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The remarkable properties of composites have found their way into the bicycle industry. Carbon fiber frames first appeared in the mid 1970's. The number increased in the 1980's as more carbon fiber frames and a few components began to trickle into high-end bike dealers and parts catalogs. But these efforts were mostly limited attempts to save weight and often lacked careful engineering and commitment by the manufacturers. The lasting impression of most carbon fiber products was that they were quirky, flexible, fragile, and very expensive.
Over the past fifteen years, several more innovative carbon fiber framesets have entered the market. These have successfully challenged metal frames in two areas of performance - weight and ride comfort. But even some early versions of a few brands also had a poor record of reliability. Multiple warranty returns to fix cracks, loose dropouts and other unbonded metal parts were common.
For these reasons many of the industry's big players continued to view carbon fiber as a novelty. Some manufacturers simply have been content with the old standard: bicycles out of metal. Others either haven't been motivated or perhaps able to spend the time, energy, and money to learn composites technology and develop composites manufacturing techniques. Several companies have dabbled in composites by bonding carbon tubes (mainly seatstays) into aluminum and titanium frames. While there is a small amount of improvement in vibration damping on these frames, they still do not take advantage of the benefits of a full carbon frame.
Even so, composites have made many advances since the mid '80's. Resins, fibers, and epoxies are a lot stronger today. What is more important, understanding how to use these materials has increased tremendously, due in part, to development of sophisticated analysis programs. Composites are more than high-tech weight savers; they are superior structural materials that are revolutionizing the way we build bicycles. A well-designed composite frameset performs better than a metal one. After taking some tentative steps, it has become a viable material in the bicycling industry. A few manufacturers have taken the necessary steps, and have a relatively firm grasp on the capabilities, potentials, and limitations of composites.
One of the major driving forces into the advancement of composites within cycling has been the use of carbon bikes by accomplished racers. Three time Tour De France winner and Professional World Cycling Champion Greg LeMond, in his constant pursuit of higher performance, has helped further this cause more than any other cyclist by using the most advanced technologies available. His pursuit has included extensive use of carbon bikes in most of the world's most prestigious professional bike races. Greg was instrumental in pushing for the use of higher grade carbon fiber known as "high modulus" fiber. Greg was unusual in that he sponsored the bikes for his own team where usually, riders have no choice but to ride what the bike sponsor provides. Of course, the sponsor advertises that "so and so selected our product" but rarely is it true.
