes were self combusting at the sight of a rock.

They’re not very good when it comes to abrasion/scrapes but nothing that a bit of heli tape in the higher risk areas won’t prevent.

Go for it!

cheers for all the advice,was hoping you would say dont go near carbon then i would be narrowed down to 3 bikes a 5, a heckler and a bantam but its 3 weeks until i demo them and the wait is getting the better of me

Rocks can damage steel and aluminium too ya know. Generally damage that kills a carbon frame would have killed a metal frame, it’s just that when you stove in a tube you go “aw” whereas when you break a carbon frame you go ZOMFG CRAB0NZ

Ride carbon all the time. Wouldnt go back. Lot of uninformed advice above. Try before you buy. The ride is very different. Once youve ridden a carbon you will know what the difference is. Demo the bikes

it’s just that when you stove in a tube you go “aw” whereas when you break a carbon frame you go ZOMFG CRAB0NZ

😀 thanks for the larf! Lot of truth in that, I reckon.