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Think my next bike will be carbon


Silverback's picture

By Silverback - Posted on 23 February 2012

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

Just saw this and that really settles the carbon debate for me, was always worried about rock strikes but if you can do what they do to it in these tests there is no way you will break it in normal XC riding.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz-bicycles...

enjoy

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twotommos's picture

Have you seen the new Pivot 5.7 carbon....a beauty to behold!

Silverback's picture

I have seen it, I want it, I will die if I buy it though lol but what a way to die.

twotommos's picture

My thoughts exactly...what a way- to-go!

kevski's picture

I've got an Avanti Competitor hardtail carbon bike and when it was less than a week old (about 3 years ago) I had a stupid unco moment when I couldn't get my foot out and dropped the top tube onto a pointy granite rock near Wungong dam. It chipped the frame badly and and after a couple of years I had to get it repaired as it was getting to the point where you could almost have put your thumb through it if you tried hard enough. Nice and light though, but I think you would have to be an A grader to get the most out of it. Next time I think I will get an alloy frame, that's good enough for a gumby like me.

the.flying.al's picture

Unless you were on a old school weight a tonne alloy frame the fall probably would have busted it anyway, my son landed funny on a rock and put a hole clean through the frame.

Maybe titanium is what you are looking for? All for carbon - especially if you are on a hard tail where you can take full advantage of the stiffness. My next mtb will be carbon..

Flynny's picture

I've broken every Al XC and AM bike I have ever owned.

My Carbon Gt took an absolute flogging for 3 years before I updated and it never missed a beat. I dropped it, crashed it, bashed it and pushed it a bit harder on drops and jumps than it was really designed for.

If it's done right Carbon is awesome.

hathill's picture
Silverback's picture

Yeah this was was also an eye opener but didnt cover the sharp rock strike issue, smashing the frame against the side of a concrete block as hard as you can kind of covered that though for me lol.

No offense in anyway to Avanti but I think the Santa Cruz/Pivot/Yeti and even Giant level bikes may be a bit of a step up in manufacturing experience & quality but I will be honest and say that is just my personal observation/opinion and im sure other may have experience or a different opinion.

At least no one is bagging out my lycra knicks in this thread lol.

Chris

chewsta's picture

and light, that's why its used.

Not doubting the strength properties of carbon,
however I think the carbon Nomad failed just before it catastrophically fals.

cycling through the animated stills, you can see it start to fail at frame 23 and more visibly at 24 before it catastrophically fails at 25. Failure in my opinion should have been taken at this point. Still the failure point was much higher than Al.

was it my speakers or was i hearing 'something' around the 790lbs on the carbon nomad test?

i'd love to own more carbon frames.. but cost is a huuuuuuuuuuge factor Sad

tdunster's picture

T-800 Carbon is awesome.

I've had some major offs on my Trance Advanced SL and it's still intact.

I had my knee slam the TT on one crash. Result. A massive bruise that lasted about four weeks on my knee and not a mark on the frame.

Titanium is the only other option I'd consider. Very strong, feels great, and reasonably light.

Alloy on the other hand just is cheap. That's about the only advantage it has over carbon and Titanium.

MurrayW's picture

I have a 2012 pivot mach 5.7 ali and saw the carbon version the other day at Cycle Bespoke and thought straight away I should have waited for the carbon.

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