Carbon frame in winter

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  • after riding a alu frame all year round including those bad weather days I am thinking of a new bike. how well will a carbon frame last if used for my 40 k daily commute and 100-150 k weekend rides?

  • well, it won't rust.

  • It has vertical compliance and lateral stiffness.

  • Would be less affected by salt on the roads than a metal frame- maybe throw some Zipps on as well?

  • I've seen a lot of carbon bikes come through the workshop that have the lacquer blistering and peeling where spray hits or collects.

    I've also seen plenty alu bikes turning to dust and steel bikes turning orange in these places.

  • titanium ftw

  • Winter bike, cheap Ribble or Kinesis. Ride it until it self-destructs, buy new one. You'd get 20 years worth of frames for the price of a ti frame and they'd be new every few years.

  • Get a Dutch bike.

  • ...has anyone made a carbon Dutch bike?

    Edit:

    It seems Gazelle do.

    As you were.

  • Imagine this with fenders and a rack

    ...I wish they hadn't.

  • Winter bike, cheap Ribble or Kinesis. Ride it until it self-destructs, buy new one. You'd get 20 years worth of frames for the price of a ti frame and they'd be new every few years.

    This^

    The process of transplanting parts to a new frame can be combined with a hardcore service, and you can pick up on bits that are about to fail and replace them. I've been doing this for years, and natural selection has prodced one of the ugliest things on two wheels.

  • Rain, salt, dirt, and grit will all destroy the finish of your carbon frame in much the same way they would a metal one. So it depends on what you can aford to replace. No reason not to.

  • Imagine this with fenders and a rack

    With a dozen fenders and racks it'll still be immensely lighter than any of Micks' bikes.

  • I did think of the Pearson audax carbon bike but it is expensive…Cannondale Supersix 105 is 1000 less.. I think the Crud roadracer mudguards are an option for protecting the frame.. I use them for my fixie and work well

    any recommendation for good quality carbon bikes/frames especially in terms of durability?

  • The Audax pro. Is fit-for-purpose though. Most other carbon road bikes will be built to carry less weight, at higher speeds, with an slant towards performance over longevity.

    Still over priced, as you say.

    Difficult to say what carbon bikes are toughest. I'd go with a budget sportive option if I was determined to commute by carbon road bike.
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-rhigos04/

  • Have you considered a carbon CX bike?

    Better clearance for winter commuting tyres.
    Easier mounting of guards (might even have evelets for it).
    Designed to take the odd knock.
    Cable routing more suited to shitty weather.

  • it will freeze and become very brittle in the winter

  • Only if you live in Alaska (or similar chilly places).

  • This is a possible plus for carbon. Metal components get bastard could when you're cycling to work in minus 25C. The air is dry and actually insulating, but being in contact with heat conducting materials is a killer. Cleat bolts function like efficient heat bridges, powerfully sucking the heat out of your feet.

    runs off to start MFR based bicycle

  • That's why I'm a fan of carbon bar ends on MTBs

  • I might get some electrical insoles before this winter. I dont mind the cold as a rule. But cold feet destroy my soul (well soles).

  • I commute in casual shoes which don't constrict blood flow as much so if it's really cold I can usually get away with wearing an extra pair of socks. My fingers are another story though, I can't stand having icicles for fingers. I've been looking at those cheap USB powered heating gloves trying to figure out some way to power them off a battery pack of sorts but I know nothing about electronics so as of yet no results.

    Edit: bit of a thread hijack I'm sorry but you basically got your answer in the first reply. Wet, cold and salt will destroy the paint but won't affect the structure.

  • Winter bike, cheap Ribble or Kinesis. Ride it until it self-destructs, buy new one. You'd get 20 years worth of frames for the price of a ti frame and they'd be new every few years.

    Rain, salt, dirt, and grit will all destroy the finish of your carbon frame in much the same way they would a metal one. So it depends on what you can aford to replace. No reason not to...

    Honestly it sounds like you're trying to justify a carbon frame to yourself (nothing wrong with that). It's just that it might be better to re-approach/reword the question:

    -"I want a carbon bike for winter duties, what would people recommend?"

  • I commute in casual shoes which don't constrict blood flow as much so if it's really cold I can usually get away with wearing an extra pair of socks. My fingers are another story though, I can't stand having icicles for fingers. I've been looking at those cheap USB powered heating gloves trying to figure out some way to power them off a battery pack of sorts but I know nothing about electronics so as of yet no results.

    Edit: bit of a thread hijack I'm sorry but you basically got your answer in the first reply. Wet, cold and salt will destroy the paint but won't affect the structure.

    You can get the single use jobbies. But that might work out expensive.

    The electrically heated insoles seem to be modular affairs. Where you buy leads, batties etc separatly. You could bodge something up from the parts. I know you can buy loose heating elements. Alternativly it could be possible to pull the element out of an insole, and stitch/glue them to the outside of a glove line.

    Search for Thermal-Ic.

    charger + battery pack + remote control.

    Heating Element.

    Loads of parts here (in norwegian I'm afraid)

    http://www.bikeshop.no/aspx/produkter.aspx?l=2&t=167&g0=5&g1=14&g2=15&visavdeling=1&g0txt=03. Bekledning&g1txt=Varmesåler&g2txt=Tilbehør

    But if your hands catch fire while cycling, I'll delete this post and denay all knowledge.

  • The carbon audax from Pearsons looks like a great move in the right direction. I gather that they designed it with a long term customer in mind who does a lot of long distance events. It is one of the only carbon road bikes designed with adequate clearance for mudguards and comfortable tyres.

    I believe there are a couple of other carbon frames with eyelets but they tend to just be normal geometry road bikes with eyelets rather than specifically designed to take mudguards etc.

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Carbon frame in winter

Posted by Avatar for Stefano @Stefano

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