Fear of Carbon?

[Birch]

OK... this may sound a bit silly to some/most of you, but I have a case of Carbonitis.

I've been doing triathons for a few years and looking to get back into the crit side of things. In looking at a road/crit bike, I'm considering a Cervelo R3 or Cannondale Six, but I have to admit, I would love to be able to race with an Ottrott.

Here's in lies the fear portion. I'm big. I'm about 6'3" and race at about 210. In crits I'm obviosly a sprinter/lead out person so a fear of catostrophic failure when cruising at 260 watts to 500+ in a couple of pedal strokes scares me!!

Because of my size (I ride a 57.5-58.5 effective TT) I am not looking to build out a sub 14lb featherweight, yet I'm looking for something crisp, solid, but won't leave me replacing my fillings every 500mi or so!!

So give me your carbon thoughts!! Or even more on topic, can an Ottrott be used as a crit bike for a sprinting beast?

:argue:

[Big Daddy]

OK... this may sound a bit silly to some/most of you, but I have a case of Carbonitis.

I've been doing triathons for a few years and looking to get back into the crit side of things. In looking at a road/crit bike, I'm considering a Cervelo R3 or Cannondale Six, but I have to admit, I would love to be able to race with an Ottrott.

Here's in lies the fear portion. I'm big. I'm about 6'3" and race at about 210. In crits I'm obviosly a sprinter/lead out person so a fear of catostrophic failure when cruising at 260 watts to 500+ in a couple of pedal strokes scares me!!

Because of my size (I ride a 57.5-58.5 effective TT) I am not looking to build out a sub 14lb featherweight, yet I'm looking for something crisp, solid, but won't leave me replacing my fillings every 500mi or so!!

So give me your carbon thoughts!! Or even more on topic, can an Ottrott be used as a crit bike for a sprinting beast?

:argue:

those 3 bikes you have mentioned all have been raced by more powerful racers than you. No worries. (btw, you could not go worng with any 3 of those)

Charge ahead with the carbon and enjoy with confidence.

[gasman]

those 3 bikes you have mentioned all have been raced by more powerful racers than you. No worries.(btw, you could not go worng with any 3 of those)

Charge ahead with the carbon and enjoy with confidence.

Another carbon to consider would be a Calfee-their bikes are rock solid and the Tetra-Pro has a 25 year warranty. of course it's never really the material but the construction and your budget.

[davidlee]

Steer clear of the R3 . I don't care about the stiffness hype. You will flex that bike all over the place. Trust me on this one.
d

[Kevan]

When will carbon ever catch a break other than the ones they do during racing? Cf is here to stay for a very long time. Every major manufacturer of bikes builds models with the medium. The stats on fiber's strength clearly indicate that it makes for an extremely strong pipe. You won't be riding a light bulb that will shatter should a small rock be kicked up by a neighbor's tire, if that's what you fear. The only way a cf bike is going to shatter is if you crash or run into something, but even then you already are trouble and might lose those teeth. The fact is, many of these cf bikes that do crash...they go on to ride and ride and ride some more.

I can understand issues regarding looks or the bike's road feel, but chances of disintegrating? Puh..shaa!

I'm sure Serotta could calm your nerves on this subject and offer a terrific TT rig.

[aLexis]

Have you looked into the Serotta HSG Carbon or HSG IT? I think either of those would outlast and outperform the Cannondale and Cervelo, esp for a big guy. With the $250 crash protection option, you can race with peace of mind.

[Larry]

Custom carbon by Serotta......... Fine.

Ottrott with carbon........... Fine.

Coeur de Acier .............. steel/carbon ....... best bang for the buck.

Unless you really want the coolest thing in carbon, take a close look at
the CDA.

Serotta will deliver the goods beyond your expectations.

[Samster]

given a well made frame, if the stress imparted is enough to blow apart carbon, neither aluminum, titanium nor steel are likely to fare much better.

that notwithstanding, i like steel better than any other material.

[Peter P.]

You've done an EXCELLENT job in describing yourself and what you want in a frame.

I see no reason, other than price, that you can't go to a Serotta dealer and lay down what you told us. Serotta should easily be able to make it strong enough for you. After all, that's what Serotta custom is all about.

If you don't have the money, then I bet you'd still be satisfied with one of their stock models, but in that case at least shoot for a test ride, first.

[SPOKE]

Have you looked into the Serotta HSG Carbon or HSG IT? I think either of those would outlast and outperform the Cannondale and Cervelo, esp for a big guy. With the $250 crash protection option, you can race with peace of mind.

+1 on what aLexis says above.
as for the Ottrott it would be a great bike if ou want to spend the $$$'s. just make sure to build it without the ST rear dropouts.