Originally Posted by
EddyR
Just 20 years ago the tour started the 15 pound rule. Even steel bikes were going under that be for the rule. The big advantage to carbon is the bike shape is easy to make it the way you want it.
Steel and aluminum did not allow that. Many Carbon ready to race bikes are only 10-11 pounds and must add weight to get to the 15 pound limit.
Ed
IIRC, in the Way Back....sure light bikes were possible. But given the rules about hardware needing to be consumer available, those bikes were noodly and questionable as to durability. Now they aren't as noodly, but those lightweights have engineered weight limits that many a consumer would be well over, today.
Of course this has lead to a problem.....which is that these super wunder CF bikes now cost more than cars. And result in extra costs that no team sponsors want to support for long