On-One is starting to push out XC and DH carbon frames, and I'm a bit tempted by that 456 monster.

Carbon though…I've had a carbon frame in the past and really enjoyed it's characteristics, bud it lost bits of the 'cosmetic' layer quite quickly, especially around the seat stays, and that was on fairly standard XC stuff. I shelved it after that and went back to alloy.

But carbon keeps gaining ground, so what's the real world experience like for others out there? How bad has it got, and how quickly? Or how well has it survived?

Had a carbon swingarm on my old freeridey/dhly bike, only retired it due to a change in focus, it's chipped, scratched and battered and still works good as new.

The top tube on my road bike broke, I first noticed it doing 45mph+ down the Schiehallion descent. Still unaware of what caused it. Giant replaced it at cost.

I first noticed it doing 45mph+ down the Schiehallion descent

That's the stuff of nightmares! 😯

Not really a horror story, as it was mostly my own fault, but I had some flat carbon bars on my commuter, which I crashed on. I could see they were damaged near the stem, but carried on riding on them whilst waiting for some new bars. I filtered up the middle of some traffic at the lights, lights go green, I heave on the pedals and the left side of the handlebar snaps off in my hand…..! I wobble to the side of the road and phone home for a lift! 😳

– Had a carbon seatpost snap once – luckily I managed to avoid sitting on the spikes.

+ Been riding a trek carbon mtb frame for nearly 10 years now, raced it, bashed down anything and everything. It's got a few dints and scratches but is still going strong.

I've only ever seen one carbon component fail – a seat post. It was no big deal, the damage was spotted before it failed.

I dont understand why there's such a mistrust of carbon (myself included). It's not like I can see metal fatigue with my naked eye. Carbon fibre is a strong material, not prone to random, out of the blue, catastrophic failure any more than aluminium AFAIK.

I could see they were damaged near the stem

I forgot about my carbon seatpost and bars. I take them very much for granted as 'part of the bike'.

That bar failure of yours would almost certainly be replicated in the same way by alloy bars I suspect.

well i ran into some trouble with a dodgy character i knew

long story short got caught by the law, ended up frozen in carbonite for a year, still gives me nightmares

han

I have been riding xc carbon bikes for a few years now…and as mentioned above it has always chipped/scratched etc. but never failed in anyway. I have ridden a couple of my bikes into the ground and amazingly the carbon still holds everything together!!

I once forgot to put heli tape on my head tube to avoid the cable eating into the carbon, which it did..and again the beast still works like a mule!!

itchypedro – Member
– Had a carbon seatpost snap once – luckily I managed to avoid sitting on the spikes.

+ Been riding a trek carbon mtb frame for nearly 10 years now, raced it, bashed down anything and everything. It's got a few dints and scratches but is still going strong.

Got an old Y22 I must get round to renovating/using or selling.

Know someone who has returned a 2wk old carbon rear end bike to shop/manufacturer due to said carbon raer end failing on 2nd ride. In fairness shop sourced and fitted a new rear end but faith in component/brand had by this time been lost. When paying £3k+ for something you do expect better.

Carbon forks on my cyclo cross bike snapped on 1 leg around the brake boss area. This happened under heavy braking [with the notorious brake judder in full swing] at the same time as i hit a pot hole in the road. I heard a bang and noticed a dusty crack on the leg. It stayed together rather than a clean brake but i walked home. Luckily only a mile away and i dropped it off at the shop on my way. I recieved a new fork foc.

Carbon seatpost stuck in my cross bike frame- periodically try and remove it, but no joy. Luckily it's at the right height, so not too much of a disaster 🙂

Had a carbon Ransom for two years. Two trips to the alps, two Mountain Mayhem events on it and a number of xc/enduro's, i have complete faith in it.

snapped a carbon seat post (outland) landing the first jump at llandegla badly and cut my inner thigh, couple of inches to the left and i would have been a meat lolly pop.

finished the route mostly out of the saddle with a make shift knee pad-saddle strapped to the top tube ,,,,,, i ached in places i never new existed for days after

I had as Trekster said a bonding failure between the metal dropout and the carbon rear triangle after a couple rides might even have been one!! but didn't do much for my faith in Carbon. I'll stick to metal for now.

Once, I was riding solo at night on Bodmon Moor, it was a dark and stormy winters eve with the fell wind howling and the clouds racing across the sky in a flying wrack against the bright full moon. Suddenly, I heard a snapping sound to my left, followed by an evil creak!! My heart raced and my mind gibbered as I realised the legends were true, the terrifying Carbon Horror was real!!!

I bought a Carbon Scott Strike a few years back and did a couple of rides on it then noticed there was some play in the cranks. Took it to LBS who gave it a service and changed BB. Happened again a ride later, this time noticed that the threaded BB cups bonded into the carbon were breaking out of the frame 😯

Dropped the guy a line that I bought it off and he was a star. Took the bike back from me, gave me a full refund and took it up with Scott as the original buyer from new. I think he managed to get the front triangle replaced whilst I thanked my lucky stars he was so good about it.

