The biking thread

[Submerged]

Apparently, when carbon fibre fails, it just shatters. Although it has to be a huge amount of stress on the bike to do that first.

With metal alloys, I am assuming it would deform first before then failing by shearing/snapping off.

All over carbon should be a fair amount lighter than alloy mixtures and stiffer. It should also be stronger to take the abuse as well, due to the manufacturing process, is pressure treated.

However, I do remember watching the Tour de France and Chris Boardman (the commentator) happened to mentioned that he disagreed with carbon wheelsets on a carbon frame, as he felt it made the whole bike so stiff that when the riders were turning a (bumpy) corner, it made the bike more likely to wash out or skip and judder which increases the chances of you actually falling off.

Obviously both materials have its pluses and minuses.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Most bikes these days are all-out carbon. Tom Boonen's new Specialized Verge bike is an incredible piece of kit! If you'd get a carbon, though, I'd be more worried with catching sudden sidewinds should you opt for deep carbon rims like Zipps.

 

[daft biker]

The general rule is they are stiffer and lighter than aluminium.

Or just look prettier

I prefer metal MTBs but on a road bike carbon done well could make a lot of sense.....steel too heavy, alu too stiff, ti too bendy and expensive.....

...prolly makes sense on a MTB too but I like the feel of a steel frame, like giving alu ones a battering and ti is wild in the corners. I'll leave the carbon frames for the whippets....at least the rigid frames anyway

 

[Submerged]

Most bikes these days are all-out carbon. Tom Boonen's new Specialized Verge bike is an incredible piece of kit! If you'd get a carbon, though, I'd be more worried with catching sudden sidewinds should you opt for deep carbon rims like Zipps.

A friend of mine got deep carbon rims. They're almost time trial like!

Yeah, they're not ideal at all if its windy and has unsettled wind all over the place, used to giggle to myself whenever I was behind him and saw him weaving around cos of the side wind.

I have all metal frame and it feels fine. My father got a carbon fork and metal frame. That is noticeably lighter than mine. My mates who got carbon frames are insanely light and they do say that they are good bikes and they don't have any real problems with them.

 

[Bram Turismo]

A Specialized or Cervelo carbon bike is what I'm going for when I start working. That and a TT bike are already planned for the future. The bike I'm riding now is a metal bike, but is a relatively cheap one and 7 years old. 7 years isn't much for a bike, but it is for one poorly built. I'm surprised I've yet to make a serious crash with my bike. After all, crashing is part of riding. Especially when you're going full out and you're being caught off-guard by sidewinds. I've had it happen to me a couple of times now, but managed to stay on the bike. Exhaustion in the metal does seem to be appearing between the frame and the fork, but I'm riding this bike 'till it explodes. Then it's time for a real bike

 

[Neal]

Apparently, when carbon fibre fails, it just shatters. Although it has to be a huge amount of stress on the bike to do that first.

With metal alloys, I am assuming it would deform first before then failing by shearing/snapping off..

Aluminium can just snap too!

Or just look prettier

I prefer metal MTBs but on a road bike carbon done well could make a lot of sense.....steel too heavy, alu too stiff, ti too bendy and expensive.....

...prolly makes sense on a MTB too but I like the feel of a steel frame, like giving alu ones a battering and ti is wild in the corners. I'll leave the carbon frames for the whippets....at least the rigid frames anyway

Of course, I forgot that bare carbon looks kool

 

[Bram Turismo]

Of course, I forgot that bare carbon looks kool

QFT:

 

[W3H5]

I'm really tempted to test ride this:

I've not intention of buying it, just want to take it for a spin. The factory is only a few hours from here on the train.

Today I did 47km at a leisurely pace. I would check the computer for more stats but I'm not getting up until I have to clean the thing this evening.

I'm having a few issues with some slight noises from the crank set which are annoying but not a major issue. I think it's just the result of something stretching, maybe a gear cable or something, as the bike is nearly completely worn in after 800km.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Do it. Now.

