You will probably hear plenty of opinions on the different frame materials. As far a carbon "breaking" it is none different than other materials per say in they all have their quirks. Keeping in mind that carbon has been used on bikes a long time for forks, seat says, seat posts etc. Some companies have been making the frames for years.

I can only compare aluminum vs carbon. I had a wonderful aluminum Specialized Dolce Comp 2005. It was my first road bike and I really loved it. I just wished going over rough terrain would not be as harsh, even thought it had the carbon fork. This year my husband surprised me with a all carbon Ruby Pro. The ride is truely amazing. Rough terrain is absorbed and I feel I have more control over the bike adding that the bike just flows up hills.

The bigger companies like Specialized, Trek and I am sure there are others do very indepth testing of their bikes, especially carbon. Specialized states & explains their testing process in their catalog. Can there be a bad one in the bunch, sure, but the same holds through with Aluminum and any other material. I would not use material as your deciding factor. Test different bikes and get what best suits your needs and what feels best to you.

~ JoAnn