Needless to say all 3 of my current bikes are Aluminium. That breaks too from time to time of course but IMO its a more durable material.

quick q!
the other day on my road bike i hit a big pot hole at about 25 mph and it made a loud crack noise and ive lost confidence in my carbon forks.

its a cheap giant scr £800 jobbie so the forks will be pretty pap, how do i check that they aint ****?

Plenty of snapped swing arms on the Yeti 575's around.Ive done one and a mates on his third.

no carbon for me as I don't trust it.
BUT in the shop there is a chap coming for services on it's bike.
It's a pre-2000 scott endorphin frame and it's still going strong. One of the LBS owner has a scott randsom carbon. It's been a couple of years now. And the bike has survived countless ride down "le centre du monde" and most of the enduro series.

At the end of the day you'll be the one riding the bike. So you'll have to trust it.

Seen bonded on cable guides depart company with the frame(twice),not the end of the world, and new frame supplied under warranty by Trek. My own personal nightmare with carbon fibre has to be taking the money out of the wallet for my Easton bars many years back(still going strong though, lasted a lot longer than comparable alloy ones).

Not long retire an easton carbon seatpost, originally supplied on a '00 bike, it stuck in the seat tube at one point but continued to use it after I managed to get it free.

Can't beleive no one has posted this.

http://www.bustedcarbon.com/

Isn't it the damage you can't see internally, without an xray, not the problem?

Seen two carbon seat posts fail. One was a USE one that came apart at the bond, and the other was a cheap FSA one that snapped. Seen long before they caused any real damage.

Mostly carbon is OK, certainly no worse that nay other materiel currently being used on bikes. Same as with anything else really, but from recognised names

I friend snapped his carbon seatpost, and a splinter of carbon impaled him in the rectum. Over the following weeks whilst he was battling the suppurating infection in his anus, the carbon splinter slowly worked it's way along his arteries back to his heart where it pierced one of his valves and he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Apparently it's not uncommon.

IanMunro please tell me that isnt true?

IanMunro has now convinced me never ever to even consider buying a carbon seatpost 😯

I've had 4 pairs of rigid carbon forks and never had the slightest problem with any of them but sold them as I just can't get rid of that nagging doubt. They were all aluminium steerers too. Carbon steerers, which I am currently 'considering' scare the crap out of me !

I've seen more broken alu stuff than I have carbon.

I had a carbon seatpost snap – the only bike bit I've actually broken apart from bending a wheel. It broke completely clean at the top of the seat tube, which made it a bugger to get out. No splinters tho.

In all fairness, it was from a bad batch – USE replaced it FOC despite it being three or four years old. Also, it was actually bent and had been for about a year before it finally snapped.

PS IanMunro is telling stories – quite obviously!

Whether Ians story is true or not (I suspect it is true), pulmonary embolism/DVT is not uncommon post trauma.

Can't believe I've just read two posts in a row containing the words suppurating and anus

Awful injuries and premature death aside, My Giant XTC carbon is great after a couple of years riding, the Ritchey carbon post is also great. I've had a carbon road bike (specialized tarmac) with carbon seat post and FSA K-wing carbon bars and no problems in four years.

Only problem I did have was with bar ends – crashed at mayhem when a chap took me out on a corner and the bar end snapped the EC90 bars clean off. Last carbon MTB bars I bought – alloy for me now!

I suspect it is true

I suspect it's not.

pulmonary embolism/DVT is not uncommon post trauma.

Depends on the severity; being immobilised does increase DVT/PE risk, but major trauma causes an acute coagulopathy.

Andy

Folk actually considered IM's story to be true?

I give up!

Broke a cheapo halfords seatpost. Snapped where it had been clamped – overtightened maybe?

also snapped aluminium handlebar & frame and bent two steel forks, bent titanium saddle rails, bent aluminium rim.

Therefore i'm not going to use anything made of aluminium, carbon, steel or titanium!

Would alu/steel not dent if it was struck by stones, debris etc whereas carbon would visually look ok?

awww al what is happening to you… You seems very grumpy this week…?

Cracked a carbon DH bike (remec)…… though it was the alu headset insert that cracked. Carbon was all fine.

And it was an enormous crash, ended up in a neck brace strapped down to a hospital bed.

RBIT

Classic case of internet/not enough space or inclination to type all day!

My point was that the story could be true in as much as following what appeared to be a realtively minor incident, the subsequent infection and ? immobilisation ?sepsis/DVT/PE leading to ? actual cause of death was perfectly feasible. Whether a shard of carbon piercing a valve is possible, well…………………

I wouldn't worry about it too much though as Cynic-al has pointed out my gullibility and is of course much better qualified than yourself to give the definitive answer as he is a commercial lawyer IIRC 😆