3alarmer 

...you should probably read the linked piece in the OP, before you proceed any further in this vein. Once you have done so, you can then let loose on Chloe Hosking, as an inexperienced Luddite. Or not...harangues about harangues seem to be a standard theme for you. The woman has had the audacity to differ with your idea that "carbon fiber has proven its viability and dominance."

I think this calls for some intensive mansplaining from someone of your obvious experience and wisdom in the world of competitive cycling.

BlazingPedals

I'll ride my carbon bikes and wear my bicycle-specific clothing if I want to! If you don't, that's OK, too.

seypat

And golf club shafts.

3alarmer 

... I have ridden one of my bikes, decorated, in the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade here. However, I did not enter the bike decoration contest, because, let's face it, it was supposed to be for the kids in the crowd. There were some very worth entries among those kids...many streamers, pinwheels, and a general effusion of red, white, and blue. They seemed to be having a pretty good time.

seypat

If you read/watch some of the industry articles/videos about Trek's troubles, those same ideas are discussed.

Koyote

Not cosplay. They actually perform better than steel-framed bikes for people who value such things.

3alarmer 

...for people who value such things, or for the people in that elite grouping of athletes who can take advantage of the small performance advantages ? Obviously, the ex-racer in the OP link thinks that she can make and sell alloy framed racing bikes that will perform well for the majority of users. Are you saying she's wrong ?

She's supporting a Cat 3 race team this year. If they lose, do you think it will be because of the frame material she's chosen ?

Leisesturm

Last winter I was outside of Trader Joe's with my racebike. I leaned it on the wall while I put my helmet and gloves on and while I was doing that my bike scooted away without me! WTF? I realized that I had placed it just so against the wall and the wind blowing directly at it from behind was able to propel it forward. That is saying something because the fact that there was wind at all had not registered. IOW it wasn't that much of a breeze but it was enough to move a 20lb bike. I was intrigued. Like any good scientist, I made several repetitions, and even reversed the direction of the bike to see if it would go in reverse (it did) if placed so the wall could hold it up.

The scant surface area of the frontal profile of a modern race-replica roadbike was considerable enough that a sub-10mph wind gust could propel the bike easily at a just about walking pace! Aero, not weight is really the frontier to explore in bike design. The subject entrepreneurs designs are definitely aero enough to hang with the Pinarellos and Colnagos no matter what they are made of. If using Aluminum instead of CF allows the use of the mature technology TIG welded structure then I have to say, I get it.

MattoftheRocks

So when people value a springy frame, Kohler-sink-faucet-smooth quiet shifts with the seldom used shifter out of the way mounted on the down tube, the security of a proven for over a century durable frameset material, the cleanliness of fenders minimising road grit getting thrown on their legs, or simply a really nice set of brand new fast rolling and somewhat aero wheels on a reasonably light old frameset that they got for the equivalent of ten pizzas from Domino’s and are just going to wear normal human clothes & shoes while riding, it’s cosplay, but when someone who couldn’t make rent at the grimiest roach infested studio apartment in Detroit via an income derived entirely from riding fast on their bicycle chooses an aerodynamic bicycle to putt around town on while all done up in Lycra and shoes you can’t walk in it’s not cosplay.

got it.

Maybe you got lost?

Or maybe you’re sugar depleted & confused?

Look, I don’t not respect you as I’ve read a lot of your well informed posts on lots of topics over the years, but your Non-New-Carbon-Bike hate is absolutely unhinged, man. It’d be totally tolerable in those other subs, but GTFOH plopping it in General. It’s weird and sad.

eta- I wonder if this totally unnecessary smug combativeness is why there’s such a problem with people really not wanting to be on this site at such a rate that a certain other far more inclusive site’s name gets automatically censored.

bboy314

And submarines… err, maybe not.

Leisesturm

It's not the material, it's the design ... tolerances ...

bboy314

True. Also not the best idea to use expired carbon fiber purchased on closeout for your deep sea diving.

Polaris OBark

I finally purchased my very first carbon fiber bike a few weeks ago. Everything else I have is either steel or (in one remaining case) aluminum. I think for a full suspension XC bike, it makes sense to save weight where you can, and to enable forming the frame in whatever way is needed. Having said all of that, it is only trivially lighter in weight than my 2008 aluminum full suspension Trek FuelEX 7, but it does handle much better. (My wife has a nearly identical EX8 which I rode a bit yesterday, and I fell off of it when a Chihuahua tried to stroll under the front wheel. That would never happen on a carbon FS bike.)

Atlas Shrugged

I see what was done here, and I must say it's crafty. Start with an obvious trolling, anti-carbon post, and your only comment is 'popcorn.' Await the usual debate, then transition the argument by labeling those who support carbon as misogynists and neophytes. Ok, I will address that as well, this person has no experience in bicycle frame construction and needs a marketing advantage over the untold amount of competition. Thus the anti carbon press release.

Things must be really dull over in C&V, as there has been a consistent pattern of the usual grumps posting an obviously inflammatory topic in general for something to do. I am sure there must be a amazing lugged Columbus SL frame brazed together by the hundreds yet has a magical name which ends with a vowel and has an incredible ride unique only to that builder for everyone to fawn over.

MattoftheRocks

R omg E no D wonder D bikeforums I is T empty

y’all are nuts.

veganbikes

What cosplay? It would be one thing if they were riding copies of Lance's actual team bike from that era and wearing copies of his kit and helmet but that is generally not what is happening and if it is it is such a rare random case and there will always be weirdos like that.

