carbon frames will they fatique

[boogie]

as im buying a new bike i have spent the last few days looking around and there seems to be some nice deals to e had im just wondering it a carbon frame deteriorates over time or use at all and how long would you expect one to last?

 

[raindog]

Have a look here maybe
https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[accountantpete]

If you dip back 5 or so years you will see cycle forums full of scare stories warning against using carbon forks over 2 years old etc, and how the join between alloy inserts/carbon is prone to degradation etc etc.

Trouble is that none of the forebodings actually came true.

 

[monnet]

As far as I can make out, the only fatigue carbon frames suffer from is when you stack them. Much like steel or alu then.

Even then in a 30mph crash earlier this year on a training ride my Addict came out with some chipped lacquer on the forks and nothing else (I had it stress tested to be sure). I know loads of folk riding 5/6 year old plus carbon machines and those in the process of replacing them are only doing so because they want something new (n+1 and vanity rather than fears of carbon deterioration).

 

[Dan B]

I believe "fatigue" is technically used to describe the situation where a structure will fail after being unloaded and loaded repeatedly to less than the load that will make it fail as a one-off. As I understand it CFRP has no "memory" of this kind, so the answer to the question in the title is "no".

The thread linked in the first reply has some pretty good info.

 

[Smokin Joe]

There are people still riding round on 20 year old carbon frames. Much the same dire warnings were given about aluminium frames when they started to become popular, the doomsayers forgetting to note that 30 year old Jumbo jets made from the material were still in service.