Carbon Fibre Bike Frames… What No One Is Telling You!

Watch us cut up a carbon frame here - https://youtu.be/wn60LWtKgx0

"Here’s your high end frame, mr. / ms. Customer. Please have some empathy if it’s not up to par, ok? That’ll be $5,000 please. "

It's funny how manufacturers struggle hard to get a few grams off a bike frame, when most people who can afford to ride them could easily lose five or even ten kilograms without suffering from malnutrition.

A few years ago I had a high end bike shop. I had to take a trip to one of the manufacturers HQ's, and as we had a busy service dept, I found myself in the warranties and repair section. I was astounded at how many broken high end carbon MTB frames were hanging on the warranty racks. (Lets just say these frames cut like a surgical Scalpel) The warranty manager said that he had no problem giving a warranty replacement, as the customers had paid so much $$ for them. He did point out that they were breaking these Hi-Mod frames simply because they (the customer) were too heavy. These race machines were designed for superlight XC guys weighing 20kgs less than the wealthy guys buying them in the shops. The other thing he pointed out was that the sponsored riders will ride the bikes a few times, as well as having meticulous stripping, torque'ing and rebuilding while a team bike. The chunky exec who can afford the bike will never give it the servicing it requires. Hence them being so quick to warranty them.

Commenting on disk brakes as an engineer. I do have some issues with disks because it changes how loads are fed into the frame, not to mention the wheels/rims, it's a completely different dynamic system with long moment arms unlike rim brakes which remove the spoke system from the braking dynamics, they also feed loads into the strongest parts of the frame.

72 and still riding my steel and titanium tube frames. Was never that much into racing. Fascinating video about all the rapidly advancing details in bicycle design and manufacturing! Thank you.

What an incredible video. I first saw Rob and his amazing company on GCN. They were dispelling the myth that you cannot fix carbon fiber. I watched Rob in January fly out to Texas with 24 hours notice to help Francis Cade and his buddy Justin to fix Justin’s carbon fiber hand pedal tricycle. Rob is an absolute treasure trove of industry behind the scenes information. This a a criminally under viewed video. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻 for more viewers soon. Brilliant stuff. 🥰

I have been riding my 1995 steel frame for over a year now and I LOVE IT - it just rolls better and the comfort is great. My carbon bike is lighter (frame is 950g), yes, but the properties of my steel (Columbus SLX custom built) frame are just superior... I also ride my aluminium Pinarello Galileo and it also doesn't compare.

It stuns me they choose aluminium as an interface material with CF. I use a lot of titanium with CF in other fields (aviation related) and titanium's low coefficient of thermal expansion makes it an almost perfect match with chemical bonding, along with a range of additional benefits. It must be cost related, but that difference is not as big as you think (ti $20-60/kg), especially with the minor quantities used in bike frames.

This man isn‘t a ‚I know it all‘ kind of expert but a honest and really interested guy. Amazing!

I couldn't agree more about the comments regarding torque. I carry a torque wrench in my tool kit on my bike but I don't know anyone else who does. Also, these are purpose built machines without a lot of room for use outside that purpose. Ultimately, if you buy a carbon race bike, you're getting exactly what you asked for, it's fast, it's light, it's strong within the parameters is was built for - but it's a very delicate piece of equipment and you better know it.

This is the gentleman who helped out Francis Cade on his coast to coast US trip. It might not be his intention but he's making me feel good about riding an aluminum bike (CAAD12). It's not the most advanced or high spec bike around but it works for me and doesn't suffer from the issues he's mentioned. CF is great for pro riders who don't have to soak up the costs for purchase & maintenance, but for normal people, good old fashioned metal frames might be a better way to go.

This video reassures me at how glad I am that I have never fallen down the carbon rabbit hole, and have been left behind with a steel frame.

I could listen to this guy all day. Incredibly modest guy. Good channel.

What a surprise, Ray Liotta is a carbon expert. I love your channel

I have no sympathy for the top tier manufacturers not meeting bearing tolerances when they charge $5k for a frame alone.

I am so glad I never got into a carbon/disc bike. I am beyond old school. I am antique. I still ride a 36 year old Bianchi MTB and love every moment of every ride. Oh! My bike will last another 30 years!

I’m constantly amazed by how many carbon frame owners are completely unaware of the possibility of a broken derailleur hanger rendering their beloved frame useless. The combination of the ‘breakable’ hanger and the inability of carbon fiber to withstand the pressure when the derailleur jams between the hub and the seatstay creates a situation that may be acceptable to professionals with sponsor driven budgets. But the minuscule weight penalty of an aluminum dropout with an integral hanger (as per TREK 5200/5500) seems so much more proper for a consumer product. While the trend to through axles seems to answer the problem of erosion from torque shifting it does nothing in case of the broken hanger tragedy.

I have a Cannondale carbon frame with aluminum dropouts. I had that frame now for more than 10 years and I ride this bike about 5000-7000 km a year. I had no issues so far and I ride that bike in the cold winter and hot summer.

I have a ‘78 steel trek, a 706. It’s plenty light enough for me to get to get to work and go on trips with. Bike shops stopped selling bikes a long time ago. They sell the fantasy of being a racing cyclist.