im talking about the carbon used on bikes. what is it made of? ive tried doing some research on this, but i realized that there are so many types of carbon composites and i have no idea what it is thats on bikes. my friend thinks im insane for pouring so much money into buying carbon components and i cant really argue with him cuz i know nothing about it other than its strong and really light. he says that us cyclist pay top-dollar just for recycled garbage. enlighten me, please.
2006-12-04 09:19:12 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Cycling
what is the actual material of it? is it like the carbon element or melted garbage? where does it come from?
2006-12-05 02:56:19 · update #1
You're right, there are many types of carbon fiber and, beyond that, varying qualities. This makes the simple answer impossible. All it really is is like re-bar in concrete, or fiberglass. they put fiber in a polymer in various ways to create the product, and who cares if it is made of garbage. It's an incredible material. tell your friend that Titanium is one of the most common elements on Earth and every grain of sand at the beach is wrapped in Ti.
There is a really good article on Wikipedia. What will really amaze you is the Nanotube technology which is in the near future. It is little tiny carbon tubes and is more stiff and lighter than the current carbon technology. Also, check out how Trek added little layers of boron, or something like that, within the layers of carbon.
2006-12-04 10:18:56 · answer #1 · answered by Jeff 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Carbon sure is a buzzword these days, isn't it? Carbon fiber is amazing material, but it is only as good as the people making it.
There are grades of carbon fiber, the most expensive of which uses the most advanced fibers and resins as well as special layups and curing techniques to make the lightest and strongest material. Any bike builder worth anything can make a delicious frame out of steel or titanium as well, so craftsmanship counts for more than the raw parts.
The advantage that CF has over metal is that an engineer can give each particular section of a CF part different properties. For example, a bottom bracket in a carbon bike can be very stiff in all directions, while the seatstays flex a little in only one direction for a softer ride.
Another visual example of this is on Formula 1 race cars. The same carbon wings that stay rigid under 2,000 lbs of aerodynamic downforce can be easily destroyed by a light tap from another vehicle or a piece of debris on the track. The engineers designed the CF pieces so that they have extreme strength only where they need it to save weight.
Granted, bicycle companies are very proud of their wares (which shows up in their MSRP), but it's a good bet that buying quality components will get you higher quality carbon.
If carbon will give you an advantage over a similar metal component, then it may be worth your money. But carbon bars are not lighter than aluminum ones, carbon rims are prohibitively expensive, and pure carbon seats are just plain uncomfortable.
2006-12-05 01:42:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just carbon... I can't tell you much more than that... But, buying carbon components is a good idea, for the purpose of a light, but durable ride.
Mountain biking is serious, and so is road.
I love it.
Later!
2006-12-04 10:50:50 · answer #3 · answered by Yep, This is me. 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It is made of Carbon Filaments. Which is basically. Carbon.
2006-12-04 09:28:20 · answer #4 · answered by Dmitriy B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
CARBON!!!!!!!!!
2006-12-04 09:22:15 · answer #5 · answered by ryboyin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