Light, stiff, but as stubborn as a donkey. Carbon has dominated the bike industry for more than a decade now. Initially used only hesitantly in frame construction, today you can easily build a complete bike from black carbon fibre - from the bolts to the wheel. The road bike segment has taken it even further: here, the high-tech material is the first choice right down to the lower price categories. Robust mountain bikes have not yet come this far. Except in racing: no World Cup pro would compete on an aluminium race bike these days. The majority of amateur racers follow this example, and more and more touring riders are also putting their bikes on a diet with frames and attachments made of carbon fibre. In short: almost every biker rides carbon fibre components on their sports equipment. However, only a fraction of users know exactly how to treat the material correctly, what it can do and what they should not do with it. Our carbon fibre report provides tips on how to handle it and dispels myths.
Carbon production
To turn carbon fibre mats into frame tubes, manufacturers have three production methods at their disposal: the tube-to-tube method, the sleeve construction method and the most common, the monocoque method. In the latter method, the carbon fibre mats soaked in resin are meticulously placed in moulds by hand and cured in an oven. To ensure that no air pockets form and that the tubes emerge as smooth and stable as possible, tubes inflated with compressed air press against the fibre mats on the inside. The tubes are usually removed after baking. As so much manual labour is required in the manufacture of carbon frames, almost everything is now produced in China and Taiwan, and here you will also find all the addresses where you can have defective carbon frames checked and repaired:
Repair addresses for carbon frames and parts*:
- Bräutigam GmbH, Daimlerstr. 13, D-71691 Freiberg am Neckar, www.braeutigam-gmbh.eu
- Carbon-Klinik, Seiboldstr. 37, D-86911 Riederau am Ammersee, www.carbon-klinik.de
- CarboRep, carbon frame repair, Nürnberger Str. 90, D-91052 Erlangen, www.carborep.de
- Jostec, Schmitten 1, D-88279 Amtzell, www.jostec.com
- MAW Mariotto Art Works, Römerweg 111, CH-4574 Lüsslingen, www.maworks.ch
- Poly Tube Cycles, Braunstr. 12, D-41836 Hückelhoven, www.polytube-cycles.de
- Triple-M, Wies 7, A-4720 Kallham, www.triple-m.net
Repairs to laminated threads, bearings or bottle cage eyelets (no frame tubes or large cracks):
- Koehn GmbH (Reset Racing), Göttinger Chaussee 12-14, D-30453 Hannover, Tel. +49-(0)511-473204-40, www.reset-racing.de
Testing and inspection institutes:
- Carl Messtechnik, Thyssenstraße 183a, D-46535 Dinslaken, www.carbon-bike-check.com
- Velotech.de, Gustav-Heusinger-Str. 21, D-97424 Schweinfurt, www.velotech.de
- Zedler - Institute for Bicycle Technology and Safety, Teinacher Straße 51, D-71634 Ludwigsburg, www.zedler.de
* Lists are not exhaustive; sorted alphabetically
You can find the detailed carbon report with all the practical tips, interviews and background information in BIKE 2/2013. You can read the issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop. reorder:
