Santa Cruz Nomad - Carbon V Alu Test Lab Video...

chick0

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz ... t-lab.html

warpcow

Hehe, saw that earlier. It's like they've created a job specifically for my 13yr-old self.

nicklouse

and the frames fails exacly where i expected them to.

trail jacker

For future reference, should a debate thread arise... http://www.pinkbike.com/news/santa-cruz ... t-lab.html

Thewaylander

This was a pure strength test not a wear test, also notice aluminium bends safely while the carbon cracks with sharp edges. everything is a trade off

Most peoples worries are the fact that carbon can splinter with impacts to it, this can have large inpacts on strength so it's not really that relevant to most peoples worries.

lawman

yes and twatting a V-10 carbon frame against a solid concrete block numerous times by several different people proves nothing does it? I'd like to see someone twat their alu frame on the same piece of concrete and see which is worse off...

supersonic

Ah yes, impacts ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lsDXEEUlRE

lawman

If you crash or hit a rock hard enough to snap a decent full carbon frame, your bike is probably the least of your worries!! I imagine you would be in pretty bad shape if you fell hard enough to something like a nomad!!

supersonic

I think in a few years time, almost all bikes above a grand will be made from carbon fibre. It is proving itself as durable, light, strong, and as stiff as you want it to be. And with prices coming down, there is going to be little to lose if anything.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

I think in a few years time, almost all bikes above a grand will be made from carbon fibre. It is proving itself as durable, light, strong, and as stiff as you want it to be. And with prices coming down, there is going to be little to lose if anything.

God above, do we actually agree on something for once?! I completely agree, it seems to be finally proving itself to be the complete all-round material, I for one see no drawbacks to it, other than current price of some frames...

supersonic

My vid above was agreeing with you, look what happens to the alu frame at the end!

campbellrae1

Look at the ENVE carbon rims, Steve Peat ran one pair of rims all season until the world cup! If it's done right it can be immensely strong, done poorly it can fail pretty spectacularly. My dad had a cheap pair of carbon bars that he snapped in half, luckily it was on a climb and not landing a drop!

rockmonkeysc

Having seen Ben Deakin get a SRAM carbon crank arm stuck in his leg at the FOD mini downhill last month I wont be buying carbon frame or parts.
Where a aluminium crank arm would have bent the carbon arm snapped leaving a sharp break which tore in to Ben's calf to expose bone! It broke surprisingly easily as well, a 3 day old crank set broke as he rode through a compression pretty smoothly. I hucked it, badly and even with my 16 stone on board my SLX cranks didn't complain.

supersonic

I've seen alu snap just the same though. If it has got hairline cracks, it can split very spectacularly too! So aluminium can fail the same way, they don't always bend.

bennett_346

Forgive me if i am wrong but isn't it steel that bends before it snaps, not alu?

The Northern Monkey

If you feck up a jump and hit a lip with your front wheel that hard to force the BB towards the front axle so that the frame snaps, I bet you any money you'd be over the bars and the bike would bounce up in the air before anything could happen the the frame.
Plus there is the wheel to take the impact.

stupid test.

Clank

I'm going to come out in the Supersonic camp here (not that I suggesting SS is camp).

I've been doing a fair chunk of composite testing of late - mostly with a veiw to automotive applications, and when you're dealing with masses measured in the hundreds of kilos, and abuse loads in the hundreds of kilo-newtons things get real interesting, real quick.

I'm not a fan of pseudo-science vids like these (as entertaining as they are), so I'll rely on my own testing, thanks.

...the upshot of which is, my next frame is likely to be composite.

Aluminium? I've seen some significant injuries as a consequence of aluminium failing in cycle applications (eye socket rebuild, in one case). It's use in motorsport rollcages is prohibited because of it's performance under very high strain rates. It has a very finite fatigue life, and behaves spectacularly badly under abuse loads. Yet oddly, everyone seems happy with aluminium, but shed-scared of composites.

My crosser frame is alloy, but the forks are carbon. My MTB is steel framed, but the forks are alrgely aluminium.

Funny old world, innit?

supersonic

The Northern Monkey wrote:

If you feck up a jump and hit a lip with your front wheel that hard to force the BB towards the front axle so that the frame snaps, I bet you any money you'd be over the bars and the bike would bounce up in the air before anything could happen the the frame.
Plus there is the wheel to take the impact.

stupid test.

Looking at it that way, they should build the frames weaker, because they will never see that sort of impact? I am sure the test was to demonstrate that the lighter carbon frame is stronger.

Thewaylander

supersonic wrote:

I've seen alu snap just the same though. If it has got hairline cracks, it can split very spectacularly too! So aluminium can fail the same way, they don't always bend.

Actually this depends on the properties of the aluminium in question to a large degree, depending on whats in there it can be made more brital or more pliable.

I think carbon has its upside, but its not so good under lots repatative strain as alu, which is no where near as good as steal for that. It depends on what exact propties people are after. but i think a few more years development with some of the exotic materials and we'll have some of nano material used for bikes (well maybe not but hte idea is cool)

Clank

Thewaylander wrote:

.

I think carbon has its upside, but its not so good under lots repatative strain as alu,

Generally, it's waaaay better than aluminium alloys under these loading conditions. .....providing it's been made correctly.

mrmonkfinger

Interesting stuff for sure.

Good to see the carbon demonstrating its ability to spring back after some flex, its incredibly strong stuff when used correctly.

mrmonkfinger

bennett_346 wrote:

Forgive me if i am wrong but isn't it steel that bends before it snaps, not alu?

yes indeed.

steel can bend an enormous amount before it snaps

bluechair84

That's a crackin' video....




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bails87

supersonic wrote:

I've seen alu snap just the same though. If it has got hairline cracks, it can split very spectacularly too! So aluminium can fail the same way, they don't always bend.

How convenient, this happened to one of the commuters today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMGWN2IwBzk