Advantages and Disadvantages of Carbon Fiber Bicycles
Carbon Fiber Bike
A great carbon fiber Bike can benefit your daily life and is mainly a mid-to-high-end competition bicycle.
As an emerging material, carbon fiber is mainly used in the best road bike frames, front forks, and wheelsets.
Carbon fiber materials also include aluminum, magnesium, and other new materials.
Carbon fiber is widely used in civil, military, and super sports car fields.
Advantages of Carbon Fiber Frames
As an emerging material, carbon fiber not only has the inherent characteristics of carbon materials but also has the soft processability of textile fibers.
Its specific gravity is less than 1/4 of steel, but its strength is very strong, and its corrosion resistance is outstanding.
Nowadays, carbon fiber materials have been widely used in various series of frames, for example, the well-known brand TRIFOX uses T800 and T1000 carbon fibers.
Generally speaking, carbon fiber as a bicycle material has the following characteristics,
1. Lightweight
Carbon fiber frames are very light due to their density and tensile strength, such as TRIFOX's Carbon MTB Frame SDY21 is made of T800 carbon fiber against the direction in which the stress occurs for strength.
2. Good Shock Absorption Performance
Carbon fiber can effectively absorb shock and maintain good rigidity.
Using its excellent shock absorption performance, it is famous to make bicycles without shock absorbers, such as TRIFOX's Carbon MTB Frame MFM100.
3. Frames of Various Shapes Can be Made
Different from the manufacturing process of general metal frames, this manufacturing process can use aerodynamics to create a frame with the least wind resistance.
The basic molding method of carbon fiber is to lay the fiber sheet on the mold, and then pour it into the resin for firing.
It can be made into frames of various shapes, such as all series of frames from TRIFOX.
Disadvantages of Carbon Fiber Frames
1. Complex Stress Calculation
The carbon fiber frame is made of carbon fiber, which is characterized by strong tensile strength but weak shear strength.
Complex stress calculations (longitudinal stiffness and lateral stiffness) are required during processing, and carbon fiber sheets are superimposed and formed according to the calculations.
Processing technology varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and it is essential to choose a product from an experienced and reliable manufacturer (TRIFOX).
2. Difficult to Change The Size
It is difficult to change the size due to molding.
Unable to respond to orders of multiple sizes and styles.
3. Aging
Will the resin deteriorates when used?
This is an existing theme, and it will gradually turn white when placed in the sun.
Of course, this phenomenon is related to the manufacturer's technology.
It is best not to put it in the sun.
4. Expensive
Compared with titanium alloys, carbon fiber frames are more expensive, mainly because the manufacturing process of carbon fiber frames requires lots of labor, and the scrap rate is very high, resulting in a substantial increase in cost.
Types of Carbon Fiber Bicycles
1. Full-carbon
All carbon fiber bicycle accessories are made of carbon fiber materials.
2. Semi-carbon
Many bicycles are made of aluminum alloy + and carbon fiber. For example, a frame may be made of carbon for the top tube and aluminum for other parts (or carbon for the rear triangle...), carbon fiber for the front fork arm, and aluminum for the front fork tube, so it can be said to be semi-carbon.
3. Carbon Wrapping
For some frames, the manufacturer uses an aluminum alloy to make it and then wraps a layer of carbon cloth on the surface, which is the carbon wrapping thing.
But for carbon fiber, internal factors should be considered more, it uses resin, so the possibility of resin aging exists.
A carbon fiber bike should be kept out of the sun when not in use, with sunlight and ambient temperature having the greatest impact.