Do carbon bikes have a shelf life?

[HillSlugger]

Do carbon bikes have a shelf life? Do they simply get too old to ride? If yes, at what age might there start being a problem?

[Grog]

We've encountered that question recently as my husband's carbon bike from 2004 has hit somewhere around the 55,000 km mark (35,000 miles) and lots of components are having a hard time. He debated just getting new components for a while (wheels especially) and I asked my trusted mechanic about it.

If I remember correctly, in his (my trusted mechanic) opinion, as long as the frame has no cracks or other signs of damage, it's fine to ride forever.

Now that my dear husband is getting a Cervelo R3, his good ol' Trek will become his winter bike and I can foresee another 50,000 km before it's retired.

[Cataboo]

I think I've read 6-10 years...

But it depends. I'm not going to buy someone's 6-10 year old carbon bike. If it was my carbon bike that I had for 10 years and I knew how it was taken care of and stored - I'd be quite happy to ride it past 10 years.

If it's a carbon fiber mountain bike... I'd be skeptical.

UV does damage carbon fiber - and they put stuff in the coating to prevent that - but I still would want to know that a carbon fiber bike was stored indoors all the time and such like that.

[Zen]

I think someone wants a new bike...:rolleyes:

[DebW]

From what I hear, carbon bikes haven't been around long enough to provide a definitive answer to this question. Some claim forever, some claim a quite finite life. Any small scratches damage carbon and I can't imagine the average bike going scratch-free for too terribly long.

[HillSlugger]

I think someone wants a new bike...:rolleyes:

Don't tell anyone but I have my eye on this:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/chuckp88/main/aegis_t2_pro?

[Eden]

From what I hear, carbon bikes haven't been around long enough to provide a definitive answer to this question. Some claim forever, some claim a quite finite life. Any small scratches damage carbon and I can't imagine the average bike going scratch-free for too terribly long.

Scratches in the clear coat or paint do no damage, only scratches that go so deep that they score the actual carbon can weaken it...

[Aggie_Ama]

When I bought my full carbon Cannondale the owner's manual said you have trade offs for lightness and they aren't as durable as their heavier bikes. :p I have never seen a true number put on it though. My baby lives inside.

[OakLeaf]

Ah, the owner's manual written by lawyers. Three hundred pages of dire warnings about not crashing the frickin' thing, with zero skills drills that might maybe help you avoid crashing, and next to zero technical information. :rolleyes:

As far as inside vs. garage, I think metal frames are actually more vulnerable than carbon in the garage. Not sure how much carbon fiber can oxidize.

[Aggie_Ama]

You want to know the real reason the roadies live inside? Because with 2 mountain bikes, DH's commuter and his hardtail mountain bike he won't sell but doesn't ride there is no room for the two road bikes too since I park my car in my garage. We have a 3 bedroom house and just us so why not let the sweet road bikes live in the guest room since we rarely have guests? The mountain bikes get too dirty for being invited in and you know how snobby roadies can be. :p:D:p

[Heifzilla]

You want to know the real reason the roadies live inside? Because with 2 mountain bikes, DH's commuter and his hardtail mountain bike he won't sell but doesn't ride there is no room for the two road bikes too since I park my car in my garage. We have a 3 bedroom house and just us so why not let the sweet road bikes live in the guest room since we rarely have guests? The mountain bikes get too dirty for being invited in and you know how snobby roadies can be. :p:D:p

This made me laugh out loud. :D :D :D

[tride]

It has approx. 100,000 mi on it (I'm the third person to ride it as a training bike~~so they're not all miles put on by me *tho, I wish*). OH, it's a 1997 Mongoose RM1.0. Back before Mongoose sold out to Wal-Mart/K-Mart they actually made solid bikes. It still has some of the original Shimano 600 parts (brakes are it, I think) but most have been replaced as they wore out (it's still an 8spd. Ultegra set-up, tho). Makes a FANTASTIC training bike! :)

[HillSlugger]

I ended up buying the 2004 carbon tri bike I was drooling over. The previous owner was the original owner and the bike was very well cared for. I'm loving it so far but it's taking some time to get used to the new gearing: double and bar end shifters.

[cylegoddess]

My bike lives by the front door. husband was iffy about it.I ignored him. Only bad thing -- part pf the floor is unsealed concrete - and cycle fell and hurt her paint:( sniff.

[ZenSojourner]

I ended up buying the 2004 carbon tri bike I was drooling over. The previous owner was the original owner and the bike was very well cared for. I'm loving it so far but it's taking some time to get used to the new gearing: double and bar end shifters.

