Carbon?

I’ve always liked the look of carbon. There is just something about the weave that just looks cool. Add the fact that carbon is very light and strong and we can all see why carbon is a very highly sought after material for many riders. But with every material, there is always a downside and the downside with carbon (other than it costs quite a bit more than aluminum) is that there is always the chance for catastrophic failure.

You’ve heard of the story: some rider’s carbon handlebar fails catastrophically and sends the rider face first to a meeting with Mr. Dirt. Sadly Mr. Dirt, more often than not, wins that encounter. Or how about the carbon seatpost that snaps. If you’re still able to stay on the bike after it happens, you’re pretty lucky. Most people fall off and end up having to walk out or bike standing for the rest of the ride.

Carbon is so sensitive that many riders regularly preach that you must survey your bike’s carbon parts after every ride. If you notice any superficial damage, such as a slight scuff of the clearcoat, you should have the part checked immediately or even replaced. Yikes!

Is it just me or does all of that worry you a bit? I’ve got a ton of scratches on my handlebars and seatpost from things like installing a blinky or moving the seat higher/lower. If I had to replace or get my handlebar examined every time I scuffed it, I’d be in the poor house (wait, thats where I’m at anyway… I guess I’d be in the really, really poor house). I can’t be worrying about carbon every time I finish a ride. It’s just not practical.

The whole “catastrophic failure” thing scares me too. Granted I am a clydesdale but I wouldn’t want a component fail on me the way carbon fails. Because of this, I normally stay away from carbon and tend to worry less about weight and more about strength with my components. As much as I’d like to upgrade my handlebar and seatpost to carbon to drop some weight and for the bling/coolness factor, but the failure stories scare this clyde.

Funny thing is, I’ve rationalized that I will use a carbon stem, cranks or even a rigid carbon fork if I had the money. I think I justify the stem and cranks because they’re not long and I reason in my mind that due to their shorter length, the carbon should be stronger. I’m also willing to try a rigid carbon fork because of carbon’s qualities. I’ve heard from many people that if you’re going to go rigid, carbon dampens the trail to make for a more comfortable ride. I’d still worry about failure though and the fork would be one area I’d check before and after each ride.

What do you think? Are you ever worried about using carbon as well? And for the clydes out there are there any carbon parts you’d use?