Carbon fibre Road Bikes

•Cheap•Easy to mould•Very Strong elements•Absorbent of the force for a comfortable ride•Easy for batch production, as it can be made into many different shapes, and put into almost any jig ( template).

Facts about Steel & Aluminium Frames

• There was much Interest in carbon fibres in the 1950's. Cellulosic's remained the main source for carbon fibres until the mid 1960's.

• All these fibres had low stiffness, and unsuitable for bike frames.

• A man called watt, then made another high modulus carbon fibre, but it was only later on after a few decades, until the carbon frame was ready for production.

Carbon Fibre in road bikes..

Very Lightweight

Strong

Still flexible for comfort

Made into many different shapes

Corrosion resistant

Comparison between steel and carbon

Along came carbon fibre road bikes...

We have:• High modulus carbon fibre• Ultra high modulus carbon fibre• Ultra hybrid carbon fibre with nano technology

Carbon can be found on different parts of the bike:

• Group set (gears, brakes..)• Stem• Saddle post• Pedals • Handlebars

Different types of Carbon fibres..

Made up in sheets, about 0.005-0.0010mm in diameter

Crystal alignment makes carbon fibre extremely strong for its size

Carbon fibre frames on bikes can be made by weaving several thousand carbon fibres, that get twisted together to form a yarn

Structure of Carbon fibre

1. Strands about 0.005mm-0.010mm are collected

2. These strands are then bonded with crystals

3. 1000s of strands are twisted together to form a yarn

4. Moulded to various shapes and sizes

Carbon Atom

What are Carbon Fibre bikes made up of?

4. On the outside of the material, an epoxy is added to protect the fibres.

1. Polyacrylonitrile is oxidized by being heated to 300 degrees Celsius in air.

2. This breaks the hydrogen bonds and adds oxygen and creates a fireproof material.

3. This new material undergoes carbonization, where it is heated to between 1,500 to 3,000 degrees Celsius. This material is almost 100 percent carbon.

Making Carbon fibre

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