Plastic mountain bikes

I’m considering buying a carbon full sus frame but concerned about durability. Most of my riding is in the peaks and I’m worried about resistance to the inevitable falls and rock strikes. Anyone own a carbon bike and regret it? I can’t afford to waste money on a broken frame.

You should really learn to use the search function..

looky here

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have run a Ibis mojo sl for 3 years or so and made a decision right at the begining that i wasnt going to worry about the fact it is a lightweight carbon full sus.

I have therefore treated it like a bike, had a lot of fun and its still there alive and kicking 🙂 its been to alps, peaks, local stuff and all sorts in between inc DH courses and swapping between 140 and 160 forks.

If you feel you can do this get a carbon bike and forget its carbon. If you will constantly be questioning it, then forget it.

Ibis Mojo owner here. Buy it, insure it, use it. Ibis do a good service if you do trash it, but most people won’t do more damage on a carbon bike than on an alloy one. First time alu bikes came out, there were lots of comments about it being too flexible – bacofoil is alu….. and they’ve been quite successful…..

I’d buy it and forget it’s carbon as Titusrider said!

I’ve got a 2005 Giant XTC Carbon which I have run rigid (with carbon forks)in the peaks, and had no problems. It’s even got a big scratch in the top tube, which I have taped over so I can’t see it 😆

You should really learn to use the search function..

Thanks

I can’t afford to waste money on a broken frame.

Don’t buy one then, as you could buy a couple of alloy frames for the same money.

Personally I wouldn’t use any carbon fibre stressed components on a mountain bike. CF tends to fail catastrophically whereas metal does not. Not a huge weight saving either.

It may not be totally rational but for peace of mind I don’t mind the few extra grammes

TJ…..utter trollocks!

Alu snaps pretty fast, with big ping/snap noises…

Personally I wouldn’t use any carbon fibre stressed components on a mountain bike. CF tends to fail catastrophically whereas metal does not. Not a huge weight saving either.

Uh huh… c’mon TJ, try harder.

I’ve had three, still alive 🙄

All things break eventually.When your on a budget framewise go with what your comfortable.I was pointed in the direction of a giant alloy anthem x5 by some of the folks on here got the entire bike for the cost of a titus carbon frame.

Alu snaps pretty fast, with big ping/snap noises…

I’ve bent (rather than snapped) alu wheels, bars, mech hangers and seatposts.

I bought a whippet recently just to see what a carbon-framed bike was all about – I’m a heavyweight rider also riding in the peaks. Right now it’s riding really well – hoping it doesn’t suddenly explode in a cloud of carbon shards, but if it does the frame is only worth a few hundred (I think). Seems a sensible first try at a carbon frame for me.

Carbon FS would need more thought – you’re often talking serious money for the frame and the weight savings can be surprisingly small (as Jeremy says) and will be unimportant on a trail bike. They’re maybe stiffer as a rule? Would depend on what warranties are available, how hard you ride etc.

They’re the opposite of Alfa’s.

Would I but one no (yes, i’d love an Alfa)
Would I recomend one to a friend, yes (If I had £2k to blow it would be on a car not a frame).

As development-engineer says, you can buy a base model aluminium bike for the same price as the same carbon frame. I bought a Pitch, when I could have had carbon frames for similar money.

CF tends to fail catastrophically whereas metal does not

This is my main concern, although apparently this can also occur with alloy. The rational part of my brain is telling me that carbon is just as strong as alu – if not stronger – but the irrational part might prevent me enjoying the ride, I reckon I’d be constantly wincing.

Saying that, I was a bit nervous riding my carbon road bike at first but now it doesn’t even occur to me. I suppose I just want reassuring 😀

Well my blur lt went snap, but that’s another story. It was a great frame! The blur ltc that replaced it is stiffer, and feels more lively. It weighs slightly less but the stiffness difference is massive!

I would highly recommend plastic.

for me, the weight saving isn’t worth the cost.

I’ve bent (rather than snapped) alu wheels, bars, mech hangers and seatposts.

Have you shattered catostrophicaly the equivalent carbon parts?

