Questions tagged [carbon]
Frames or components made from carbon fiber, possibly even about carbon accessories.
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What do I do when I am unsure if damaged carbon fiber is safe to use or needs replacing or repairing?
Intended as a canonical answer to the many questions we have about damage to carbon parts.
It is well known that carbon fiber parts can be damaged and fail, and carbon parts can be fragile when ...
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What are the pros and cons between an aluminium and carbon frame?
I'm after a mountain bike and I've narrowed it down to the Cannondale F29 (based on reviews, plus I like the look of the bike).
My question is, should I go for the carbon bike or the alloy bike? I'm ...
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Can I put a rack on a carbon road bike?
I got a carbon-framed Kestrel Talon Road Bike recently but I also want to use it for commuting to and from work and I want a place to put my lock and other stuff on the bike. Is it possible to have a ...
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Carbon bikes make me nervous. Can you ease the tension?
Is it only me, or do Carbon bikes make others nervous!
I realize that carbon fibre is strong, but for some reason, having a bike that isn't made out of metal seems like asking for trouble.
My main ...
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Should I grease a carbon fiber seat post?
I was reading a recent question when I saw this answer:
You should absolutely grease your
seatpost (unless it is carbon fiber).
Why should I NOT grease a carbon fiber seat post?
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Why do bikes have carbon forks?
I have noticed many bikes for sale that are made of mostly one material, such as aluminum, except for the fork which is carbon. I know carbon is very expensive so the manufacturer must be trying to ...
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Metal seat post with carbon fiber frame?
Is using a metal seat post on a carbon fiber frame advisable or not? I want to use a seat post mounted rack on my road bike (no regular rack mount points are on this bike), but I have been told that ...
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Attaching a stem to a carbon steerer: how much torque?
So I decided to travel with my bike this week and to my surprise discovered that the steerer is carbon fiber. I had removed the stem from the steerer for packing but naively assumed it was aluminum ...
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Does carbon fiber not have a fatigue life?
I’ve heard carbon fiber “has no fatigue life”, meaning it doesn’t weaken from (intended) use, as long as it is free of defects and damage.
But there are a lot of different types of carbon fiber…
I was ...
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How to tell if a carbon frame is damaged or if the paint just has stress cracks
I am looking at a carbon framed road bikethat has me concerned.On the topside of the bottom bracket,drive side there is a very small hairline crack in the paint.The seller states that it has been ...
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Carbon Fibre Mountain Bikes
Has anyone had experience with carbon fiber mountain bikes? I'm still skeptical as to how robust they are. Is it true that a scratch will make the frame useless? And Trek has this process called OCLV ....
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Would a person standing on the top tube damage a carbon fibre road bike?
I was riding my aluminium bike and I met some people who had been trapped in a locked park, so I helped them escape by holding the bike against the fence and letting them stand on the top tube to ...
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What torque for caliper brakes onto carbon-alloy forks?
I've recently got a new bike with a Kinesis DC07 carbon/alloy fork. This comes with deep-drop calliper brakes (Shimano R451 Dual Pivot). The first time out I bumped one of the brakes and it twisted ...
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Why is carbon fiber inherently weak? Or is it?
This question got me to thinking: If it were possible for me to use a carbon frame, I would, but the expense and my riding style keep me using steel and aluminum. (I like hauling stuff on racks and I'...
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Road bike carbon fiber frame life span
I have read in several places that the carbon fiber has a shorter life span than the aluminium, and i was wondering just what would it be.
I am not referring to accident related failures of the frame....
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Difference between UD, 3K and 12K carbon finish?
What does UD, 3K, 12K carbon mean and how do they differ?
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Why would a bike feature a "carbon wrapped aluminum frame"?
I saw a link to what appeared to be a Carbon bike on amazon. The price was extremely lower than any carbon bike I had ever seen. After reading a bit, it seems that the bike frame is really made of "...
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Why do some road bikes cost more than motorbikes? Are they grossly overpriced? [closed]
I have seen quite some carbon fiber bikes that cost upwards of $4000. Why do these bikes cost so much when one can get a very good motorbike for $3000?
A motorbike comes equipped with several ...
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Do carbon MTB frames crack easily?
I have been looking to buy a new full sus mtb (Vitus sommet 29 Cr) and saw that the main frame is carbon fibre with the rear triangle being aluminium. I love the bikes specs and aesthetics but can't ...
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Installing a lock mount on a carbon fiber frame
Let's ignore the question, for a moment, of should I install a lock mount on my new TCR Advanced. But assume that I want to.
Given that the frame is carbon fiber, should I be worried about the ...
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Is it worth buying carbon fiber road bike for short commutes?
I'm planning to use a bike for rather short commutes (max half an hour), will the carbon fiber be noticeably more comfortable than aluminium one?
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Carbon Wheel Heat Bending
After riding about 800m downhill, I got this:
BTW, this is TriAce Wheelset for Dahon Mu Ex 2014. Do you think this is safe to ride? Can I repair this?
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Safest way to carry luggage on my carbon frame?
I'm planning a 5 day trip on my Trek Madone 4.5. We are planning on staying motels so don't need to carry camping equipment. I need to find some type of rack that is compatible with my carbon frame - ...
