Top quality Carbon

Mr_Singleton

Looking to get a Colnago C40 frame set and build it up.

Am a bit worried about the longevity of carbon as a frame material. If your Bradley Wiggins you get a new bike if you brake the old one... Me I'd be screwed.
Anyone with any experience?

Nebulous2

Absolutely no experience - but hoping to get my first carbon bike soon. There are endless arguments/discussions on the cycling forums about this. For high-end bikes carbon is pretty much the material of choice for most, with much smaller market share for other things like titanium.

Carbon is strong, doesn't corrode, but is susceptible to damage. You could alleviate that by insurance and buying from a manufacturer with a decent warranty - not just on paper but from actual user experience. I've no idea what Colnago are like, as they haven't been on my radar at all.

Some questions to ask yourself:-

Why am I buying it?
How long do I intend keeping it?
What would I do if it broke? In a crash? From poor construction?

If you want it you are just going to have to take your chances, but there are things you can do to shift the odds in your favour.

Marco_Panettone

Carbon tends to have catastrophic failure when it breaks, so it's either great or you no longer have a bike. I've ridden (and crashed) a carbon frame as a race-specific bike since 2008, but recently it hasn't been out much. If it breaks I'd be slightly heart-broken as I'm quite sentimental about it (and what I've achieved with it), but it is replaceable as a machine (funds permitting).


If you're after a high-end frame with longevity as a prerequisite then titanium is the way to go, but carbon isn't bad.

Big_G_RC

I've had my Specalized Tarmac checked over by my LBS (who I have a very good relationship with) after every "off" and everything has been as it should.

Covered 2500 miles so far in the first 9 months of owning it.

Hanky_Panky

Any frame material can crack or develop a fault. Carbon is no better or worse than any of the others in this regard.

I certainly wouldn't be worried about the longevity of the frame simply on the material it's built from.

Colnago is supposed to be one of the better Italian brands so in your shoes I would go for it.

p.s.
I have a carbon fibre frame
I have an aluminium frame
I have a steel frame
All good and I weigh 100kg so they're under some stress