SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
I'm not saying steel can't fail, and just to prove the point I have personally had a chainstay fail on a steel Raleigh Pioneer frame, which is not a common occurrence.
However, the rather alarming failure you posted would not have happened without warning, and would have been visible if the rider had regularly checked his frame. My failure wasn't catastrophic either, it felt a bit odd and the frame became increasingly flexy over several miles, which caused me to stop and investigate the cause. When I discovered the problem I rode it several more miles back home in a restrained manner and at modest speed. I don't think carbon would have given me the same, if any, warning - which is why don't trust it and especially wouldn't trust a used carbon bike with possible previous hidden crash damage.
However, the rather alarming failure you posted would not have happened without warning, and would have been visible if the rider had regularly checked his frame. My failure wasn't catastrophic either, it felt a bit odd and the frame became increasingly flexy over several miles, which caused me to stop and investigate the cause. When I discovered the problem I rode it several more miles back home in a restrained manner and at modest speed. I don't think carbon would have given me the same, if any, warning - which is why don't trust it and especially wouldn't trust a used carbon bike with possible previous hidden crash damage.