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drilling hole in carbon frame
I would like to upgrade a carbon fiber bike (Scott CR1) to Ultegra Di2 with internal wiring.
Can I drill a hole where the cable holders are located (one next to the fork, one near the bottom crank &...
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Attachmentpoint rim brakes carbon bike, sratches/crack?
I own a 2019 Rose XLITE carbon road bike with rim brakes.
Today, I conducted a thorough inspection, taking things apart. At the rear of the bike, on the attachment point where the brake is fixed to ...
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Do I need to be concerned about a carbon frame if I attach a bike trailer?
We have a bike trailer with the hitch attached to the rear axle. The frame of my wife's bike frame is part carbon (right around the rear axle), which I understand is more brittle than other materials. ...
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Cube stereo 150 race "do not clamp" warning
I have the following warning on my (carbon) CUBE stereo 150 race (2019) :
Ultra thinwall tubeset
DO NOT CLAMP
Currently I clamp my bike like this, and make sure that there is nearly no force ...
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Shallow ring of death
By not servicing the headset for a long time (>10K km), I ended up with the so-called ring of death on the steerer tube. If you have never heard of it, watch this
...
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Are cleat backing plates for protecting carbon sole?
I've just bought my first MTB shoe that has carbon sole. When I wanted to put on the SM-SH51 cleats, I saw that it has some claws, that would (in my opinion) damage the carbon sole of the shoe. So I ...
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Tightening steerer expander/compressor and spacer positions with a carbon fork
I had ugly clicking noises coming from the headset before and after a warranty exchange of a fork (the reason for the exchange was on the other end). I have identified the clicking as coming from the ...
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Do you agree it's safe to continue to ride this carbon bike with a small crack in the frame?
As you can see in the pictures my carbon bike has a crack in the frame, between the seatpost and the corresponding screw. I'm told by my bike shop and by an engineer of the bike manufacturer that I ...
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Carbon Seatpost / Frame in Repair Stand
I've got a Park PCS-10 repair stand, and just acquired my first carbon bike. Is there anything I should know about clamping either the frame or seatpost in the stand?
Being a few years old, the frame ...
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Is it safe to use aluminium seatpost adapter (27.2mm to 31.6mm) for a carbon frame?
I have Cane Creek Thudbuster Seastpost (aluminium) 27.2mm x 400mm which i want to use for a bike with a carbon frame (31.6mm seat-tube).
I'm thinking about getting a seatpost adapter/shim from 27.2mm ...
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Frame Or Paint Crack (Cannondale Super Six Carbon)
I am about to pull the trigger on a used 2012 Cannondale SuperSix bike. This would be my first bike and I'm very excited. However I am a bit concerned about some cracks. Seller claims paint is ...
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Reconciling the two aspects: carbon is stiffer for power, but offers a softer ride
At times composite (carbon) is touted as being stiffer than (aluminum) alloys as well as stiffer than steel (leaving Titanium to a different discussion).
This means that the frame will not yield (much)...
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What should the torque of an expander plug in a carbon fork be?
What torque should be used for the expander plug in a carbon fork?
This one shows 8NM, which seems high
Manufacturers rarely seem to supply this information, yet tightening too much could damage the ...
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Is the carbon frame disposal problematic
I heard from someone that carbon is difficult to dispose of. Does anyone know how
to dispose of carbon frames?
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Protecting carbon bike frame after a small chip?
My bike frame is carbon and it recently got a small chip. It's about the size of a pinky fingernail in size. Should I do anything to treat the chip to help prevent it from getting worse?
Here's a ...
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Brake damaged carbon frame — what to do?
I packed my Edmonda SL5 carbon frame for a road trip. In the bag, the front brake touched the frame and left a mark — definitely deeper than just the paintwork. It's unclear how deep the damage is to ...
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Should I do anything about this minor nick in a carbon fork?
Unfortunately I managed to smack a metal flashlight with quite sharp edges and a bit of movement force against my carbon fork when I wanted to check something on the bike. Although the damage is ...
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carbon frame chipped
today while I was riding I lost control of my bike; it was nothing serious, I even fell "standing", but my bike fell on a rock and the carbon frame was chipped.
Should I worry about the damage?
I ...
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Aluminum forks vs. carbon forks (with aluminum frames) what are the trade offs? [duplicate]
The all-aluminum frame bike will be cheaper. The aluminum fork should be more robust and less prone to breakage. The carbon fork will be more shock absorbing and comfortable. That's kind of how I ...
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Are full carbon forks less prone to failing from hidden defects than those with alloy steerers?
Are full carbon forks less prone to failing from hidden defects than those with alloy steerers?
Even though the mechanics couldn't find problems with Richard Stanton's bike, his fork failed ...
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Upgrading priorities
What is the first component upgrade to a 105 groupset? do I need to stick to Shimano? The crankset is Oval Concepts 520, forged 6066 arms, 52/36T.
The bike a 2016 Fuji Altamira 1.3, STI 11 spd, ...
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Carbon Fiber vs. Aluminum [duplicate]
I am a new cyclist who is on my 2nd year of biking. I bought a cheapo Schwinn MTB at Walmart to start with but now I want a real road bike. I currently have $2k saved up and am looking into a ...
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