Off-the-Shelf Carbon - Part 1

I don't follow many online forums, nor do I read many comments people post to news articles on a variety of cycling "news" websites. Why? I think it has something to do with all the misinformation and opinion (spun as fact) that gets tossed around. Don't get me wrong, people are entitled to their opinions and I support a person's right to free speech. I just wish some people would dig a little deeper, listen a little harder and ask the right questions before they assume they "know" something. 

There seems to be a lot of sensitivity around the idea of off-the-shelf products bicycle brands sell into the market. Saying something is off-the-shelf is essentially the kiss-of-death in some peoples minds, even if they don't have all the facts. Hence, there are a number of people posting comments as if they know something they might not. The belief that something perceived to be or even known to be off-the-shelf somehow makes a product inferior simply isn't true. There are more questions that need to be asked, many people might not even think about or consider. 

Consider this, Ford makes the Mustang and in the dark of night you likely cannot tell which package it's stocking under the hood. It could be the run-of-the-mill V6 or it could be the Shelby GT, right? Hence, from the shape of the car you can't always tell what it's packing inside. And we all know that what's under the hood makes a huge difference. 

Let's apply our Ford example to carbon bike frames and parts. You might want to avoid assuming that the shape of the thing is an absolute indicator of how it's made - what's under the hood, if you will. Nor should you make assumptions about it's overall quality, the integrity of the manufacturer or its safety. 

Yes, there truly are a number of inexpensive carbon frames, parts and accessories that are widely available on Ebay and other retail websites. And yes, in some cases they may be constructed using lower quality forms of carbon fiber and resins. Yes, they may have funky geometries and odd features because the engineers designing them aren't always cyclists (or proportioned like many Westerner's). And yes, you might just get what you pay for...but, maybe you'll get more than you expected too. 

So, what about the companies (brands) that actively advertise their products, sell them through distributors or maybe through a known retail website, that you suspect (or claim) just buy their products from some foreign factory and slap their logo on it, claiming it as their own? This is where it gets tricky, and harder to know what's under the hood. 

Here's the skinny. There are several types of carbon, different tonnages, different resins, different manufacturing techniques, different quality controls, different layups and so on. Then there are the different testing standards for different countries, varying philosophies on  how many frames or parts need to be tested to determine compliance and safety. Then you have the testing facilities that do the testing, and in some cases you have manufacturers who self-certify their test results and more. Ugh! 

What does all this mean? I'll begin to explain it to you tomorrow in Part 2 of this article.