Even if it's just a testride. Do. It. Now!

That bike looks like a nice entry to time trial riding as well with those rims. You could get aerobars to mount on the steer, and then move the saddle forward.

 

[W3H5]

I'm thinking of taking my aero bars with me and bolting them on.

I'm about to get into the bicycle business actually. My family are big in the motorcycle industry and me being a keen rider, they are willing to lend me some of their contacts to get a start.

First port of call. The Matrix factory!

 

[Bram Turismo]

Owning your own bicycle shop? That must be awesome, good luck with that! 👍

So, do GTP members get a 25% discount on Specialized bikes?

 

[daft biker]

I'm really tempted to test ride this:

Ok I could just about cope with the Spesh but that is 🤬 hideous

Could probably just about cope with one of these though....

....should look alright with enough mud on it

 

[W3H5]

Owning your own bicycle shop? That must be awesome, good luck with that! 👍

So, do GTP members get a 25% discount on Specialized bikes?

It's a trade e-magazine for the rest of the world about Chinese/ Taiwanese bikes, parts and accessories. It'll be boring for the average rider as most of it will be statistics and production data.

Tell you what, once I get the first issue up and running I'll send you a free copy. How about that?

Ok I could just about cope with the Spesh but that is 🤬 hideous

Infidel!

OK, so the livery is a bit OTT, but picture it all in black, shining like a showroom model. Sexy bit of kit, that.

 

[Omnis]

That bike... is it made by Matrix?

 

[Bram Turismo]

Today's ride:

Started: 27. mars 2012 17:16:36
Ride Time: 1:11:220
Distance: 34,56 km
Average Speed: 29,06 km/h
Fastest Speed: 48,93 km/h
Ascent: 140 meters
Descent: 134 meters
Calories: 1074

Had a coke and a chocolate just before I left. I just got home so I didn't have any time for a meal and then wait another 2 hours since obviously it was already five in the afternoon.

Made a little TT of it, and I got so damn close to 30 km/h averaged! The wind was certainly of no help as it seemed to come out of random directions, so I really had to push here and there. Brutal ride as I gave it everything on the way back, got so darn close to a speed goal!

 

[ExigeEvan]

Anyone have any ideas about carbon frames? I've been looking at some companies here that make them, mainly Matrix, and they look awesome. I'd just like to know what kind of punishment they can take before I drop a fortune of one. My current bike is alloy and stands up to a lot of abuse, it's also got a 5 year warranty on the frame. Any ideas?

My friend, who works in Tredz and gets a massive discount, has been discouraged by colleagues to get a carbon frame for general use for a very simple reason. Carbon is more brittle, but initial damage is often only very small cracks. So in the case of having a crash you might struggle to find any obvious signs of damage, but when it does break it will be catastrophic (Alloy frames should show obvious signs of deformation before failure, but not always).

It's your call, but I personally wouldn't daily-ride a carbon frame on rough public roads.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Unless you are riding low-quality carbon fibre, I don't see how a frame would randomly shatter. After all, it's a much more stronger material than either aluminium or steel.

If you're going for a carbon fibre bike, you'd probably want to get the top of the line bike from manufacturers like Trek, Specialized or Cervelo. But then the question rises: Do you really want to spend 3,000 dollars on a bike for everyday use?

Personally I wouldn't since I'm not racing. I'd go for either steel or aluminium.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Unless you are riding low-quality carbon fibre, I don't see how a frame would randomly shatter. After all, it's a much more stronger material than either aluminium or steel.

If you're going for a carbon fibre bike, you'd probably want to get the top of the line bike from manufacturers like Trek, Specialized or Cervelo. But then the question rises: Do you really want to spend 3,000 dollars on a bike for everyday use?

Personally I wouldn't since I'm not racing. I'd go for either steel or aluminium.

If it's been in a crash that's caused defects like hairline cracks, much like the issues the A380 has had, that sudden failure can occur.

