Carbon fibre used in mountain bikes
This is an article I wrote for Mountain Bike Australia Magazine in 2008. It covers the basics about carbon used for bikes and includes some specific information related to offroad riding. This article also discusses quality and repair, has some nice photos and looks into the future of the material in cycling.
Carbon Composites for bikes Part 2
Here is Part 2 of the article on carbon for bikes that I wrote back in 2004 and which was later published in Bicycling Australia magazine. Part 2 goes into the history and looks at some specific processes and quality control.
Carbon Composites for bikes Part 1
Here is Part 1 of an article I wrote back in 2004 which was later published in Bicycling Australia magazine. Some of the technology has advanced a little since the article was written however the fundamentals are all there. The main difference today is better availability of higher grade materials and some of the bladder manufacturing techniques.
Carbon Fibre Properties
This is a table listing the Tensile Strength and Modulus of most of the grades of carbon fibre raw material used wordwide. You can use it to see how Toray T700 difers from Graphil MR40. As you will see there are many grades available with a large range of properties, using different grades in different locations helps tune the ride of the humble bicycle. The other to note that isn't listed in this table however is the elongation properties, basically the starting point is about 2% and it goes down as the modulus increases. This stuff is not very elastic!
Carbon Bike FAQ
Here is a question/answer style FAQ on carbon bikes, this answers many common questions people ask about carbon bikes. If you have any further questions ask us directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.