G3CWI
Veteran
- Location
- Macclesfield
Are carbon bikes carbon neutral?
Carbon
- Thread starter G3CWI
- Start date
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twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
Well there is quite a high charge associated with them..............
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
I doubt it. There's a small amount of carbon locked up in the frame, but there will be components of plastic, aluminium, steel and so on, all of which require energy and oil to produce. Also, the frame isn't just carbon, but resin too, and will require baking at high temperature.
A bamboo bike with hemp fibre joints is probably slightly better.
Lee_M
Guru
except in the looks dept, where they look like the back end of my garden
twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
No - they aren't that badly overgrown
Lee_M
Guru
No - they aren't that badly overgrown
you're probably right,
still look as ugly though
snailracer
Über Member
AFAIK carbon bike frames have the worst (i.e. largest) carbon footprint of any of the mainstream frame materials by a considerable margin.
400bhp
Guru
Dunno, what cancels out carbon?
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Anti-carbon?
twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
Yeah - making carbon takes energy. I don't know the numbers but for sure carbon neutral does not apply.
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
If getting from A to B takes less energy on a carbon bike, this will reduce your consumption and, thereby, your carbon footprint. However, you may need to cycle 20,000 miles a year for the carbon offset to begin to take effect. Oh, yes, and they'd have to be necessary miles, none of this gallivanting around for pleasure!
Beebo
Firm and Fruity
- Location
- Hexleybeef
Depends how many miles you cycle to offset the build footprint.
snailracer
Über Member
It is also because steel and aluminium are recyclable.