you've always wanted to enter the world of carbon

[David B]

Aimed at the burgeoning number of people who are buying bikes for the fad / craze that is road cycling, perhaps a double edged sword. Good to see more people out there, slightly worrying that a retailer can sell such a bike for £400. It can't be much good, but for a first timer / returner I suspect they'd think it was a decent ride based on having never ridden properly before or memories of a bike they rode many moons ago. Personally I wouldn't use that even for a work bike, but then again you wouldn't get me in Argos either! Wasn't it Bill Bailey who described the Argos catalogue as the laminated book of dreams

And why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy

Bit of a gamble that bike, could either be 100% naff or just cheap bits on an OK frame - if the latter, worth a punt with a view to an upgrade? I'd rather go secondhand, where £400 can get you a fair bit of bike for your dough.

David

 

[FINNEY1973]

And why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy

Bit of a gamble that bike, could either be 100% naff or just cheap bits on an OK frame - if the latter, worth a punt with a view to an upgrade? I'd rather go secondhand, where £400 can get you a fair bit of bike for your dough.

David

Tears of joy!! Ha!!

In fairness it is half price, so at £800 it's right at entry level and then you see that the component list matches that price point, so at £400 it's a more than a decent deal, but if you ride regularly then this will likely be a bit of a dog to ride, hence it's aimed at new starters. Much better second hand to be had if you've got £400 to spend, but that's the point I guess - retailers striking whilst the iron is hot and if you can get a brand new bike for that money with a warranty etc. it's ideal for a teenager or recreational rider who just wants to try out road riding.

 

[David B]

And why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy

Bit of a gamble that bike, could either be 100% naff or just cheap bits on an OK frame - if the latter, worth a punt with a view to an upgrade? I'd rather go secondhand, where £400 can get you a fair bit of bike for your dough.

David

Tears of joy!! Ha!!

I've watched Bill's Bewilderness DVD far more times than is probably good for me!

David

 

[FINNEY1973]

And why is it laminated? To catch the tears of joy

Bit of a gamble that bike, could either be 100% naff or just cheap bits on an OK frame - if the latter, worth a punt with a view to an upgrade? I'd rather go secondhand, where £400 can get you a fair bit of bike for your dough.

David

Tears of joy!! Ha!!

I've watched Bill's Bewilderness DVD far more times than is probably good for me!

David

He's one funny guy that is for sure.

 

[carlrh]

Here goes this might help :facepalm:
The cost of carbon fiber goes up with the increase in tensile strength, or increase in tensile modulus. carbon fiber weave also determines the cost with larger weave costing less, due to the lower cost of manufacturing.

carbon frames are made using various grades of carbon fiber characterized mainly by their tensile strength and tensile modulus. Tensile strength is the amount of force needed to cause the fibers to break, while the tensile modulus is a measure of the carbon fiber's stiffness. people will refer to better frames being high modulus T700 or T800 the higher the stiffer the frame.
Carbon fibers maximum strength is only along the lengths of the fibers. That is why almost all the inside prepreg use uni-directional carbon fiber while making frames. But the inside layup charts are still not identical. For example, the orientation are different some are placed at 0 degree, some are 45 degree, 90 degree. This is important in making carbon frames with good strength & performance. That is also why using uni-directional fiber instead of woven carbon fiber (eg. 3k, 12k) creates stronger frames.
Thus, the main use of woven carbon fiber is for appearance. But there is one mechanical benefit for 3k woven carbon fiber. Putting the 3k woven carbon fiber around bottle bosses can prevent carbon fiber from laminating while machining holes.
A low modulus large weave frame could be compared to a cheap steel frame a top end high modulus frame in comparison would be Reynolds 753.

 

[Barchettaman]

Looks a fairly remarkable deal to me. Those shifters alone are 170 quid at Wiggle. Wheelset is as mentioned approx 100 quid. It seems legit.

 

[Bats]

"9 speed Shimano Sora? Never heard of it, sounds well dodgy" he says, disappearing up his own arse.

 

[DA-EVO]

Re:

I'd buy it for the 'Rigid Suspension' feature alone.

 

[t47b]

Re:

Somebody here should pop in and discuss the finer points with the pale mythical wardens of the treasure, they're bound to know all about tensile modulus

 

[oonaff]

carlrh. i sort of understand.i reckon frame and fork allignment is to me one of the most important things .
i dont suppose weight comes into the equation in this thread as one assumes all modern carbon frames are 'dead light!'
i have never ridden carbon and the same for 653 and 753/853-been put off/953 zona slx thron etc i look forward to one day.
but i have ridden a steel tubeset called excell and i'll tell you what it feels like.when you cycle sraight you can steer no handed easily.it is stable effortless really yet flickable[insect like]
when you climb a springy rhythmic sensation comes into play which seems to assist you.the whole frame set seems to absorb shock effectively 'smoothing out rough roads'
i recently tried a modern alloy road bike with curved seat stays and the up hill springy ness just was nt there !
im keen to form comparisons so can some carbon give me those qualities mentioned ?