Bought £1700 Carbon Bike - Now scared to use it.

[itaa]

Got a mint (except few stoneships) Scott solace 30 flat bar road bike, came up locally for a good price.
I'm used to 15kg BSOs in past which I could trash & abuse ,leave barely locked for days and loan to other people without any worry.

How do I even ride this thing? It rides so good & smooth that I do not want to damage it, I planed to use it for hardpac paths & crappy tarmac potholed roads and mount kerbs with it like I'm used -stuff that doesn't bother much the cheap crap hybrid/hardtail bikes.

How fragile is carbon in real use? Can I even use it for such stuff?
It has currently got 25mm schwalbe marathon plus tyres so pretty tough and with decent grip,but still.. the thing barely weighs nothing and is just a road bike with flat bar- But I have no desire to ride on tarmac along with cars!
Am I going to mess it up If I start mounting kerbs with it (not at speed) ,dropping kerbs & going over small roots?
have no idea how durable the carbon frames/forks are ...

-Would installing wider tyres with slightly more volume be a good idea to make it more ''durable''? ( I have no idea if 30mm would fit, maybe 28mm will)


Also How do you even go to store and leave the bike outside? I'm not sure if I even trust the ''good u-locks'' being an owner of cordless angle grinder myself. The previous owner kept it in armed garage locked up to wall..I'm used to keeping bikes just outside wherever there's space.

 

[vickster]

Get some good insurance with achievable Ts & Cs. Are you in a high theft area

Carbon is a very strong substance or they wouldn’t make bikes from it. Think how much abuse MTBers and CXers give their bikes and they don’t replace them every 5 minutes

Tyres won’t have any impact on durability. Not dropping on and off kerbs on low spoke wheels will so don’t do it if possible

Why did you buy it if you have all these concerns

 

[I like Skol]

If you can't use it then it sounds like you have bought the wrong bike on a whim! I don't think using a top line carbon road bike as a rough mtb hack is a great idea.
The bike frame most likely isn't as delicate as you think but with those wheels & tyres you are going to do some damage unless you are very sympathetic!

 

[biggs682]

don't leave it out in the rain

 

[fatjel]

My carbon bike has proved remarkably tough.
Theres nothing I'd do on a steel or ali bike that I'd not do on my carbon bike

Except leave it out on it's own

 

[mustang1]

I find it odd when people say "hey you have a steel bike, that'll last you for years!" - the implication being that aluminium and carbon will not (I'm not sure where those rumours came from, but all those materials will last years).

YOu might be scared of using it due to the expense of the bike, rather than it's frame material?

 

[Levo-Lon]

Tougher than you think
Give yourself a slap and stop being silly

If it was weak they wouldn't use it

 

[alicat]

Also How do you even go to store and leave the bike outside? I'm not sure if I even trust the ''good u-locks'' being an owner of cordless angle grinder myself. The previous owner kept it in armed garage locked up to wall..I'm used to keeping bikes just outside wherever there's space.

Personally, I would keep it inside. Hang it on a wall if necessary. Much less worry and it's protected from the elements.

 

[Cycleops]

Yes, nothing else for it but to buy a length of wooden moulding cut it to shape around the bike and place them on the wall in your living room.

 

[guitarpete247]

What's your worry. The strength of the material or that it was expensive?
I bought a carbon bike a few months ago (not quite as expensive £1000) but just ride it the same as my Ali and Steel.
I bought a torque wrench when I got the Ali bike (cheap from Windows) and I'm a bit anal using it where Nm numbers are shown. But it's a bike.

 

[Banjo]

The wheels are likely to be the weak parts.
A pair of 36 spoke touring wheels would be good.

 

[Drago]

The material should be as good as any decent quality frame made from any other material. I do think you've bought the wrong bike for your stated use, but unless you start getting really sill you should be no better or worse off than if the frame were made from 653 of 6061.

In the grand scheme of things its still a fairly low range carbon frame. Nevertheless, it is still a lot of money to any sane person. Leaving aside the theft risk, I wouldn't leave it locked outside, particularly at bike racks, solely to protect the frame from impacts in planes and directions it was never intend to endure.

Now go ride it and stop being so silly.

 

[viniga]

My carbon planet x is ten years old. I still do serious miles and speeds on it.

Like anything new, I treated it with kid gloves at first and then gradually it became 'normal'. I was worried about any cracks and dents as the material was still a bit 'suspect' back in the old days and all that nonsense but in reality it is really tough.

From a financial point of view, general rule is don't ride something you can't afford to replace, so insurance perhaps needed for theft and damage? This will dictate what locks you need at home, doubt you will need an armoured garage! On cafe stops i lock mine with a tiny cafe lock and try and sit near it. No point having a light bike and carrying around a lock that weighs more than it!

What to do with it? Ride it, wherever you like really, me I'd be on the road going really fast up hills and then even faster coming down and having a blast!

 

[fted33]

Love my carbon bike. Its is stronger than you think, As I am on the large size 100kgs and 6ft, it does what it needs to do without a fuss. I don't leave it out anywhere at any time. Though the chances of it being nicked up here in West Norfolk are slim. There is no one here but the muntjacs deer and the pig farms. Get on it ride and enjoy. I also second the use of a torque allen key. Thats the only worry I had was over tightening.

 

[I like Skol]

I have given my carbon GT Grades some serious abuse off road without any problems and also had a big over-the-handlebars incident that sent the bike bouncing down the tarmac without any damage. However, when I was hit by a car side on at speed earlier this year the frame cracked and broke in multiple places in a way that metal would not have. I suspect a metal frame taking the same impact would also have been scrap!