Apart from weight, is there any other advantage in having a carbon frame?

Very little flex and good vibration dampening.

Very little flex and good vibration dampening.

This is contradictory. There can be no damping without flex. If you put the most plush shock absorbers in a car, but removed the springs, would there be an vibration dampening? No, there wouldn't.

(By the way, its "damping", not "dampening": Damping is absorbing motion or energy; dampening is making something wet.)

Carbon is going to be efficient in both weight and the transmission of power, and at the same time it is going to absorb road vibration. To what degree it has these properties depend on the manufacturer, the size of the frame, the temperature, your weight, your riding style, what you are carrying, your hair color, your hair style, whether you shave your legs or not, your annual household income, the number of years your doctor attended medical school, the year of your graduation, the space between your ears, the length of time you have lived at your current residence, etc.

Advantages:
Light weight
won't rust
will increase your speed by 12-13mph
will allow you to climb like Mario Pantani
Feels like a Laz-y-Boy

Disadvantages:
Spontaneous combustion
Expensive
If a butterfly lands on it just right it will crumble
only last about 6 months.

This is contradictory. There can be no damping without flex. If you put the most plush shock absorbers in a car, but removed the springs, would there be an vibration dampening? No, there wouldn't.



that's the worst analogy ever. don't split hairs.

carbon fiber based components have excellent stiffness, while at the same time dampening shock and vibration much better than most metals. carbon fiber is superior to most metals in this way...you CAN have it both ways! you can have excellent dampening with little flex!

and in physical sciences, while the term 'damping' is most widely used, 'dampening' has the same meaning and is an acceptable substitution. :rolleyes:

it makes newbs ask ?'s in forums when they could use the Search function and find countless threads on the exact topic.

you don't have to respond to a question if you're just going to be standoffish with your answer...

the answer is, as a new bike rider...NO...carbon will do nothing to help your riding..it will only make you wallet less heavy. we all adapt to whatever bike we own...
most average carbon frames are not lighter in weight...no more so than lightweight Al. or Ti. and if they are, its a minimal difference for a HUGE amount of $$. there are some vibration savings with carbon...however if you're not used to substantial road mileage, what's the point...you'll never know the difference.

frame flex has more to do with the design of the frame than the material..which is why modern BB areas on CF frames are now so bulky...

ride and love what you can afford...

Apart from weight, is there any other advantage in having a carbon frame?

Most of what you hear and read about carbon is pure hype..It's designed to sell bicycles.

One real advantge carbon has is that it can be molded into organic shapes if you like that sort of thing.

you don't have to respond to a question if you're just going to be standoffish with your answer...

even though this is the beginners forum, they should still be encouraged to use the search function. this question is akin to someone asking "what's better, boutique wheels or handbuilt wheels?" it's not like there aren't PLENTY of threads on this topic. if his ? was more specific, then maybe I would have given him a better answer.

not to mention I think he's a troll.

and I turned 40 today, so I have the right to be crotchety.

that's the worst analogy ever. don't split hairs.

Its not splitting hairs. It simply demonstrating physical reality.

carbon fiber based components have excellent stiffness, while at the same time dampening shock and vibration much better than most metals. carbon fiber is superior to most metals in this way...you CAN have it both ways! you can have excellent dampening with little flex!

No, you can't. How do propose that the energy is removed from the carbon without the carbon flexing? The only energy that can be damped is energy that has been transfered into the carbon. If the carbon does not flex, then all the energy applied to one end of the carbon is transferred out the other end - no energy is absorbed by the carbon. Damping occurs when energy is absorbed by a body and then transformed into a different form (for example, energy absorbed by flexing, and then disappated as heat when unflexing). If the carbon doesn't flex, then no energy is transferred into the carbon, and therefore can not be damped by the carbon. Its just that plain and simple.

This is why suspension systems need shock absorbers and springs. The springs allow the motion necessary to transfer energy into the shock absorber. If the shock absorber doesn't move (expand and contract), then it can't provide any damping.

This is the great fallacy of bicycle frames "absorbing" energy. All the frame materials (steel, titanium, aluminum and carbon) are highly elastic, and have low coefficients of damping. The vast majority of energy transferred into the frame by flexing is returned when the frame unflexes - i.e., there is very, very little damping. Due to the low damping coefficient, about the only energy that gets absorbed is the small high frequency oscillations caused by shock loads. But the frequencies that get damped are primarily in the kilohertz region - i.e. the audible spectrum. In other words, carbon frames don't really damp much energy at all, the vast majority of the shock energy still gets through to the rider - these frames simply "sound" more damped because the audible portion of the vibrations get attenuated.

(By the way, here's a little note of interest: Aluminum makes a poor material for bells because it has a high coefficient of damping compared to other metals; i.e. it damps vibration better than other metals like steel and titanium, so an aluminum bell doesn't ring as well. So why is it that aluminum frames are considered "harsh" and "undamped" as compared to steel and titanium frames?)

Mark McM:

It really sounds like you know what you're talking about, but, dude, I've felt the difference between aluminum and steel and carbon. Where are you getting your information? I'd like to read more about this.

Please, nobody jump on me for this post! Seems to be a touchy thread...

it makes newbs ask ?'s in forums when they could use the Search function and find countless threads on the exact topic.



I'm sorry I thought you could ask questions in a forum.:cryin:

even though this is the beginners forum, they should still be encouraged to use the search function. this question is akin to someone asking "what's better, boutique wheels or handbuilt wheels?" it's not like there aren't PLENTY of threads on this topic. if his ? was more specific, then maybe I would have given him a better answer.

not to mention I think he's a troll.

and I turned 40 today, so I have the right to be crotchety.


Is a 'troll' an American term? I thought I was just a fool who did not know the difference
between the advantages of Carbon of other metals like Titanium (apart from the weight).

Life starts at 40!:thumbsup: