Irrational fear of Carbon?

I use Easton Monkeylite mid rise carbon bars, and a carbon upper link on my frame. Am I the only one who has an irrational fear of a carbon framed mountain bike? I fear frame failure due to little impacts from being dropped when taking a tumble in rock gardens and other shows of extreme skills. I view a dent in an aluminium/steel/Ti frame as a shame and a war wound to be proud of, but on a carbon frame, it seems like a one way trip to the bin. Worse, if youn't see the damage, what does that mean? Will all LBS's have access to MRI scanners? Yet I have every confidence in my bars…go figure!

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I've broken all sorts of frames from Ali to steel. Stuff breaks.

no its not just you!!!!!its an affliction which affects many…

http://www.bustedcarbon.com

I've got it 🙁

Nice to know I'm not alone 🙂

Makes sense to me. Bars are a one piece item. All the carbon components that have failed on me have gone where thay are bonded (usually to aluminium), and frames tend to be made of bits bonded together which is a bit scary having seen what I have.

As for damage to a carbon component… if in doubt throw it out.

those busted carbon shots give me no comfort! I had to turn away 😯

those busted carbon shots give me no comfort!

they weren't supposed to! i've broken every part on a bike in my life (except a stem – don't think i've ever broken a stem…) and all of them have been metal. despite that, i don't really trust carbon parts/frames either.

Thanks for that carbon site. I have carbon forks on my road bike with a carbon steerer!! it all scares me to be honest and that site has pushed me over the edge, I'm getting some different forks.

to put it into perspective theres always enough info out there if you look for it…i have a bigger fear of 12V MICROWAVE OVENS

I'm terrified of carbon bars after a horror story I was once told about some bars snapping at the brake levers on both sides at once resulting, not surprisingly in a huge huge prang. I'll stick to my metals for the time being…

🙄 With the rubbish that gets spouted you'd think that metal compenents write you a letter informing you of their intent to fail a week or so in advance and then when they do break, they make sure that they do so in a nice safe manner with no sharp edges and strategically place cushions on the trail so you don't hurt yourself.

Do some proper research. Fear of carbon is mainly because it's new and some early stuff was crap. Just like early aluminium frames were rubbish and broke.

Trouble is, carbon shatters on impact, producing shards. If you get the shards embedded in you they are barbed, so they migrate through your bloodstream towards your heart. That is why people often have to limbs amputated after crashes on carbon bikes.

Me – I have it. Its the catastrophic failure mode that upsets me. Not just frames but any carbon component. Has no place on a MTB in my book.

Its not that its weak 'cos its not – its that when you overstress it it loses all strength immediately rather than bending or taking some time to completely fail

Almost every metal component that breaks will have been failing for some time – you can usually see where the crack has been propagating from

(Mr MC posting) see other current threads on blur LT and carbon bashing/championing. Many of the breaks on bustedcarbon are from crashes that would have totalled an ally or steel frame.

TBH IMHO a carbon fibre bar/seatpost is a triumph of engineering over material choice. CF is strong in tension, so those bars are designed and built so that all the force of you nose landing that drop-off is taken in the material along the top of your bar.

I'd ride a CF frame before a CF bar, even though Ive no doubt Easton etc have got their products sorted (the fact they havent been sued into oblivion suggests their kit is durable).

Shame I can't over my natural distrust as I love the Ibis Mojo that this site keeps flashing in my face!

If thats not a joke im never using a carbon component! 😀

wtf?! That's it – everything carbon has to go! I quite like having all my limbs!

That isgoig to keep me up tonight!
Here I was hoping to get some waffle on how carbon is so much better etc, and now I'm wondering why the bike manufacturuers are all moving over….

Santacruz, Ibis, Trek, Lapierre, etc…Will we all end up on carbon bikes and laugh at the days we all thought the world was flat?

carbon fibre warning

LOL @BigDummy – brilliant 🙂 was that on the mash or did you make it up?

it loses all strength immediately rather than bending or taking some time to completely fail

My alumninium cranks failed pretty suddenly. as did a set of ti bars as has almost every metal component that I've seen that's failed while riding come to think of it.

Clubber – I bet you that in all those cases there had been a crack propagating for some time that you didn't spot. I have never seen a metal component that has not.

I read that on here Clubber, I'm pretty sure it's true. I'm sorry if it turns out to be rubbish, but I feel it is important to warn people of these risks. 🙂

TJ – Probably but as we've discussed several times before that's what happens in the real world and while you obviously never fail to spot microscopic cracks even when they're covered in mud/grime being omnipotent and all, in the real world other less skilled people generally don't.

this is the rumour thread to end them all i fear!!!

