[Closed] longevity of carbon bikes

The warranty usually gives a good indication of how long it's expected to last. Some give lifetime/25years (Time,Parlee, etc) But most are 2-5years.

I'd say warranties are about reputation not anticipated frame life.

As long as you're not doing anything outside its design parameters, shouldn't it last indefinitely?

Who has ever seen a carbon frame break due to fatigue?

But over time, they go soft/delaminate, you can get water/salt incursion between layers and/or through the resin. the resin might not be uv stable and it certainly wont be corrosion proof and will degrade with water/salt sunlight exposure!

But over time, they go soft/delaminate, you can get water/salt incursion between layers and/or through the resin. the resin might not be uv stable and it certainly wont be corrosion proof and will degrade with water/salt sunlight exposure!

Does the sky fall in a lot where you live, doctor?

...and how many carbon bikes do you actually own?

Over time, steel will deteriorate into a pile of iron oxide.
Over time, the Himalayas will be no more mountainous than East Anglia.

Personally I don't care what you think you know, that's how it is, take it or leave it ❗

Ah, the 'I have no evidence, you'll just have to believe me' approach. Fool.

I know of plenty of aircraft wings and cockpits which are still in good order after 20 years! The only cautions were don't drop stuff onto them and wipe off/degrease after severe oil contamination. (Goes to shed to check E120...)

Personally I don't care what you think you know

crikey, I see you don't read very well either!

I see your inability to substantiate your claims has led you to attempt to duck the issue.

meanwhile, in the real world, A friend has one of those Lotus superbike MTBs, he bought it new in the early nineties, it cost a small fortune. He had to retire it about 2 years ago (so it lasted 17 years) after a small crack appeared where the front mech was bolted on. He used to ride it in DH, XC and 4X competitions back then and continued riding it up until about 2008. This is a guy who is not kind to bikes and has since written off two frames in the last few years (a Giant Reign and a Kona Coilair). Also bear in mind, 20 years ago carbon technology and particularly carbon bike frames were very much in their infancy.

Doctor, people who buy expensive steel frames often feel the need to denigrate other frame materials, probably in some vain attempt to justify to themselves that they have made the right choice. I've had custom steel, and aluminium, and carbon. The carbon has lasted longest.

Aluminium will corrode somewhat, steel will rust and oxidization will creep up on it. so I don't see why carbon is any different to how long it will last in its natural state. Its more prone to unnatural damage in regard to accidents though. I think a carbon frame that suffers a bad off would make me a bit more skeptical on its longevity over a steel frame

All that said though I have seen plenty of Titanium frames with cracks on the tubes and welds even though they may not have had any use more than what they were intended. I have also seen many alloy, steel and Ti frames with bad dents and dings from crashes etc.

Out of all the carbon components a frame would be the one I would have most faith in. I'm not too keen on bars and stems and seatposts made from it for MTB use. A frame would be the one thing I would buy though. I would buy one new though!

I don't think I'll ever ride anything else but carbon again. I had a Merlin Ti frame which I loved at first. Desperately wanted to beleive the 'hype' I rode a carbon HT and found it far more comfortable. I went out that week and bought a carbon frame.

Be warned though, if you get a single drop of Dot5 brake fluid on the bare carbon, it instantly delaminates and turns the frame in to nothing more than a pile of noodles.

The more you worry about the longevity of a frame or component the less you focus on enjoying the ride.

For it's last few years it had forks 50mm longer than recommended, survived a massive nose dive off the highest tier drop in Glentress bike park (totalled front wheel and chipped bone in knee) and was thrown in a river to prove it would float.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I had a Lemond TVT carbon "team issue" frame from the 1990 TDF. They were the early ones that were carbon tubes bonded to alu lugs.

It was still going 19 years 😯 later when i eventually parted with it on e-bay 😥 and it still looked MINT..... 😛

It'll probably last longer than your ability to withhold buying a new bike. I'd expect it to last as long as any other frame material.

My parlee has a lifetime warranty, but if i'm honest I won't be keeping it anywhere near long enough to test that. I rather like new bikes, and things move on, 'a bike for life' sounds like a punishment to me.

Oooh hours and hours. Still see a pre 2000 carbon MTB getting places.

My race bike is a 2007 model which is just having 2012 kit bunged on it.

why do people forget that carbon fibre is not the only composite material out there. Glass fibre reinforced plastic is probably one of the best examples of how long composites can last, even when not particularly looked after.

Admittedly carbon can have more galvanic problems than glass but it's generally built better as it's a higher cost material.

I've got carbon fishing rods in excess of 20 years old that are still as good as new. I see no reason why carbon shouldn't have a far superior lifespan (crash damage and misuse excepted) than any metal currently used in frame production

It's not the lifespan of carbon I worry about it is what happens in an crash. I have riden carbon framed MTB's and they were all lovely but I just won't buy one as I can't justify another bike and I have had the odd off in the past and I would hate to damage the frame.

However if you can avoid the falls carbon firbre composite is wonderful frame material and should last a very long time. The failures you hear about are mostly down to misuse for poor design.
Stability against UV can be taken care of with the right resin's.
Plently of ally or steel frames have cracked in the past through poor design or misuse too. As for the those who put down steel, there is nothing wrong with it. I have four steel bikes and I like them all and if I look after them they will last a life time infact the oldest one I have is a 1989 Marin and that still rides very well. Every material has it plus points and drawbacks. Failure or damage in what otherwise would minor accident is the biggest drawback of carbon I think of.