I’ve snapped an aluminium seatpost and delaminated some carbon bars, call it quits?

there is no answer to this question. Whatever anyone says there is a counter arguement.

For the record I have carbon forks, handlebar and frame. I have complete confidence in it as a material. The critical difference is in how it’s made and to what price.

Supposing cost wasn’t an issue. Say if you won a competition and were given the option of a carbon or aluminium frame, which would you choose?

Possibility of failure doesn’t even occur to me, proven design etc etc

Again not logical, but my worry is snapping a chain while honking out of the saddle, and the resulting damage to my face from hitting the stem or bars.

Supposing cost wasn’t an issue. Say if you won a competition and were given the option of a carbon or aluminium frame, which would you choose?

Carbon because it’s prettier.

TandemJeremy – Member
CF tends to fail catastrophically

I won’t have Captain Flasheart being talked about in this manner. He’s a thoroughly stand up chap.

Another Mojo owner here, I bought my frame 2nd hand and cant add any more to the other Mojo-ists above….

Mines done similar to Titusriders…

HTH

Thing is, the failure modes may be different but people overlook that they don’t neccesarily fail at the same point. Frinstance I still use Easton’s old Monkeylite DH bar, and maybe it’ll snap rather than bend but Easton couldn’t get the carbon bar to break using the same drop-test that destroyed every other bar they’d ever made. So rather than “snap vs bend”, that was “bend vs don’t break at all”. (well, allegedly anyway!)

CF tends to fail catastrophically whereas metal does not

**slow clap**

Both can fail in either manner. If you assume that metal parts will always bend before failing you could get a very nasty surprise indeed!

To the OP if you won’t enjoy riding it because you’ll be worried don’t buy it! I sold some carbon road wheels because I couldn’t really bear the thought of crashing them in a race.

I do/have used carbon frames, forks, bars, stems (although pointless), seatposts, saddles, bar ends, brake levers, rims, hubs, mechs, shifters, cranks and bottle cages and not had anything fail catastrophically (except for the forks that snapped (with the aluminium bars and STI) when I rode them into a car at >30mph. The extremely light carbon frame was fine. I also had a 1994 Trek road bike which is still going now.

Personally I have absolutely no qualms about using carbon!

Again not logical, but my worry is snapping a chain while honking out of the saddle, and the resulting damage to my face from hitting the stem or bars.

Don’t know what it says about us but the part of my anatomy I worry about in the event of a snapped chain is about 3ft lower.

Carbon vs others…..owned both and can’t say the carbon ones gave me much more to think about than the others but then again I’m a wheels on the ground rider. I’ve seen some pretty epic carbon fails (in other areas of manufacture) and not only does it fail rather dramatically it also leaves some pretty horrible shards to impale yourself on. I got a small “splinter” in my finger through my gloves once when laying up some CF. Over the coming weeks it burrowed in rather than out and next appeared under my nail about 15mm from where it started! It is possible to make very strong composite objects for their intended purpose that are super fagile to impact/abuse in other directions. One hopes and imagines CF mtb designers build in a facor of safety for impacts on the sides of the tubes from pointy objects and the bars etc in the event of a crash.

its early this year for a Carbon bike debate… best to get it out of the way early though.

As a semi thread hijack, is there a preferred approach to down tube protection for carbon frames? For an XC bike rather than anything more dramatic.

Have you shattered catostrophicaly the equivalent carbon parts?

I’ve snapped an aluminium seatpost and delaminated some carbon bars, call it quits?

I don’t recall ever breaking a carbon bike part, but then I have put far more cycling time in on alu parts.

I have no axe to grind either way, I’m just saying that in my experience, aluminium usually bends rather than snaps.

The postie just delivered my new carbon frame about an hour and a half ago, have now spent that time just looking at it and stroking it 😀

Saw the aluminium down tube off your old hardtail, slice it in half, glue it on.

Chain snap = cut gut on stem and slashed open knee from resulting crash. I’ve gone carbon for the first time in Nov. I’m loving it. I bought it to ride and that’s what I’ll do. It handles well and inspires confidence so at the moment I have no worries. If it can’t handle the “right side of the scale XC” that I do on it then I’m sure the manufacturer will replace it with one that can. Won’t they?