[Closed] Carbon decision ?

Not really, I'm just waiting for an aluminium frame to be delivered that costs more than some carbon frames.
Buy the one that you want.

There's not much argument against good carbon- it's weaker in some situations, stronger in others... But I don't think it's compelling either, I'd buy the bike I want not the material. Material just influences that.

Carbon Fibre bike frames are not currently recyclable.

Carbon fibre bike components are an excellent way of sequestrating carbon to prevent it getting into the atmosphere.

mikedabear - Member

Carbon Fibre bike frames are not currently recyclable.

Is that actually true?

Have you ever ridden a carbon bike? Manufacturers are learning very fast how to make them stiff laterally and comfortable vertically. Riding an old steel bike with thin tubes must have been like sitting on a farm gate.

I mainly do the trail centres with a bit of off piste stuff

Get the carbon frame then, if you can afford it and your family isn't gonna starve.

I have decided to stick with aluminium for my MTBs for now, as I ride a lot of rocky trails and I'd struggle to afford a new frame if I smashed a carbon frame in an unlucky crash.

I've ridden carbon and aluminium. Currently looking for a new bike and have bikes of both material on the short list.

mikedabear - Member

Carbon Fibre bike frames are not currently recyclable.

Is that actually true?
Yes it is. Over 50000 tonnes of carbon fibre is produced annually and less than 3500 tonnes are repurposed each year.
I'm only saying and I'm not to concerned as I have a MTB and a Racer they are both carbon and both excellent. But some folks feel strongly about that sort of thing.

[i]I have decided to stick with aluminium for my MTBs for now, as I ride a lot of rocky trails and I'd struggle to afford a new frame if I smashed a carbon frame in an unlucky crash. [/I]

But would be able to afford a new [b]aluminium [/b]frame?

I'd ride it dented, as I have in the past.

mikedabear - Member

Yes it is. Over 50000 tonnes of carbon fibre is produced annually and less than 3500 tonnes are repurposed each year.

That's not the same thing as being unrecyclable. And besides, while the number sounds dramatic it doesn't take any account of all the carbon fibre parts still in use- 100% of my hardtail hasn't been recycled...

I bought a 2016 Kona Hei Hei DL Trail because the frame is aluminium and I knew the 2017 model would be carbon. I could afford the Carbon version, but decided the benefits were not worth the extra outlay.

I bought a 2016 Kona Hei Hei DL Trail

Sorry for hijacking, but how are you liking it? Is it very heavy in real life?

OP, I've just in the last few days ordered a heavily discounted carbon trail bike. I'd had a go on the alu version and it was high on my shortlist but this deal was too good to turn down.

It may well be the same bike! If it is, there was only 2 left in Large in the company after I ordered mine.

That's not the same thing as being unrecyclable

Hi, from memory it weighs 28lbs.
I'm really liking it and can't fault it. I find it pretty fast and playful. Obv. Not quite the rocketship like my Yeti ArcC hardtail, but it still rips along, up and down. I think the build kit is great for the price.
It has taken a little while to adjust to the more modern geometry - I still at times need to get more weight over the front.
Only change I could \ would like to make is to get a dropper post at some point. Never used one before and don't need one for riding at home (South Downs) though.
I had turned into a boutique bike snob, but this bike has really proved to me that you really don't need to buy a boutique bike to get one heck of a bike (plus I loved Kona's back in the early 90's so I guess have a soft spot for them and am pleased to see them producing great bikes again)

Cheers for that. I came close to buying one in the sales last year, but they ran out of large.

Probably for the best, but it's still a possibility as a future secondhand buy. Would you say it's too weighty for XC racing?

Do alloy/steel frames get materially recycled though?

By the time they're thrown out after being passed on through various owners and/or stolen, they end up in a skip, canal, fly tipped, or otherwise they'll probably end up heading to a third world country and actually get ridden again.

I mean, how many reach the point of actually melting down the metal?

That is a good point. Carbon fibre down-cycling is possible. It involves super heating to turn the resin into gas and the fibres are then shredded leaving a pretty low grade material that is pretty much useless other than non structural composites. Therefore the recycling facilities that carry out this process are extremely few and far between, probably none.

It's not all about the material recycling. The use of composites in aircraft, ships and public transport saves much more fuel that the equivalent recyclable metal versions.

On the subject of ships the composite also needs less looking after (paint etc) and if you think cutting up and melting down a steel ship at the end of its life is environmentally friendly then think again. The composite ship will most likely last longer than a steel ship 25 year design life and the total fuel saved (think 10's of millions of $ of fuel) means you could dowse the composite ship in fuel at the end of it's life and burn it and still be better off environmentally than a steel ship.

But for sports equipment and lifestyle goods then you can't use the fuel saving argument really!

Thanks for all the advice. Just bought an Orbea AM M30. Cheers

Thought it might be. Great deal. Can't wait for mine to arrive.

[i]Carbon fibre bike components are an excellent way of sequestrating carbon to prevent it getting into the atmosphere.[/i]

Sorry but one of the most environmentally damaging things you can buy is a carbon frame. The embedded energy in production is massive, the factory conditions are awful, and you can only ever downcycle it to an inferior state to which you purchased it.

The idea of sequestering carbon is a no-no too. The carbon would have been stored someone quite nice in the first place.

grantmccall63 - Member
Thanks for all the advice. Just bought an Orbea AM M30. Cheers

blitz - Member
Thought it might be. Great deal. Can't wait for mine to arrive.

Mine is currently in the garage undergoing the final stages of the build. Looks good!

Just plant some trees to offset the carbon bollox.

Works for most corporates.