Carbon Fibre?

Neither material (aluminum or carbon fibre) has any real ability to absorb catastrophic impact directly, if that's what you mean. Both are very rigid, but lack elasticity. That is, before they'll bend, they break. Of all the material used to make bikes, steel offers the best elasticity, and is usually the easiest to repair (weld). Without getting too specific, think of the trick you've probably seen someone do with an aluminum soda can. You can stand on it as long as it's shape is maintained (reasonable weight) but reach down and strike the center and deform the structural integrity and you end up with a nice little compressed disc. This is one of the reasons you see frames being built in differing shapes and diameters of tubing etc...they play with the shapes and diameters to minimize weight with thinner tubes for example while trying to engineer strength. Titanium is more difficult to weld, and thus harder to repair than steel. There is probably a "billion" pages of posts on frame materials...every material has its advantages and disadvantages.

Depending on the type of "wreck" you encounter Carbon handles it amazingly well. I crashed in a Crit earleir this year on my Carbon Scott CR1 SL. Aside from some serious cosmetic damage to the left chainstay, the bike rides like a champ. I have crashed on an Aluminum frame in the past and that frame lasted me another 2 years before I sold it to my neighbor. 🙄

Jcyclist said:

How does Carbon Fibre hold up when wrecked. Compared to alluminum

Jcyclist said:

How does Carbon Fibre hold up when wrecked. Compared to alluminum

Depending on the type of construction, CF is actually more repairable than aluminum. See the Calfee website of their pricing on repairs to get an idea of what a repair might look like.

http://www.calfeedesign.com/howtosendrepair.htm

The real disadvantages of both aluminum and Carbon are how those materials handle "catastrophic" failure. I have crashed both as well, and still race both bikes (My LBS inspected the carbon bike, contacted the manufacurer and sent them digital photos) Both bikes are inspected carefully, and often. As stated before, cosmetic damage is not usually a problem with any frame material. When they do fail, Both carbon and aluminum USUALLY fail "all-at-once." This type of failure usually results in the most serious accidents. Any bike can be fixed, whether or not it's worth it to do so is another question. Just be aware of the risks of riding it afterwards.