Carbon is fantastic material for all sorts of applications including bikes and has been in use before Lance was a pro and has been used well after lance was a pro and I have several bikes with carbon forks at least 4 and not once have I thought I was Lance or wanted to play Lance in any way shape or form. I did once have the opportunity to ride one of Lance's actual bikes and stupidly I said no but that has no bearing on anything.

In the end you can be at any level (or lack of level) of the sport and ride whatever bike you want made from whatever material you want. I built a really awesome carbon hybrid with a full carbon frame and fork as well as bars (swept back actually) and seatpost and the guy is commuting on it and not once during our conversation has he ever mentioned Lance and when he came to get it looked at for it's 100 mile tune up we didn't discuss Lance once during that time either. He commutes on it and loves it his old bike was stolen unfortunately and he wanted a nice carbon hybrid (which is what he had but not quite as nice) and he isn't racing, he isn't a wannabe racer, in fact talking to him I don't think he would really know much about that aspect of cycling. Most Americans know of Lance so I won't make claims he wouldn't know him.

If you want to ride carbon, go for it, if you want to ride steel go for it (I do), if you want to ride titanium, go for it (I do) if you want to ride aluminum, I wouldn't recommend it but go for it if you are desirous. If you like Lance go for it, and if you don't go for it and if you don't care one bit about him, that is fine as well. Lance does not own the sport and is less and less relevant as time goes on. We need to bring him up to stir the pot and add silly controversy but in the end he doesn't matter and if he does matter to you don't let him or don't bring it into an argument that he has nothing to do with. Lance also rode with Shimano should people not ride Shimano because of him for risk of being a cosplayer?

Bikes are cool and innovation in carbon is great for cycling especially the potential for this new forged carbon that is helping eliminate waste and build a potentially stronger product that could maybe be reused or recycled. I still want to ride my steel and titanium frames but I like the idea of things getting better and the forward hike of progress. I love my fixed gears and single speeds but I am so glad to have gears of all sorts from electronic shifting to mechanical to things like Rohloff it is all great and if we didn't move forward we wouldn't have this stuff. It is not driven by one single person or a single aspect of the sport.

3alarmer 

3alarmer 

...not sure if you missed this, or you just don't believe she could have possibly hired qualified people.

rsbob 

But it worked great until it didn’t.

Koyote

Show me where I claimed that anyone, on any kind of bike, is engaging in cosplay. Really, please quote me on this.

Show me where I expressed any "Non-New-Carbon-Bike hate." Really, please quote me on this. (Pointing out that cf frames are lighter and stiffer than steel frames is not equivalent to hating steel bike frames -- it's just a simple fact; can you comprehend that?)

If anything is "unhinged," and "weird and sad," it's railing against someone for a bunch of things that he never said and never even thought.

PS: In case logic and reading comprehension continue to fail you, I will add this info, which might be simple enough for you to understand: three of my five bikes have steel frames, including the two on which I have done 95%+ of all of my racing; only one of my five bikes has a cf frame. So when you accuse me of hating steel bikes, you are really off-base. If you are capable of feeling embarrassment, this is the time to embrace it.

3alarmer 

...and for speaking this heresy, that a carbon bike might be the right choice only for some, an example must be made.

GamblerGORD53

My steel TOUR bike has more carbon than your whole bike. LOL
The number of people looking for a steel race bike is ZERO.
Maybe TREK seriously over stocked, but otherwise every newbie that goes to the LBS wants a damn FX 1/2/3/ Phooey.

ScottCommutes

With almost every new tech in anything, it will be crazy expensive at first. There will always be that special category of people - the "early adopters", that are willing to pay to have the latest and greatest. They bring the price down enough for the next category of people, and so on.

Some posting here seem to be in the "late adopters" category that would avoid buying carbon even if it became significantly better and cheaper than the alternatives.

3alarmer 

.
...I started this thread, because I get these cycling articles on my newsfeed. I thought it was interesting, in that the statements are coming from a woman, that she did pretty well in her racing career, that she's actually started a small company (on a budget), to make and sell road racing bicycles. All of these are something I have not done. I doubt anyone posting in General Cycling has. So all the usual comments about how nobody who actually knows about or enjoys road racing cycling could possibly be happy on a frame made of something besides CFRP would get filtered out early.

I guess I was once again, mistaken. In less than two pages, the usual suspects have managed to more or less ignore the statements made in the original article, in favor of faith based magical thinking about CFRP as a frame material, both proven and dominant, for bicycle frame construction. Because the statements made by this one young woman somehow run afoul of dogma.

And the end conclusion is that this thread is another trolling conspiracy...an attempt by Luddites to destroy the natural order. Get a grip...it's just an article in Cycling Weekly. You can find plenty of ads and articles there that will soothe your feelings. I get the sense there's a lot of magical thinking surrounding this topic. There's nothing wrong with magical thinking, but it's a poor starting point for any sort of rational discussion.

3alarmer 

...if CFRP frames have been around as long as they have been, (and people here are constantly telling me they've been around a long time, and are thus "proven superior technology"), when do you think that's going to happen ? Put in other words, if the production tech for CFRP frames were going to get better and cheaper than the alternatives, don't you think it would have happened already ? 20-30 years is a long time. Not sure you can call someone riding CF an "early adopter" any more.

I was an early adopter of BEV's, and that was only about 12-13 years ago. If I really believed a CF frame would be better for what I do on a bicycle, I'd have bought one used by now.