Sh!t happens, get over it and ride what you like 😉
Being killed by a <TJ> catastrophic failure </TJ> of a carbon component should be well down the list of potential pant soiling………

Does that mean all carbon parts come from Mordor? Yet another reason to buy aluminium. Single most abundant metal on our planet, so why not support a good cause!

How would a carbon frame affect your carbon footprint?

BD you're a bad man…

No need to be offensive clubber – just 'cos you are a clumsy oaf with the mechanical sympathy of a tree stump 😉

(Mr MC posting) hmmm Trek seem to be weighing in on the side of TJ

http://www.trekbikes.com/pdf/carbon_care/06TK_Carbon_Care_Flyer.pdf

Having played arround with CF and alluminium components in the lab whilst bored, i know which ones i'd fit to my bike if it had the money!

As for CF bars snapping, are you telling me youve never seen a snapped aluminum bar, complete with these nicely rounded edges that people keep telling me about?

As for CF failing suddelny, i smell boy cow excrament, CF usualy delaminates, which makes it creak horribly and go floppy before snapping.

Ask Ice hockey players when their sticks feel best, usualy its just before they fail (Pro players would actualy be better off with bendier sticks, but the matcho culture means they usualy go for the stiffest).

BD stop trolling, or should i go down to A&E? Ive had mroe CF splinters in my hands than you've had hot dinners!

Trek Quote:

While riding your bike, carefully listen for any
uncommon sounds. Creaking, cracking or
popping noises could all be indications of a
problem.

But that could be coming from anywhere on a muddy -UK summer-ride!!!

I've had a ti seatpost and a alu fork steerer snap, both without warning, the steerer had signs of fatigue when looked after snapping but how often are you supposed to inspect something like that? The seatpost was almost brand new, snapped on a relatively tame descent and when I weighed about 9 stone. I'd generally trust design over material – big companies with solid reputations and slow evolution of products/technologies vs new fly by night type stuff. Hence I'm happy enough with easton bars and seatposts, would be less so about unbranded/unusual stuff. I think most of the stuff in companies warranties/warnings is so they don't get sued, some of them say that after an impact, you might not be able to see damage but take it to the LBS for inspection. What the hell can they do that you can't mine doesn't have NMRI/XRAY/CT scanning equipment (I do however but havent used it with bike stuff yet!).

Nmri …most people dont mention the N…its that word wot scares folks into groing an extra heed

BTW – I am fully prepared to accept the quote in the Op – irrational fear

LOL @ BD.

Does this mean that non-barbed things, after entering your body, will move in a random direction rather than with the blood flow ❓

Carbon fibre may well fail catastrophically, but if you applied the same force to metal component it would fail just as catastrophically or as near as makes no difference.

Out of curiosity do those who have a fear of carbon fibre also check the carbon content of any steel components that they have? After all we all know what a difference that makes, don't we?

Are you guys scared by going in planes?
Some of the make up is composite as it has been proven to be stronger for certain applications.

Composite technology is the future.
Look at the new Zonda Carbon Titaniam mixture.
My new hockey stick is all carbon fibre and I hit a hockey ball 120mph and have the nuts hacked out of it every week and it is still crack free.

Get out and ride!

(Pro players would actualy be better off with bendier sticks, but the matcho culture means they usualy go for the stiffest).

The survey says "er errrr".

Stronger players of all positions often use stiffer sticks as their strength overcomes the stiffness and delivers a higher amount of potential energy from the stick for shots/passes. Defensive players also prefer stiffer stick as it allows a better slap shot and aids stick checking.

Weaker players/amateurs are generally the only players who like using more flexible sticks as they flatter those of lower ability/strength.

I use a wooden stick myself because I prefer the feel and also as it was handed down to me by my father so its a kind of tradition thing.

On the cycling side, I've used carbon bars on my downhill bike, carbon seat post, bars and Lefty ELO fork on my XC bike and my singlespeed has Pace RC40 forks fitted. Fear of change/new things presents itself in many ways and the rash of 'carbon is dangerous' type posts/blogs/websites is not something to be surprised about.

Al, I am no scientist, but I understand that carbon fibre can migrate towards your heart against the flow of blood, like one of those amazonian fish that swim up your jap's eye when you piss in the water. I suppose that means you die much, much quicker, and your kidneys don't have a chance to get rid of the shards. But I don't know.