The carbon bikes I would like is a 29'er rigid SS and a summer carbon road race bike. That would make seven bikes though so I might have to sell some steel first.

I have four steel bikes and I like them all and if I look after them they [s]will[/s] may last a life time infact the oldest one I have is [s]a 1989 Marin and that still rides very well[/s] as old as the Lotus bike up there, despite the fact carbon technology was pretty shonky back then. Every material has it plus points and drawbacks. Failure or damage in what otherwise would minor accident is the biggest drawback of carbon I [s]think of[/s] have baseless worries about.

FTFY. If you think that steel bikes are indestructible you're rather daft. What makes you think that a carbon bike will explode even if you look after it?

Failure or damage in what otherwise would minor accident is the biggest drawback of carbon I think of.

Ive seen steel primadonna road bikes die when they fall over at a cafe stop and there have been a handful of Ti bikes crack on STW alone in the last month. If your really concerned there was a guy on the weight-weenies forum who mends broken carbon.

I remember hearing that they degrade 10% over 30 years so they have a very long life span

what happens in a crash is that you pass the fibres elongation to failure or in the case of some of the one shot heat mould chinese frames overcome the strength of the lap

this remains hidden and then on to catastrophic failure which you guys are such great fans of

As for the longevity of composites I know there's a homebuilt aircraft we built 20 years ago still flying and we didn't know a great deal about a lot of stuff bitd

But over time, they go soft/delaminate

roadies used to say that about steel frames, that the frames went soft over a season.. : )

what happens in a crash is that you pass the fibres elongation to failure or in the case of some of the one shot heat mould chinese frames overcome the strength of the lap, however by that time your metal frame would have also snapped

FTFY 🙂

(I can keep doing this)

Mine is a 2007 frame - still going without skipping a beat. As I'd be expecting to be honest.

*adds TheDoctor to the list*

Is there a topic that attracts more BS than carbon frames' longevity? I think not, going by this thread. My own favorite:

seth-enslow666 - Member
Aluminium will corrode somewhat, steel will rust and oxidization will creep up on it. [u]so I don't see why carbon is any different to how long it will last in its natural state. Its more prone to unnatural damage in regard to accidents though. [/u]I think a carbon frame that suffers a bad off would make me a bit more skeptical on its longevity over a steel frame

Erm....1. Carbon is relatively inert 😐 2. WTF is "unnatural damage" and if you mean "crashes" then how can a material alone make a frame more vulnerable to that?

What did you fix?

njee20 I think your comments and based on an overinterpreation of my post. I have stated there is nothing wrong with carbon frames. I know steel and aluminium bikes can have frame failures in a crash - I am not daft. I never claimed that steel frames were indestructable you claim I did, a big dofference. Steel, carbon, aluminium alloys are all good frame materials.
I suggest njee20 try reading my post again!

But over time, they go soft/delaminate, you can get water/salt incursion between layers and/or through the resin.

Coming from a Windsurfing background, carbon masts and booms literally coated in a permanent layer of salt, scraped and dragged along cobbled and sandy beaches. Seems like the least of your worries when it comes to a carbon frame IME

I'm more worried about carbons galvanic corrosion when next to aluminium! (not wanting to be full of doom!)

bm0p700f - Member

It's not the lifespan of carbon I worry about it is what happens in an crash.

My C456 has already taken hits hard enough to, if not write off a metal frame, then at least put proper big ugly dents in it. Maybe it'll break in half tomorrow, maybe not 😉

Giant have a lifetime warranty. I'm on my third 😯

I've broken several steel mountain bikes at least five alu bikes both road and MTB and a couple of ti mountain bikes. My carbon road bike is the only frame to have lasted more than four years.

[i]I'd say warranties are about reputation not anticipated frame life.[/i]

The length of a warrenty is purely marketing - and the cost of failures need to be factored into the purchase price.

njee20 I think your comments and based on an overinterpreation of my post

Tongue in cheek comment. The crash damage is a completely moot point!

I've broken a few, 7, (5 road frames , 1 cross frame , 1 FS MTB) plus my current Giant XTC has a very wicked looking paint crack at the seat tube / top tube junction. No creaking at the moment but it's not pretty.

Good to hear about Giant's warranty. Got stuffed on my Colnago EPS as it was in it's 3rd year and Colnago said £440 to fix please.

Aren't carbon frames generally lighter than steel,alu and titanium ones?
If so and if there was an issue with their longevity and/or strength ,then couldn't they be over engineered to improve this whilst retaining the positive characteristics/feel of carbon and still be competetive weight wise?
Either it isn't really necessary or it's an industry ploy to have carbon bikes fall apart.

nick1962 - Member

If so and if there was an issue with their longevity and/or strength ,then couldn't they be over engineered to improve this whilst retaining the positive characteristics/feel of carbon and still be competetive weight wise?

They can- look at, frinstance, the Carbon 456 or a Mojo HD, strong like ox. But road bikes and racy XC bikes tend to go more for lightness.

Isn't the Carbon 456 still a kilo lighter than the steel one?
Plenty of scope still for making it stronger if needed...but not really necessary?

I've broken a few, 7, (5 road frames , 1 cross frame , 1 FS MTB)

How, what?

Broke a steel crosser, but it was 35 years old and I was using it on trails.