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In another bicycle discussion forum I encountered a thread about possibility to damage carbon frame by sitting on top tube while stopped.

I see some sense in it, as generally tube walls are a lot thinner in the middle to save weight and are not designed for this kind of load. The problem is, I have not seen any warnings from manufacturers about this habit, nor there are stickers on the frame suggesting to not do it.

So the question is - Is this a real problem, should I change my habits?

Trash talk before start

UPDATED: There is one local person who does carbon repairs, he claims that he has repaired multiple frames which had been damaged this way.

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    My wild guess is the soft tissue of a human in that region is less robust than the lightest carbon frame. – mattnz Apr 11 '14 at 9:10
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    In the position shown, not all of your weight goes on the top tube. Some is on your arms, and there is still one foot on the ground. So I don't think it would cause any damage. – Kibbee Apr 11 '14 at 10:28
  • Yeah, don't stop! – PeteH Apr 11 '14 at 17:42
  • I asked a very similar question about standing on the top tube. I got two answers that said yes and two that said no. bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/28758/… – bdsl Feb 14 '15 at 23:30
  • If you're still worried, there are some alternatives. – David Richerby Apr 15 '17 at 12:51
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I have never had or heard of a problem.

Over at www.velominati.com, one of the rules is

Rule #80 // Always be Casually Deliberate.

Waiting for others pre-ride or at the start line pre-race, you must be tranquilo, resting on your top tube thusly. This may be extended to any time one is aboard the bike, but not riding it, such as at stop lights.

While some of what they say is tongue in cheek, this one is not. Most people I know do it, and have done for years.

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    +1 for the Velominati link. I forgot all about them and had a good laugh re-reading The Rules – arne Apr 11 '14 at 12:18
2

You need to seat at right spot of your but. There is a big vein on back side of the upper leg can be squeezed. It can cause a problem with blood circulation before race or workout.

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Carbon fiber is strong. Really strong. The kinds of loads that your frame sees when you hit a pothole is far bigger than what you would get sitting on the bike.

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    This might not be entirely true. Carbon fiber is strong in certain directions. – Papuass Apr 14 '14 at 8:02

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