But it's not random as it's been initiated by a crash previously.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I'd imagine those kind of crashes have to be brutal ones, though.

I understand what you mean, but I just don't think a carbon bike is anything more dangerous when driven properly than any other road bike. Then again, I don't live in the UK so I'm not familiar with the odds of a car collision with a bike.

In my opinion the real question for a carbon bike is whether one really wants to spend such an amount of money on a manufacturer's top model bike when it's serving daily rides and longer tours without any kind of competitive racing.

 

[W3H5]

It was just something I was thinking about. I've done some research into CF frames and realised that I'm quite happy with my alloy frame for now. Maybe when I'm due an upgrade I'll consider one, or if I get on for free by pretending to be a dealer and asking a factory for a sample.

 

[bluemoon_19]

Since the weather is nice around here I decided to get on my bike for my first proper ride this year. I covered 20 miles with an average speed of 15 MPH (24 KPH) and a top speed of 23 MPH (37 KPH ) below is the link to Endomondo with the route and stats.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/j2hMiDNY_O8

 

[daft biker]

I'd imagine those kind of crashes have to be brutal ones, though.

I'd certainly hope so but light frames aren't really built for crashing whatever they are made from. Whether a component ends up with just a crack or something snaps off completely doesn't really make any odds to me as the result is the same.....need a new one

If you're worried about how a bike will fare in a crash get one built out of 4130 chromoly (they use it to build roll cages too!). This one is made for doing really bad things to.....

...the frame alone weighs almost 12lbs!

 

[Emptyone]

Took my Mudguards off my racing bike today, haven't seen my tyres in months! Somehow makes it feel so much better

 

[W3H5]

Which guards do you use? I've been looking at the Crud RoadRacers MKII because they are the only guards that would fit on my bike as the clearance is minimal. Do you know of any other racing style guards?

 

[Emptyone]

Which guards do you use? I've been looking at the Crud RoadRacers MKII because they are the only guards that would fit on my bike as the clearance is minimal. Do you know of any other racing style guards?

As to the guards I use, alas I fail in knowing that as they came with the bike as it was practically winter when I got it and I'm out every day with it so sort of necessary. Had at look at the ones you mentioned, mine are somewhat less sleek and the rear one attaches in two places not one. Surely they're are other brands who make guards as tight fitting, though those look pretty sleek. As for other styles, I'd imagine the close fitting nature of Mudguards is a must and that's about the only style to get under the brakes.

 

[daft biker]

Took my Mudguards off my racing bike today, haven't seen my tyres in months! Somehow makes it feel so much better

Think I know what you mean.....I don't like riding with mudgaurds as I'm too used to being able to see the tyre after 20-odd years mountain biking. It's almost like riding with blinkers on when I can't see it!

And it's not just bicycles.....don't like MX and enduro bikes with big mudgaurds either.....or cars as there are not many of them you can see the front tyres in your peripheral vision (only one I've been in was a Caterham superlight).

Anybody know if you can get a bike rack for an Ariel Atom?

 

[W3H5]

Like bikes? Love this.

 

[daft biker]

Like bikes? Love this.

looks like fun:tup:

Would probably get away with riding it in Edinburgh or other hilly towns......can't see it going more than 15mph up the hills and downhill it's easy enough to hit 30 or 40 without a motor anyway.

Unless you're unfortunate enough to be caught by a cop that knows what the bike is. I'd take my chances on it though

 

[ExigeEvan]

Might cycle to work while this tanker strike malarky is going on. It's only 2 miles away, I could practically roll down the hill without pedalling.

It's not an expensive bike, but I think I'd have to check with security where I could keep it while I was there.

 

[Neal]

That Spesh does look pretty cool for an electric bike, it being too fast for US and UK is bolx though as you can go quicker than that on the flat on a mountain bike.

It'd be 20km minimum for me to ride to work so not got the time to do that with dropping off and picking kids up. I did fill up yesterday so I still get to go biking at Lee Quarry tomorrow :gettingprioritiesright: