?
Will you see any tell tale signs that a carbon frame has had enough?

I do know there are some very old ones out there doing the rounds, but I was thinking more about road frames and in particular carbon steerers.

I have had an OCLV US Postal Trek for 10 years now – nowt wrong with it.

A quick google reveals carbon fibre doesn’t fatigue so should last indefinitely ignoring other factors like uv damage.

How do they handle road salt and the general crap winter roads?

Hopefully doesn’t fatigue as just realised I have a pair of Mizuno full carbon forks which are 14 years old! Oops! 😯
Only really give it a passing thought when barrelling down a hill at over 40mph.

if it starts to age badly and debond then you will probably notice it go noodly before it breaks as the stiffness drops.

road grime – as long as it is painted it will be fine. Raw ones – be careful with sunlight – do not store them in direct sunlight as UV will degrade the epoxy over time. Don’t worry about riding in sunlight – it takes many, many hundreds of hours and most frames are painted anyway and clearcoat will probably help to a degree.

Composites will fatigue – but they are very good in fatigue.

And yes the composite will degrade eventually…but you won’t be still riding it due to your body degrading faster. Any frame material degrades with use and welds in any material are just as likely fail eventually.

My carbon Giant TCR as a lifetime warranty. The first one delaminated around the bottom headset cup, the second broke in the middle of the tup tube, the third one is still going strong. If it breaks I’ll be after a warranty replacement.

Longevity is proportional to the warranty.

Are they epoxy or polyester resins?

Clear coats don’t help much, I have some disappointing lab results from such an experiment 🙁