How are you finding the bar end shifters? I've always wondered what it might be like to use those.

[Eden]

How are you finding the bar end shifters? I've always wondered what it might be like to use those.

Bar end shifters on a TT bike aren't quite like having them on a road bike. On a TT bike they are mounted on the ends of the TT bars so that you aren't having to move from the aero position to shift. On a road bike they are on the ends of the drops.

[HillSlugger]

Bar end shifters on a TT bike aren't quite like having them on a road bike. On a TT bike they are mounted on the ends of the TT bars so that you aren't having to move from the aero position to shift. On a road bike they are on the ends of the drops.

Yes.

On my bike the shifter for the rear derailleur is indexed but the one for the front is friction. Not sure why this is.

I'm at the point where I still have to think about which direction the lever needs to go to make the shift.

The front derailleur is not adjusted quite right and I've dropped the chain off the outside more times than I care to remember.

I've got to become far more comfortable with all this before I use the bike in a race! But it's way fun to ride!

[kacie tri-ing]

I ended up buying the 2004 carbon tri bike I was drooling over. The previous owner was the original owner and the bike was very well cared for. I'm loving it so far but it's taking some time to get used to the new gearing: double and bar end shifters.

I didn't realize that you really JUST bought that bike! Have you posted pictures??

Edit: I just found them! SO cute! Did you keep that cool bartape??

[HillSlugger]

I didn't realize that you really JUST bought that bike! Have you posted pictures??

Edit: I just found them! SO cute! Did you keep that cool bartape??

I hated that bar tape. It was gone in an instant!

Here's an updated photo (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=8208&photoid=97652) but it doesn't show it with my Zipp 303 race wheels.

[aicabsolut]

Friction shifters in the front mean you get more trim for the FD. This is a good thing. I think that's pretty common for TT/tri bikes.

[Aggie_Ama]

My bike lives by the front door. husband was iffy about it.I ignored him. Only bad thing -- part pf the floor is unsealed concrete - and cycle fell and hurt her paint:( sniff.

When my dear Maggie Bear was alive she ventured into the garage when my road bike lived there. She was blind and poor baby knocked over my bike, pinning herself between it and my car causing her quite a scare. I checked to make sure 1. my dog was okay (she was but terrified) 2. my bike was okay (it was). I never noticed my car got scratched! We moved the bikes indoors shortly after that. No bikes or dogs were harmed during her last two years. :p

[kfergos]

I hated that bar tape. It was gone in an instant!

Here's an updated photo (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=8208&photoid=97652) but it doesn't show it with my Zipp 303 race wheels.Ooooo that red bar tape is really sharp! Much better than the other speckled stuff. Ick.

[HillSlugger]

Ooooo that red bar tape is really sharp! Much better than the other speckled stuff. Ick.

Thank you. I think so too!

[kacie tri-ing]

I think it looks fantastic how you have it set up :D How is is riding for you?

[HillSlugger]

I think it looks fantastic how you have it set up :D How is it riding for you?

I had to do some tweaking of the cockpit with the aerobar fit but it feels pretty comfortable now and feels much more stable than my road bike with clip ons. I switched out the standard crank for a compact; my biggest "problem" right now is getting used to the shifting, both with learning how to ride the compact double (as compared to the triple I'm used to) and how to use the bar end shifters. Right now I still have to think a bit about which way to move the lever for each shift. Also, the front derailleur is not adjusted quite right and has a tendency to drop the chain off the outside. For these reasons I opted NOT to ride this bike in the tri I did yesterday. Still, it's way fun to ride! Can't wait to get more used to it and use it for the next tri!

[Cataboo]

I've been getting used to a compact double in the last couple weeks... so far I really like it.

Shifting up 2 in the back if I shift up one in the front when going up hills seems to work really well for not losing momentum.

[aicabsolut]

I had to do some tweaking of the cockpit with the aerobar fit but it feels pretty comfortable now and feels much more stable than my road bike with clip ons. I switched out the standard crank for a compact; my biggest "problem" right now is getting used to the shifting, both with learning how to ride the compact double (as compared to the triple I'm used to) and how to use the bar end shifters. Right now I still have to think a bit about which way to move the lever for each shift. Also, the front derailleur is not adjusted quite right and has a tendency to drop the chain off the outside. For these reasons I opted NOT to ride this bike in the tri I did yesterday. Still, it's way fun to ride! Can't wait to get more used to it and use it for the next tri!

That should be an easy fix with the H limit. It's not an indexing / cable tension issue (which is of course good for you since your FD doesn't have an index shifter). If it's a clamp-on FD, you may want to check that the cage is installed correctly--not too high.