brommieinkorea
Well-Known Member
Why is it that people throw a fit over cheap looking plastic parts on Bromptons yet they seem to be perfectly o.k. with a £5000 bike whose frame is plastic?
Plastic parts
- Thread starter brommieinkorea
- Start date
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Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
The £5000 bike is made out of carbon fibre, not cheap plastic.
OP
OP
brommieinkorea
Well-Known Member
Glass reinforced nylon is still cheap plastic ? Carbon Fibre is plastic.
To be fair as much as I like to bait the placcy bike fanbois, there is a tangible difference... although nowhere near as much as some would have you believe.
Always makes me laugh (or cry) how the marketeers have warped and up-sold composites - slowly twisting the perception of the material away from what it actually is in the original and most descriptive terms - CFRP ("carbon fibre reinforced plastic") to "carbon fibre" and often now simply "carbon".
On top of that we have other space-age-sounding wonder materials like "forged carbon" - which really is analagous to the cheap chopped-strand glass-filled nylon you find in a lot of "engineering plastic" applications.
Bill Hicks had the right idea about people who work in marketing..
Always makes me laugh (or cry) how the marketeers have warped and up-sold composites - slowly twisting the perception of the material away from what it actually is in the original and most descriptive terms - CFRP ("carbon fibre reinforced plastic") to "carbon fibre" and often now simply "carbon".
On top of that we have other space-age-sounding wonder materials like "forged carbon" - which really is analagous to the cheap chopped-strand glass-filled nylon you find in a lot of "engineering plastic" applications.
Bill Hicks had the right idea about people who work in marketing..
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Like any material, carbon fibre (or derivatives thereof) is superb.
Until it isn't superb any more.
Until it isn't superb any more.
Fastpedaller
Über Member
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Drago - I think your new avatar is disturbing!
Mission accomplished!
FrankCrank
Old layabout
You know it makes sense.
slow horse
Well-Known Member
I've just checked, and the forks on all my bikes are reinforced plastic. Fingers crossed, so far so good.
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
The term “plastic” covers a very broad spectrum of materials (and also deformation response).
Fastpedaller
Über Member
I have a plastic car that seats 4 people!
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I don't have a TV.
Gillstay
Veteran
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
Plastic is used extensively in aerospace, motorsports, medical and other high technology applications. I’m not sure why it’s use on a Brompton is singled out.